Tanner-Maluchnik

Burning Fat with the Paleo Diet: So Easy a Caveman Can Do It!

by Tanner M. on

in Guides, Health, Lifestyle Design, Lose Weight, Nutrition, Paleo Diet

Email This Post Email This Post Print This Post Print This Post



diet paleolithic

A Guide To The Diet Paleo People Ate

Do you actually know where your food comes from, what hormones it is injected with, or how it was genetically modified? Do you understand what you are putting into your body? Eating a Paleo diet can be an essential part to living the lifestyle design that you want!

About 3 months ago I started a new nutrition plan that would be able to support my lifestyle. I was looking for a nutritional diet that would:

  1. Provide more energy
  2. Control hypoglycemia
  3. Control weight (Lose weight or gain weight depending on my goals)
  4. Provide an overall healthier lifestyle and body (less sickness)
  5. Provide a better sense of well-being

After many years of health and nutrition research, I have tried and mastered quite a few different diets. During these different trial and errors of testing nutritional lifestyles, I feel that I have finally found one that provides exactly the benefits I was looking for. It is called the Paleo Diet or Paleo Nutrition. The following is to enlighten you and I on what exactly is the Paleolithic Diet and how can it help us.

It is time to take a hard look at our diet and how our food has changed for the worse.

What is the Paleo Diet?

The Paleo Diet is based primarily on how our ancestors ate about 500 generations ago before the modern agricultural revolution. These foods, based on 229 of the previous hunter gatherer societies, which consist mainly of lean meats, seafood, fresh fruits and vegetables, are high in the essential nutrients such as vitamins, minerals, photochemicals, fiber, omega 3’s, antioxidants, and more. These foods are also low in the glycemic index, which describes the effects on blood glucose levels, which is a large indicator of weight loss & weight gain. These paleo foods are also low in trans fat, refined sugars, salt, and high glycemic carbs. The diet is meant to eliminate the bad and increase the good in foods that are available to us to promote overall health (limit diseases). According to Dr. Loren Cordain (Father of Paleo Nutrition), “The Paleo Diet encourages dieters to replace dairy and grain products with fresh fruits and vegetables — foods that are more nutritious than whole grains or dairy products.” A study done at the Department of Health and Exercise Science, Colorado State University, has found that Paleolithic nutrition provides all the vitamins and minerals we need, except for Vitamin D (which we mainly get through exposure to sun), even with the elimination of two major food groups.

Basically, the paleo diet is based upon how we ate before our current diets of processed foods, high fructose corn syrups, hormone induced massive growth in plants and animals, and other genetically modified food behaviors. It is going back to the source that mother nature has intended for humans to consume in order to live. Paleo is about going back to the environment where disease was less and obesity was not a factor. The Paleo Diet is going back about 10,000 years ago!

Understanding our ancestors

Our ancestors before the agricultural revolution and animal husbandry lived primarily a lifestyle of hunting and gathering. Their primary goal on a day to day basis was to hunt and gather. This led to large periods between meals where they would fast because they did not have a readily available food source. Yes, they did have a short lifespan, but it was primarily due to trauma and not due to chronic diseases such as heart disease, obesity, cancer, etc..If you take a look at still existent hunter-gatherer societies in today’s world, about 20% of them are over the age of 60 with about every one of them showing no signs of diseases that result from a revolutionized food industry. Once these hunter-gatherer societies start adopting a Western diet, diseases start showing up more.

Eating Paleo & Lifestyle Design

In short, you have probably eaten a Paleo meal in some point or time in your life. For example, have you ever had an Egg Omelet for breakfast? Then you had a Paleo breakfast. Have you ever had a salad with chicken on it and no high fructose corn syrup infested salad dressing (which about every salad dressing is), then you probably ate Paleo. Have you ever had a dinner consisting of salmon and vegetables? Then you ate Paleo. Paleo nutrition is not some “fad” diet, it is a lifestyle change. It is designing your lifestyle to Paleo nutrition to achieve your goals of lifestyle design. Whether it is to lose weight and have more energy to climb the tallest mountains in the world or just to feel more vibrant and clearheaded. Eating paleo is a essential part of your lifestyle design.

Paleo Foods

Here is the basic premise to the foods you should start adding to your paleo diet list (if you can afford organic, go for organic, if not, then simple changes will also dramatically help for the better):

What to eat:

  • Lean meat (pork, chicken and beef)
  • Fish
  • Seafood
  • Eggs
  • Vegetables
  • Fruits
  • Nuts (not peanuts)
  • Spices

    What not to eat:

  • Grains, seeds, beans
  • Dairy products
  • Refined sugar, fats and oils.

Paleo Players

I highly suggest you visit these three big players in the Paleo lifestyle design.

