The Paleo Diet - No more counting calories!

The Paleo Diet is based on our ancestor's diet.
Let me correct that .... It's actually more a lifestyle than a diet. It incorporates the activity with the foods of what the cave dwelling homo sapien was accustomed to - and there's a good reason behind why:
Back then, the cave dwellers were on average more muscular, taller, versatile, agile and athletic.
Compared to the "average" homo sapien of today who is: out of shape, overweight, stressed, sleep deprived and unhappy.
Why?
Farming - that's why.
Our cave dwelling ancestors ate mainly lean meats, seasonal fruits and vegetables. These days we load up on grain foods such as rice, pasta, bread, corn etc.
In the age of agriculture (a very small percentage of the time we homo sapiens have been around), we've lost the need to become hunters and gathers and our genetics haven't had much time to adapt to a sedentary lifestyle with the dependents on grain foods.
The increase in the numbers of us who are overweight (and obese) are alarming (around 66% of us are overweight & 33% obese according to these statistics).

The Paleo Diet taps into our genetic potential by supplying our bodies with what we're genetically designed to be eating. Smart exercise supplements the diet for awesome results.

Please understand that I'm not a doctor or dietitian but I have done my far share of research on this diet and the information I'm passing on here is a summary of all the info I've sifted through on various websites and books (in the process, saving you the trouble).

As mentioned above, our cave dwelling ancestors (who were typically stronger, more muscular and more athletic than we are today) ate a diet consisting of meats, fish, leafy greens, seasonal fruits and veges, some plant roots, berries, seeds and nuts. Grains didn't come into the mix until quite recently - that's when our waistlines started expanding (and they haven't stopped).

Grains are primarily composed of carbohydrates which are turned into glucose (a type of sugar). The glucose is used for energy but unfortunately, any glucose that hasn't been utilised as energy is stored as fat.

Below is a very informative video that can explain this much better than I can.

Gluten is a type of protein and it's found in things like barley, wheat and rye.
You may have noticed a growing trend of gluten-free items popping up everywhere - that's because there's a strong belief that a large portion of us that are gluten intolerant.
Those of us who are gluten intolerant will probably, over time, develop a range of conditions such as dermatitis, acid reflux, joint pain, reproductive problems, many digestive problems and some auto-immune disorders.

Lectins are a grains defense mechanism - they are toxins that the grain produces to defend itself against consumption. Yip - the grains are fighting back.
These lectins affect the repair mechanism of our gastro-intestinal tract and normal wear and tear can do us some real damage and can let some real nasties (that shouldn't be there) into our bodies. More information can be found through this link: Whole Grains vs the Paleo Diet.

One of the other main aspects of the Paleo Diet is the eradication of sugar.
Sugar is a form of simple carb which means, once ingested, it increases our blood sugar levels rapidly. This gives us a rapid energy spike which, if not utilised quickly, will be stored as fat (and cause us to "crash" from such high sugar levels).
Sugar from fruit is ok - this is a natural sugar and the added vitamins and minerals from the fruit are vital for a healthy diet.
Here's 25 reasons to reduce your sugar intake.

Our bodies are efficient. We aren't actually designed to be eating the amount of carbs we do - especially considering the fact that we aren't running around every day looking for and hunting down our next meal (and running away from becoming something else's next meal). When carb reserves run low, our bodies utilise our fat stores and convert this fat to energy (we effectively turn into fat burning machines).

Not all carbs are bad though.
Fruit and vegetables (underground, overground & leafy) are an extremely good source of vitamins and minerals and these cards have not been processed (they are naturally occurring).

Good Carbs, Bad Carbs - what's the difference?

Why?
We are the only species that drinks milk beyond infancy. Milk contains a lot of lactose (milk sugars) which are effectively carbs.
Many can drink milk 'till the cows come home (excuse the pun) and don't seem to have a problem with it - personally, I think this is a case by case decision (I personally have no problems with milk or dairy products).
Here's some detailed information on Lactose Intolerance.

Here are a list of products that I recommend if you're really serious about losing weight while at the same time becoming healthy.
It's all about the foods you eat - not about counting your calories!

The Paleo Recipe Book
Over 370 easy Paleo recipes divided into 18 food categories.
Enough options to cover everything you will ever need to eat the healthiest and tastiest food.

Check out The Paleo Recipe Book Here

The SWAT Fitness 6-Week Paleo Fat Blast Meal Plan Package.
The PALEO Fat Blast Plan is specifically designed for your body's metabolic balance, so you burn a ton of fat, while eating delicious meals that will keep you from being hungry.


Check out the 6-Week Paleo Fat Blast Meal Plan Package Here.

Slimmer, faster, stronger, and healthier. The Paleo Cookbooks are changing people's lives forever. From breakfasts to snacks to dinners and side salads, there are hundreds of Paleo Recipes to choose from. Never get bored at dinnertime again!

Check out the Paleo Cookbooks Here!