Paleo diet meal plan

With the changing food habits and food preferences, health of individuals is not as good as it was in the past. The paleo diet is a diet plan that imitates the food style of the prehistoric human beings as it includes food items that would have been usually hunted or gathered if in the earlier times. Paleo-dietitians reject the modern processed food and believe that the diet would help in reducing the health problems.

Before taking up this diet, it is important that one consults a doctor as the paleo diet is not safe for children, pregnant women, elders and those with chronic diseases (especially those with bowel issues). Paleo diet is claimed to be effective in dealing with weight issues and certain other health conditions. Also known as stone-age diet, hunter-gatherer diet, or caveman diet, paleo diet gets its name from Paleolithic age.  The food habits of that age were usually those which the humans could hunt or gather and these included fish, lean meats, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds. With the developments in technology farming and eating habits drastically changed, leading to increased health risks over time. According to the paleo diet, human body, after millions of years of evolution, is still not able to process dairy, legumes, and grains and that eating these foods could increase the risk of various health conditions.

The paleo diet include foods like vegetables, fruit, nuts, seeds, lean meat, fish, eggs, herbs, spices, oils from fruit or nuts andgrass-fed organic meats. The diet excludes grains (including wheat, oats, and barley), legumes (such as beans, lentils, peas, and peanuts), dairy, trans-fats, refined sugars, artificial sweeteners, low-fat or diet products and salt. In addition to these exclusion and inclusion criteria, they are advised to consume a lot of water and to avoid soft drinks and juices with added sugar. They are also advised to exercise well.

The paleo diet is usually suggested for dealing with weight loss, improving insulin sensitivity, and reducing blood pressure in the short term. Though the results of initial studies prove these health effects, extensive research is quintessential in validating them.