Other links:

Final Thoughts & a Challenge to You

So far since I have been eating a diet consisting of Paleo foods, I have seen a significant increase in:

  • Energy – No ups and downs, highs and lows from insulin and sugar spikes
  • Mental clarity – Seems easier to think, not as stressed as much
  • Weight loss – More defined
  • Easier to prepare foods – Fresh fruit, raw veggies, and lean meats are pretty easy to prepare
  • Clearer skin – More vibrant
  • Fuller head of hair – Even barber has mentioned it
  • Vision is getting better – It seemed it was going bad before I started Paleo
  • Easier and more peaceful sleep – I have always been an insomniac, however, lately I have been naturally and soundly sleeping
  • Have not been sick – No indication of sickness
  • Better sense of well-being – by a few ways, such as all of the above benefits and by ways such as supporting local farmers and foods

I have a challenge for those of you who are looking for a lifestyle change in your nutrition plan. If you want any of the above benefits I have received, then I challenge you to try committing yourself 100% to eating a Paleo based diet for 30 days. 30 days is not much, but it will give you an indication if eating Paleo this will help you in your lifestyle design.

If you do plan on implementing the Paleo nutritional routine, then I suggest starting slowly. You can keep some of your past nutritional foods around, but slowly start eliminating them. Slowly remove the high fructose corn syrups and grains and replace them with fresh fruits and veggies. If you want, you can go all out on this plan and just throw out all your junk and start brand new. If you do not like the Paleo lifestyle after 30 days, feel free to go back to whatever you want.

I am also running the Paleo Diet in conjuction with Intermittent Fasting, which I will talk about here soon.

Email This Post Email This Post Print This Post Print This Post



Get my Free eBook: The Inspiration Manifesto - Secret Inspirational Techniques Revealed, Tips, Giveaways, Promos, Inside Projects, and More Delivered to Your Inbox

____

Related posts:

  1. The Paleo Diet Going Mainstream
  2. Simple Fact on How to Lose Weight
  3. Intermittent Fasting: Eat Whatever & Whenever to Lose Weight
  4. What You Must Know and Understand For Weight Loss
  5. Health Supplement Series: Health Benefits of Apple Cider Vinegar Video

Tagged as: achievement, agricultural revolution, blood glucose levels, books, control hypoglycemia, diet, Diet paleo, diet paleolithic, energy control, essential nutrients, fresh fruits and vegetables, fruits and vegetables, guide, health and nutrition, hunter gatherer societies, lean meats, Lifestyle Design, lifestyle design and weight loss, Nutrition, nutrition plan, nutrition research, nutritional diet, omega 3, Paleo Diet, Paleo diet food, Paleo diet for athletes, paleo diet list, paleo diet recipes, Paleo nutrition, paleo people, Paleolithic diet, Personal Development, primal diet, Raw primal diet, refined sugars, the paleo diet, the paleolithic diet, vitamins minerals, weight loss

View Comments

Subscribe Now

If you enjoyed this post, you will definitely enjoy the others. Subscribe to the feed for free to get instantly updated for those awesome posts soon to come.

  • Good summation of all the info regarding Paleo - what are your three favourite meals that stick with these principles?
  • Hey Scott, they are all pretty basic and do not really have a favorite...And rather quite large since I am doing Paleo in conjuction with Intermittent Feasting (fasting).
    Usually it will require a large cut of meat, omega 3 eggs, raw brocolli, almonds, and wild blueberries.
  • Hi Tanner,

    I, too, learned something new today as I heard the term Paleo diet but had no idea what it meant. Good description of what's involved and I will be checking out the resources listed.

    I can do with some of the positive aspects that you are experiencing following this diet :-)

    Karen
  • Wouldn't a true paleo diet require you to hunt your meat with a spear (or non-compound bow)? The excercise (and sometimes not succeeding in your hunt, i.e. not eating) had as much (if not more) to do with paleolithic man's level of fitness. Spend all day chasing a box of twinkies and you'll still loose weight.

    A few years back, I lost 80 pounds over 2 years. During that time I started eating a little better, but my diet still contained (and to a lesser extent still does) a lot of fats and refined sugars. What changed was that I started walking. At my peak, I was walking 5 miles each day, every day. Rain or shine.
  • This post is not about fitness, it is about nutrition. Fitness is a whole different aspect.

    Exercise is a large part of the energy equation (see my post Simple Fact on How to Lose Weight) and it fits exactly with how you lost 80 pounds over 2 years.

    Paleo nutrition is about a lifestyle change based on nutrition. Eating twinkies and refined sugars and carbs leads to massive insulin highs and lows (high energy after then a crash from MASSIVE insulin level drops). Paleo nutrition is more than just about weight, it is about putting the least amount of garbage chemicals in your body to improve overall health. Fitness(hunting and gathering) is a different aspect than nutrition.

