All About Paleo
Sandy Tocci
All About Paleo...
With all the different options floating around out there and the demand for options, I wanted to tap into a little Paleo eating and creating some yummy dishes for myself and family. In doing so, lets not jump all crazy thinking I've jumped over to this style--- I have NOT! I enjoy variety, I enjoy living a healthy lifestyle, I ENJOY trying new methods to find what works for me and my family's needs.
What is Paleo...
Great question! The paleo diet {or really eating plan because its not much of a diet} is focused mainly of eating NATURAL, real food that is readily and widely available with very little processing. Basically, its focused on eating the way NATURE intended us to eat.
What can I EAT on the Paleo Diet...
This style of eating can be very VERY simple {if you keep it that way} OR can be very difficult if you're used to tons of processed foods. Here is a quick list:
- Lean Meats
- Fish
- Seafood
- Eggs
- Vegetables
- SOME fruit
- Nuts (NO peanuts--- those are actually NOT nuts--- I know, VERY deceiving from its name)
- Natural Oils
What about the GRAINS (NOT to be confused with CARBS because EVERYTHING has carbs!)?
Grains are 100% OUT on a Paleo Diet! You can't have them and they are NOT good for you. Why you may be asking? Well... two things... and well, I'll talk more about this later because it IS a lot of info.
- Carb content aka the actual carb that it is. They are very simple carbohydrates that break down into sugar quickly. This creates a SPIKE in your blood sugar levels which increases your insulin levels. Grains also cause bloat and can negatively affect your digestion.
- Anti-Nutrients! Three different types in grains: lectins, phytates, gluten!
What about DAIRY?
Kinda sorta NO but then there is always that "maybe" area too. There are a few different styles of Paleo and some will incorporate some whole milk and fermented dairy products while others will NOT even have an ounce in its plan. If its processed, its OUT so the more low-fat you get with something, the more processed it is. Just drink the whole milk and eat the REGULAR cheese!
How about those yummy BEANS and things that look like them AKA LEGUMES?
They are NOT paleo and if it is a POD FRUIT, its OUT!
- Beans
- Peas
- Lentils
- Peanuts
- Alfafa
- Clover
- Carob
- Soy
- Lupins
So with all that, WHY THE HECK would someone want to go on a Paleo style of eating?! Its simple... our body LOVES FAT and USES FAT as ENERGY aka BURN BABY BURN! In today's day, we eat SO many carbs that our bodies are using carbs for energy and storing the rest as FAT. The paleo diet changes this because it encourages HEALTHY fats into your diet and minimal carbs; allowing your body to use what it wants to aka FATS! When you eliminate the carbs from your diet, the paleo diet allows your body to start the process of burning fat.
TONS more about this but I wanted to share some research that I have gained :-)
Feel free to check in frequently for more ideas and recipes as I make them.
