What is Paleo?

I've had a few people question what Paleo is...Below is a link to a pretty good introduction to a Paleo way of eating. I have also copied and pasted their food list (all rights belong to this site!)

I believe that site offers a great, brief, and simple overview of what Paleo is. I have also included another link to  Mark's Daily Apple...another wonderful site that is full of information. Mark's Daily Apple can sometimes be overwhelming because there is so much information that sometimes it is difficult to weed through everything. But, if you have the time, it's wonderful. Plus, there are a TON of "testimonials"/ success stories...from people who have lost 200+ pounds and are no longer diabetic, to children who were thought to have been autistic and upon changing how they eat, now show no signs of being autistic. 

One common thing I hear a lot is: "You are going to have a heart attack eating that way" or "So much meat is bad for you". I've had numerous people send my studies saying how meat is bad, or fat is bad, or this or that is bad (this is a whole new topic, but I'll just say, for every study that says something is bad for you, you can find one that says it is good for you...so I don't put much heed into studies these days). From my own personal experience, I can only say what has worked for me. And Paleo is what works for me. I was on not just one, not two, but THREE blood pressure medications by the time I was 25. I had high cholesterol. I was 100+ pounds overweight. My own doctor said "You are a walking heart attack waiting to happen." Within 45 days of starting to eat Paleo (about 90% of the time, I'd still get fast food on occasion when I was busy), I was able to stop ALL of my blood pressure medications. My cholesterol dropped significantly back into the normal range. The weight was literally falling off of me. In a later trip to the doctor she asked me how I had done it...I told her...she even admitted she was shocked.

I've "yo-yo" dieted all of my life. Atkins. Low-fat, high-carb. Cabbage soup. Grapefruit. Weight Watchers. Calorie restriction. And EVERY single time, I've thrown in the towel because I didn't feel good, I was always hungry, having to count every single calorie or gram of fat was time consuming and frustrating. I'd lose 20-30 pounds and then I'd gain it right back plus a little bit more. I could never stabilize my weight loss. Until Paleo. I lost the majority of my weight (from 240-155/160) in about 7 months. I kept that off for about a year before actively trying to lose more (I purposely did that because I knew my body needed time to readjust to all the weight I had lost in a relatively short amount of time.)

So, again, this it what has worked for ME. And it has worked for plenty of others. I'm not saying it is for EVERYONE...but how do you know it's not for you, unless you actually give it a try? There are websites that say to give it a try for 30 days and assess how you feel and how it has worked for you after that point. Hey...what's 30 days?

One thing I would add to their food list below is coconut oil. I use that pretty much to cook everything in. It does not get stored in your body like other oils/fats do because it is composed of medium chain triclycerides. If you are wanting to lose weight, substituting coconut oil for other oils or butter is a great way to go!

Unrestricted Foods

VEGETABLES

You can eat all of them without limit, except…
Vegetables to limit for weight loss:
Cassava
Sweet potatoes/Yams
Taro
Potatoes – stay away from potatoes if you have an autoimmune disorder

FRUITS

Limit fruit intake, especially dried fruit, for weight loss, according to some, but otherwise, eat all of them freely.

MEATS and EGGS

Eat meats and eggs freely, but in order to mimic our ancestors best, eat these products from animals that were grass fed/pasture raised.  At the least, steer clear of meats with preservatives and color or flavor enhancers, particularly added nitrites, as they can be pretty toxic.
Game Meats
Organ Meats
Pork
Beef
Chicken
Turkey
Goat
Lamb
Eggs – from chickens, ducks, emu, quail, etc.

FISH, SHELL FISH, FISH EGGS

All species are fine – just be conscious of mercury levels and ecological practices.  Know that smaller fish like anchovies generally have less bio-accumulation of heavy metals and toxins, and high levels of omega 3 fatty acids.

NUTS & SEEDS

All are good, as well as the butters that are made from them. Also on this list are coconut flour and almond flour. Peanuts are NOT NUTS – they’re legumes, and thus are not on the list. If you’re trying to lose weight, limit nuts and seeds to about 1 or 2 ounces per day, as the calories add up quickly!

SEA VEGETABLES

kombu, wakame, other seaweeds, algaes, etc.  They’re all good – great, in fact.

FATS

tallow
lard
coconut oil/milk
olive oil
walnut oil
avocado oil
macadamia oil
hazelnut oil
unrefined red palm oil
Watch your intake of all of these if you’re trying to lose weight – they’re very calorie dense.

BEVERAGES

Filtered or spring water
Herbal tea
Coconut water
Freshly juiced fruits and vegetables

EAT IN MODERATION

Coffee
Chocolate
Dried fruit
Alcohol (all kinds)
Caffeinated teas
Sweeteners – Raw honey, stevia, coconut sap

FOODS TO AVOID

Pasteurized Dairy – butter, milk, yogurt, kefir, cream, ice cream, powdered milk, and anything else from an animal’s teat. This is debatable in the Paleo community, so do your reading and choose for yourself. In our opinion, if you’re going to have dairy, you should make it raw, whole-fat, fermented dairy. Read more on that here.
Grains or grain-like foods - wheat, rice, millet, oats, spelt, kamut, quinoa, buckwheat, wild rice, amaranth, sorghum, rye, barley, corn.  AND any flour, noodle or other food made out of any of these.
Legumes – All beans.  Black, pinto, red, soy, lentils, peas, peanuts, adzuki, garbanzo, navy, mung, lima, black-eyed peas, you get the picture… Snowpeas, sugar snap peas and green beans are acceptable to eat.
Refined Sweeteners – sugar cane, white sugar, brown sugar, refined maple syrup, refined honey, aspartame, sucralose, Nutrasweet, Splenda, and anything else refined or man-made.
Highly Processed Oils - any oil that is hydrogenated, partially hydrogenated, fractionated, refined, or otherwise adulterated.
Most Vegetable Oils – Any oil with a high omega 6 content that comes from a seed, grain or legume, such as corn, soybean, sunflower, safflower, cottonseed, grape seed, peanut and others. Seeds like flax and hemp have a lower omega 6 content and thus are fine. Just don’t cook with those.
Fruit Juice – unless it comes straight from your juicer at home.
Soft Drinks – see “Sweeteners” above.
Refined, iodized salt – use unrefined sea salt instead