Power Diets

Paleo Diet: What to Eat and Avoid With All the Benefits and the Risks

Author by heena256
Reviewed By heena256
Last Edited : November 12, 2024

The Paleo diet is also known as the caveman’s diet. This diet is about eating what prehistoric hunter-gatherer men would have eaten thousands of years ago. It includes whole foods enriched with protein and fiber from animal meat, vegetables, and fruits. You cannot go near processed food or sugar if you are wondering.

Paleo focuses on food quality over calorie restriction, making it easier to follow.
aleo’s nutrient-dense foods can improve skin health and appearance.
The Paleo diet naturally avoids gluten, benefiting those with sensitivities.
Paleo promotes gut health by avoiding processed foods and emphasizing fiber-rich vegetables.
High protein intake in Paleo helps with muscle building and repair.
Paleo excludes additives and preservatives, promoting a cleaner diet.

This article explores what you should and shouldn’t eat on a Paleo diet. Read on to learn more about the Paleo diet’s benefits and risks.

What to Eat on a Paleo Diet?

The Paleo diet basics are “eat what cavemen ate, nothing else.” The Paleo diet food list includes all those foods present at the time of hunters, which also means that all the processed food is off-limits.

Your only option is to add unprocessed, whole food to your Paleo diet food list.

The meat of grass-fed and organic animals is lean beef, bacon, chicken, lamb, and turkey. Or game animals like venison, bison, and quail.
Shellfish, salmon, trout, shrimp, albacore tuna, mackerel, and any wild-caught fish enriched with omega-3 and fatty acids.
Omega-3 enriched and pastured eggs are preferred.
Fruits such as strawberries, blueberries, melon, grapes, lemon, plums, peaches, orange, pears, avocados, mango, figs, cantaloupe, apple, banana, and more.
Non Starchy vegetables include spinach, broccoli, carrot, onion, tomato, kale, peppers, pumpkin, asparagus, cauliflower, and brussels sprouts. Sweet potatoes, butternut, squash, and cabbage.
Nuts and seeds, including almonds, walnuts, cashews, pumpkin seeds, hazelnut, sunflower seeds, macadamia nuts, and more.
Olive oil, flaxseed oil, coconut oil, avocado oil, and walnut oil.

Eat three times daily, dividing fats, proteins, and carbs in moderate quantities. And try to get all the foods from grass-fed and organic resources.

What to Avoid on the Paleo Diet?

To make a Paleo diet food list, you must know what to avoid. The Paleo diet basics are “if the food looks like it is made in a factory, just don’t eat it”. You need to avoid all that comes under the umbrella of processed food.

All the dairy products include cheese, milk, cream, yogurt, and butter.
Grains include bread, wheat, rice, barley, rye, and pasta.
Beans, lentils, peanuts, peas, and such legumes are needed to avoid.
Artificial sweeteners and sugar
Soft drinks and juices
Highly processed foods under the tag of low-fat. Such additives are not meant to be used in a Paleo diet.

The Benefits of Paleo Diet

The benefits of eating Paleo foods are numerous. Eating whole foods derived straight from nature and not consuming any sugar or processed foods during a Paleo diet is very beneficial for your body functions.

The Pros of Paleo Diet

Weight loss

People dealing with issues like overweight and obesity opt for a Paleo diet to lose weight. Why? It is obvious. When you stop eating processed, nutrient-dense artificial ingredients and high-carb foods, losing weight becomes an effortless job.

Because you have to eat things that come from natural resources like fruits, vegetables, and meat, your calorie intake automatically gets cut in half. In return, your blood sugar level gets optimized.

Body fat falls off, which consequently will lead your body to weight loss.

Lower Inflammation

Inflammation is a natural defense mechanism of the human body. Still, it can also cause many serious health problems, such as type II diabetes, cancer, or heart stroke if it is chronic.

Fruits and vegetables are abundant with antioxidants that work as anti-inflammatory agents to fight excess inflammation.

Paleo diet foods- berries, seeds, leafy greens, nuts, and beans- are some foods rich in antioxidants.

Increased Energy

With a Paleo diet, you are eating a balanced amount of all the nutrients, such as carbs, proteins, leafy green, and water. And all Paleo foods have natural resources that make you feel energized on a whole new level.

You don’t need to consume energy drinks or caffeine to keep yourself active. Vitamin B12 turns food into energy, and most of the meat in the Paleo diet is rich in vitamin B12.

Better Immune and Digestive System

When you eat food that is healthy, natural, and free from any additives and preservatives, how come your body will not get healthier?

When your meal plate gets filled with leafy greens, meat, and citrus fruits, you are giving your body what it needs, such as vitamin C, A, and E. These vitamins play a significant role in the well-functioning of our immune system.

Food choices you made before being a Paleo dieter have caused enough harm to your body, including problems like high cholesterol, type II diabetes, obesity, and heart problems.

But with a Paleo diet plan, your digestive system can easily break down your food. It can be used for all bodily functions, causing no further harm.

The Risks of Paleo Diet

There are countless benefits of the Paleo diet, but risks also demand equal attention if you are looking forward to choosing the Paleo lifestyle for eating.

The cons of the Paleo Diet:

You must eliminate dairy products from your diet when going Paleo. But the dairy food group is very crucial for our bone health. It provides Vitamin D and calcium. And with time, it can cause problems like bone fractures and rickets.
Grains that are a significant source of fiber, vitamin B, iron, and magnesium are not allowed to eat when you are going for a Paleo diet. But all these nutrients help lower blood sugar, control cholesterol, and fight against chronic diseases.
Beans are excluded because they didn’t exist in the Paleolithic time. It is risky because beans are a natural source of fiber and starch. These nutrients are crucial in the healthy control of cholesterol and blood pressure.
The Paleo diet also reduces the required amount of carbs for the body, which is unhealthy. Because carbohydrates provide fuel to our body, and that is how we move, work and enjoy physical activities. But low-carb Paleo diet causes the breaking of muscle mass, and we feel exhausted and physically tired throughout the day.
Having high-fat and red meat in your Paleo diet plan is good, but in the long run, it can harm your bowl, causing cancer and increasing cholesterol.
Saturated fats are an essential part of the Paleo diet food plan, but they can increase the risk of heart disease, cancer, and kidney damage.

Takeaway

The Paleo diet is excellent for individuals who want to change their eating lifestyle with more natural and organic whole foods. It is perfect for weight loss and improves health at the same time. Eat organic and avoid what is artificial.

heena256

View All Posts