Paleo diet

We talk about it in many women’s magazines and it has inspired multiple books on dietetics. But who is this paleo diet? Where does it come from? Is this yet another fashion phenomenon or can it be trusted for the prevention of certain diseases?

 

Origins, paleo diet

 

What is sure is that for a fashion phenomenon, it is a bit of a failure because it has existed for 3 million years! Paleo refers to the Paleolithic era, the longest period of prehistory, and the Paleo diet refers to what our distant ancestors ate at the Earth Cave (not the Kanter Tavern).  But how has this diet managed to reach us since those ancestral times without losing its flavor and effectiveness or having a musty or reheated aftertaste?

The new ancient regime

Even if scientists since 1939 had already asked themselves the question of highlighting the relationship between the health and the diet of our ancestors (Weston A. Price, Sally Fallon), it is commonly accepted that the first article to really make the connection between the nutritional quality of our ancestors and the absence of degenerative diseases was written in 1985, by the anthropologist S. Boyd Eaton in the journal New England Journal of Medicine. He exposes his theory according to which our genetic heritage would in fact be very little different from that of our ancestors living in the Paleolithic era, prior to the discovery of agriculture. It is not the mothers of teenagers fleeing the shower and wandering around like Neanderthals who will contradict him! He therefore concludes that the food most adapted to our needs is the one that raw nature can provide us with. His ideas will be taken up in 1996 by Dr. Jean Seignalet who publishes a book entitled “Food or the third medicine”, in which he calls the Paleo diet: ancestral diet or hypotoxic diet.  We will also note in 2001, the publication by Loren Cordain (doctor in physical education) of a work that some believe to be at the origin of the current Paleo movement and which describes in detail the paleo diet.

Principle of the paleo diet

 

Don’t imagine that you have to equip yourself with a flint and a beast’s skin to go in search of your paleo dinner.  It is not a question of going to hunt the mammoth and the aurochs, but simply of choosing a diet that is as close as possible to what our ancestors the hunter-gatherers ate. The principle could be reduced to this maxim: “If a caveman did not eat, you too will abstain! ». Any food that did not exist at the time of prehistoric men will not have its place on your kitchen menhir (oops table!) and in your stomach.
In Paleolithic nutrition, natural, fresh and unprocessed foods are preferred. Goodbye pasta, cultivated cereals and other sweets and hello mammoth beef ribbons and chicken auroch thigh!

 

Benefits of the paleo diet

 

Even if the homo sapiens of yesteryear (muscular, agile, athletic and strong in wild smells) was very different (except in terms of the genome) from the modern homo sapiens (overweight, in bad shape or even deformed, stressed by his lifestyle, but clean shaven and deodorized!), the paleo diet can however be very beneficial to your favorite caveman and the healthy wild woman you are going to become.  With or without animal skin! With, we admit that you would be cro-cute!

Reduction of the risks of diseases

Have you ever seen a Paleolithic man with a pacemaker? No. Neither am I, because thanks to foods rich in good monounsaturated fats and Omega-3 (various nuts, avocados, fish and meat from animals fed on fodder), the risks of heart disease are reduced as well as inflammatory pain. The reduction in carbohydrate consumption and the intake of antioxidants, vitamins, minerals and phyto-nutrients characteristic of the paleo diet makes it possible to limit the occurrence of degenerative diseases such as cancer, diabetes, osteoporosis and even neurological decline. Sorry about the cardiologists!

 

Regulatory role

Paleolithic menus also promote the reduction of blood pressure, regulate cholesterol and blood sugar levels.

 

Better quality of life

A good diet has positive consequences on your entire body. This is why adopting a paleo diet will allow you to have a better quality of sleep, to be less prone to food allergies and gluten intolerances. Don’t think that paleo dieters come out of their caves unshaven, burping, farting and having digestive problems. On the contrary, we have noticed an increase in the quality of the skin (which tends to lighten up), a better health of the teeth and an almost disappearance of digestion problems and acid reflux. A feeling of satiety and well-being is quickly felt by our 21st century homo sapiens. This is due to the high intake of vegetables that fill the stomach without any energy problem, because their caloric density is low. The high protein and fiber content of the dishes also helps to create a feeling of satiety.

