What works for me....
When I began to transform my body, I became very conscious of the food that I ate. For myself that meant avoiding sugars and grains. The first part of 2011 I also eliminated dairy for a few reasons: dairy products are loaded with fat and cholesterol, 1/3 of dairy products are contaminated with traces of antibiotics and dairy products are a poor source of iron. When I made these minor changes I began reading about different diets. The Paleo Diet just made sense to me. Once I eliminated sugars, grains and dairy I could visually tell a difference in my muscle tone and physique. Eating lean meats, vegetables, fruits and drinking tons of water have helped me build lean muscle, stay healthy and have constant energy! The truth of the matter is, there is huge relation between the food you eat and your health and physique.
What is the Paleo Diet?
The Paleo Diet, also known as paleolithic diet or caveman diet, is all about eating natural foods to help achieve great health and a perfect physique. Early humans consumed the foods found in nature: game meat, fish, vegetables, wild fruits, eggs and nuts. This diet is called the Paleo diet because it includes the food that were available during the paleolithic era. The idea is that our genes and physiology are most adapted to be nourished with the food that was available when man came upon the scene. That includes the whole spectrum of animal food (beef, fish, shellfish, poultry, pork, lamb, bison, …) as well as eggs, vegetables and limited amounts of fruits and nuts.
On the opposite side, some of the foods that we started eating in large quantity in more recent history are completely foreign to our metabolism and often cause what we call the metabolic syndrome or disease of civilization. That includes obesity, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, auto immune disease, osteoporosis, Alzheimer’s, and a host of other conditions that were unknown to our early ancestors while plaguing us today. According to the Paleo Diet what we should be eliminating in our diet is grain products, excess sugar, vegetable oils, legumes and dairy. It is interesting that some of these foods are the very basis of the US food pyramid.
For those who are Vegetarians..
If you try the Paleo diet as a vegetarian, you’ll be eating lots of fruits and vegetables, sweet potatoes, oils (like olive, coconut, and canola oil), nuts, and nut-like seeds. The sugars you'll eat will mostly come from fruits. Hopefully, you're already eating a lot of these foods. The bonus is most Paleo diets allow you to eat as much of these foods as you feel like eating. Another source of protein would come from eating eggs. One egg has about six grams of protein. Another option is to include grain-like seeds in your diet like quinoa and hempseed. A bonus of quinoa is that it can be used in cooking like rice, or even made into "pasta," so you'll gain some variety in your meals. In terms of macronutrient the content of hempseed is more like a nut: high in protein and good fats, very low in carbohydrates. Another option for the vegetarian is allowing beans and legumes into your diet which would also provide you with about a dozen sources of protein.
So as you can see the Paleo Diet can be modified for anyone. If your still not a fan there is another diet call the “Zone Diet.” I have several clients who chose this particular diet simply because it doesn’t eliminate grains and legumes. They too have achieved amazing result and possess great amounts of energy.
