In search of diets that work to help lose weight quickly? Consider the Paleo diet. Paleo dieting is also referred to as the caveman diet, stone age diet, Paleolithic diet or hunter-gatherer diet. It is a nutritional diet based on eating natural plants and animals as they were eaten by our ancestors the cave men.
History
Based on our ancestors from the Paleolithic Age, it covers the period of human nutrition up to the Neolithic (agriculture) age. Paleo believers outline that most humans have been Paleolithic for over 2,500,000 years and have only been Neolithic for about 10,000 years.
Diet Facts
Since man kind has eaten meat and vegetables for millions of years and only recently developed the industrial techniques to extract nutrients from foods and process food for storage, Paleo followers suggest that we go back to the roots of eating in order to encourage healthy lifestyles.
Of course like many nutrition communities there are varying levels of Paleo. The majority agree on the following: eat whole natural foods specifically meat, seafood, vegetables (including root vegetables like yams and sweet potatoes and eliminate dairy, grains and process foods with refined sugars.
Stricter followers argue that fruit and nuts should also be eliminated as these would only have been available seasonally to hunters and gatherers. They eliminate legumes and vegetables that only became available in the Neolithic age like tomatoes and potatoes.
Latest Reading
“The Paleo Solution: The Original Human Diet” written by Robb Wolf a well known member of the primal/paleo community was recently released as an up-to-date reference of the hunter/gatherer lifestyle. The book offers weight loss tips for following a hunter/gatherer diet, with meal plans and tools to help the reader understand the concepts and theories of this community.
Critics
The diet implies that hunter and gatherers did not suffer from diseases plaguing our current civilization and scientists and nutritionists suggest this is due to the lack of calories in their diets and not what they were actually eating. In addition, there is no evidence that followers of this diet approach are actually mimicking the diets of people in Paleolithic eras as there is no accurate information to outline them.
Conclusion
This low-carb, non-dairy approach has many variations and books to follow. With the reduction of sugar and processed food, the emphasis on fruits and vegetables and the removal of most grains and dairy the Paleo Diet will help you lose weight fast.