 

Paleo diet: Weight loss

The first months of practicing the Paleolithic diet (or even the first 2 weeks) can lead to a fairly significant weight loss.

 

Paleo diet: danger (and disadvantages)

 

What is certain is that one of the greatest dangers will not be to find yourself facing a mammoth while going shopping because there are no more supermarkets with this product but you will still have to take some precautions to avoid certain inconveniences!

 

Yoyo effect and excess

Because of the rapid weight loss in the first few weeks and the large number of forbidden foods, the paleo diet can cause a yo-yo effect or can make the paleo Cro-Magnon fall into a series of excesses that are difficult to control. So be cheerful, think of degreasing the mammoth!

 

Deficiencies and excesses

If one of the advantages of the paleo diet is not to have to track down the calories accumulated over your meals, it is nevertheless important to monitor your calcium level and possible vitamin D deficiencies. By eliminating calcium-rich dairy products, consider favoring other calcium-source foods such as fish and certain vegetables (watercress, broccoli). For people suffering from vitamin D deficiencies who cannot fill up on the sun (not everyone lives where the sun shines 364 days a year), Vitamin D supplementation can be considered in winter through a dietary supplement.  It is also necessary to try to find meats that are not too fatty (such as those from intensive farming) to avoid bad fats. When we told you that you might have to hunt yourself! Joking aside, wild game meats are healthier than commercial ones!

 

A lifestyle

The benefits stated above are verifiable when people choose to definitively adopt the diet program and that they accompany it with other compatible lifestyle choices (avoiding sources of pollution, playing sports and eliminating the causes of stress as much as possible …).  It is therefore necessary to be certain that you are able to commit to this daily regime in the long term and strictly in order to reap all the benefits knowing that there will be an adaptation period.

 

A controversial diet

Despite its great popularity, the paleo diet has made many scientists cringe. As previously mentioned, it presents potential risks of vitamin D and calcium deficiencies. This diet is based on animal proteins and, according to scientists, goes against many nutritional recommendations. In addition, this excessive consumption of meat could cause diseases that this diet is supposed to prevent (cardiovascular diseases, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, etc.).

Paleo diet: Allowed and prohibited foods

 

No more fast food, but long live paleo food!

Your menus will be enhanced by all lean meats, poultry, game, fish and seafood, eggs, fruits and vegetables low in starch, plants, certain tubers as well as all nuts and seeds. As for fats, you should choose the least processed fats possible and of good quality such as coconut oil, cold-pressed olive oil and avocado. To spice up your life and season your salads, go for simple, effective and healthy things; salt, pepper, herbs, spices, balsamic vinegar…

 

To be prohibited

All grain products, legumes, dairy products (which will no longer be your friends for life!), processed or canned products and fatty meats should be eliminated from your menus. You should also give up soft drinks.

 

Paleo diet recipes : here’s to your health

 

Here is a recipe for a blueberry smoothie to accompany your snacks or to sweeten the wake-up call of the caveman who can’t drink coffee!

• 2 cups of frozen blueberries
• ½ cup of coconut milk
• Zest of one lemon, cinnamon stick, strained water.

Put all the ingredients in your food processor and turn it on until the smoothie is very homogeneous. Add water if necessary.

Decorate with a lemon zest and a cinnamon stick.

 

Menu: paleo diet

 

Menu type

Breakfast: a paleo smoothie (see recipe above)

Lunch:

• Tuna and avocado mixed salad with salad greens, nuts, vinegar and lemon juice.
• Pumpkin soup with chestnuts

Snack and snack: 1 hard-boiled egg OR carrot sticks OR a banana with almond butter OR a handful of olives.

Dinner/Supper: pork chop + mashed sweet potatoes and grilled zucchini

Bon appetit, prehistos!

Also, here is our spirulina which can be of great help to you to make a paleo diet :