The paleo or paleolithic diet is also known as stone-age, cave man or hunter-gatherer meal schedule. It’s a modern food plan based on the ancient diet of people who lived around 2 million years ago. The program doesn’t necessarily focus on calorie count, but in what way and when these meals should be taken. In this arrangement, dieters fulfill their nutritional needs only by taking edible products that were eaten way before the era of farming, animal domestication or food processing.
10. Honey
It can either be taken alone or sprinkled on your meat or potatoes. Natural honey has numerous anti-bacterial, anti-fungal and anti-viral properties. The phytonutrients present in honey also help in curbing cancer and tumor. It has particularly been found to help in prevention of colon sarcoma by regulating the production of lipoxygenase.
9. Natural Flower Syrup
Some flowers such as lavender, elderflower and honeysuckle produce nutritious nectar that may be harvested and taken as dessert. Most of these natural syrups are ready-to-drink and don’t require adding of sugar or other compounds. However, you need to pick a significant amount of flowers to extract enough nectar.
8. White Wild Meat
They contain less cholesterol and are easier to digest in the body. Some healthy sources of this Paleo Diet are ostrich, pheasant, wild geese, quail and turkey. Nevertheless, one should only buy these products from certified wild-meat traders since hunting them down is illegal.
7. Red Game Meat
During the Paleolithic era our ancestors had not yet learnt how to domesticate animals, they usually hunted wild animals to fulfill their meat requirements. Their diet consisted of bison, elk, buffalo, wild boar and reindeer. They contain lots of protein and vitamin B12 which cannot be obtained from plant- based products, this special vitamin helps in strengthening the nervous system, blood formation and normal brain functioning.
6. Paleo Fish
It’s probably the best source of omega-3 and other beneficial nutrients like selenium and antioxidants. Moreover, those who take plenty of fish especially the dark-fleshed ones suffer fewer cases of cardiac arrest, stroke, prostate cancer and mental decline that usually affects the aged. Some healthy types of fish are bass, salmon, mackerel, sardines, salmon, sunfish, tuna, trout and tilapia.
5. Seafood
This special Paleo Diet was mostly available to cavemen who lived near the seas and is quite rich in proteins and healthy fatty acids. Seafood mainly involves crustaceans; one requires special preparation skills to cook them since they have shells that should delicately be broken to reach the flesh inside. They include crabs, crawfish, shrimps, oysters, scallops, lobster, crayfish and clams.
4. Nutritious Vegetables
Most vegetable varieties belong to this list but you should also be careful when discerning the best ones for you. Veggies with higher starch content like squash and potatoes have minimal nutritional value compared to the average amount of carbs and sugars they contain. Though they aren’t bad for your health they should be taken in moderate quantities. Safer vegetable alternatives are asparagus, carrots, avocado, spinach, celery, cauliflower, eggplant and zucchini.
3. Healthy Oils and Fats
Contrary to the popular belief not all fats can make you fat but carbs do, and most American diets are rich in fats. Paleo oils can be taken as a better alternative to carbs since they are safe to the heart and also provide unlimited energy. The most common sources include coconut oil, grass-fed butter, avocado, olive and macadamia oil.
2. Nuts
They are rich in minerals and fibers which aid in digestion and improvement of overall health. One should be careful to take them in moderate quantities, especially cashew nuts which are high in organic lipids. Other common nut sources include almonds, pecans, pumpkin seeds, walnuts, macadamia nuts, hazelnuts, pine nuts and sunflower seeds. Moreover, note that peanuts are not nuts but legumes and don’t feature in the paleo list.
1. Paleo Fruits
Most paleo-approved fruits are rich in fructose which is a natural complex sugar that’s healthier than HFCS. These products are not only tasty but very nutritious. However, if you’re more interested in losing weight then it’s advisable to complement your daily fruit intake with green leafy veggies. The recommended quantity is 1-3 servings per day. Some popular paleo fruits include apple, avocado, plums, mango, papaya, grapes and tangerine amongst others. The main goal of a Paleo Diet is training your body to rely more on fresh organic foods rather than those that have already been processed.