    Eat less, move more is my philoshophy on weight loss. Eat 1 twinkie a day and move a little bit and you will lose weight based on the energy balance equation.
  • Tanner,

    I understand that the Paelo diet is about nutrition and healthy eating as opposed to being strictly about weight control. However, the problem I've always had with the Paleo diet and such is that health and nutrition don't exist in a vacuum. It's disingenuous to say "eat like a caveman! They were healthy!" It ignores such facts like that the life expectancy of paleolithic man was only 35.
  • I do not believe it ignores facts such as the life expectancy, which I pointed out in my article, of the paleolithic man was short. However, this short expectancy is based upon the fact that death was usually caused by trauma events and not deaths such as we see today as heart disease, cancer, obesity (which related to heart disease, diabetes, etc..). I also point out how modern paleo societies rarely have people that contain diseases that result from a Western diet. Once these societies start to develop, and thus Westernize, these diseases begin to become more apparent.

    If eating grass fed beef, avoiding genetically modified foods, and avoiding chemicals such as high fructose corn syrup to improve your bodies natural health, then so be it. Everyone is different and what works for some does not work for others. I do not suggest people eliminate what works for them...If it aint broke, dont fix it. What I aim to provide with Paleo is another option for people to try, and out of the many years of research and options of nutritional plans out there, I have finally found one that WORKS FOR ME.
  • Also, mentioning that you have to hunt and gather to live a true Paleo Diet does not make sense. A diet is the type and range of foods you eat, not how you attain the food. A Paleo Diet in the modern sense for example is then finding a source of grass fed beef, whether it be through your local Health Foods Store or going directly to the farmer.
  • Hey Tanner.
    I find this to be both interesting and timely. My wife and I just started a diet with no sugar, flour, rice, etc., which we are trying for two weeks. So far it has been fine. I had a wonderful meal of chicken and salad (no dressing) last night. I am going to share this post with her and stay on track. Will let you know how we do over the next couple of weeks.

    There is one thing that I am sure of, I will have to give up the hot tea that I love because it does not taste like much without the sugar. :-) I would rather just have a glass of ice water.
    Thanks for this post, man!

    Oh BTW - I had no idea what a Paleo diet was before now. Learned something new today.
  • Hey Jimi,

    Thanks for stopping by! That is awesome you are deciding to give a lifestyle change to eating. Stick with it 100% for two weeks and I am almost sure you will find the benefits. By sticking to it for at least 14-30 days, your body starts to adjust to the new foods and lifestyle. Sometimes at first when starting a new nutritional plan, your body can react negatively for a few days, but after its adjustment period, the benefits start showing.

    What kind of hot tea? I love drinking Yerba Mate. It took a few days to get used to as it has a real earthy taste to it. However, since going Paleo, I have been implementing more fats in my diet. Two words, Coconut Oil, look up the benefits (will do a post about it here soon). Put in about a tablespoon of coconut oil in your hot tea and its like a whole new world!
  • I have been drinking some green my wife bought, but I have some orange mango that I purchased online some months ago (forget the brand right the top) but it is really good and may not be half bad without the sugar.

    You know, it all goes back to that mindset thing. We are committed to supporting one another on this deal because it can be more difficult when one person is trying to eat right while the other is cuttin' up. :-)

    I do not think it will be that bad actually. My once six-pack abs have headed toward the who darn keg so I am down with making the change. I am pulling your RSS so we will not miss any of these good posts.

    Will get some coconut oil as well, sounds like a nice alternative.
  • Coconut oil is excellent. Go with the unrefined virgin.

    You make a great point on the support mindset. The more support you have the easier things can be in just about every aspect of life.

    Good luck on getting back to your six pack. Nutrition is about 90% of the battle, I believe. If something is not working, then it is just a signal for a change. Adjust and you will be seeing the fat shed in no ime.
  • The one disadvantage of a modern paleo diet over an ancient paleo diet is that in the past all meat was grass fed where as now in many countries animals are fed artificial pods, grains and hormones. Going organic, if you can afford it would be a start. I think dairy, is hard to eliminate as it tastes so good, but it's necessary long term. Take a multi-vitamin each day and a fish oil capsule for your joints and heart.

    Great article, but it could do with another proofreading. :)
  • It is true that it is tough to get grass fed beef, but it can be done. It is slowly gaining more popularity the more that our current food industry is exposed. Those who care about their health will find a way.

    I still drink milk, albeit raw organic whole milk (sooo tasty). But I usually make it for Kefir, which I will talk about tomorrow.

    Fish Oil is usually a staple in my supplement regimen, along with a strong B-Complex. Sometimes I will throw in a multi-vitamin but usually not.
blog comments powered by Disqus

Previous post:

Next post: