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Paleo is right for you if you are: human.
“Paleo” refers to the Paleolithic era, which started about 2.5 million years ago and concluded just 10,000 years back. The premise of the "Paleo diet" is to eat the same foods our ancestors ate. Why? Because research has shown that Paleolithic cultures were not yet afflicted with the diseases we so commonly see today such as obesity, cancer, diabetes and heart disease. Genetically speaking, we are pretty much the same as humans living during the Paleolithic era. On a cosmetic level we have evolved quite a bit (thankfully), but on a cellular level, evolution takes much longer.
The Paleolithic Era ended with the advent of agriculture. The introduction of grains, sugars, and vegetable oils has contributed to the demise of our current society’s health. It’s safe to say, the agriculture revolution and decline in health of humans is closely correlated. Even in present day, cultures who survive on only what they can grow and kill are an anomaly to the rest of the disease-laden world.
So, what exactly do you eat on the Paleo Diet? In a nutshell, you eat anything you can harvest or kill, and eat without any processing. This amounts to lots of meat (wild game, grass-fed beef, and pastured chicken are some of the closest selections to what our Paleolithic ancestors had), lots of veggies (homegrown, local, or organic provide the most nutrients), seasonal fruit, and an assortment of nuts and seeds.
But what about all those nutritious whole grains? And how will your bones ever survive without dairy? The Paleo diet provides more than adequate amounts of all the nutrients and minerals your body needs. If you were to compare a typical day of Paleo meals to a typical day of meals created with the government’s food pyramid in mind, you will find that the Paleo meals completely crush the traditional meals in terms of nutrition intake. Every time.
Those who eat Paleo claim that they feel better, look better, and have more energy than they ever did before. But, are they for real? Why don’t you try it for yourself? Stick to a true Paleo menu for 30 days and see how you feel. You can always go back to your old way of eating, but you probably won't want to!
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