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It seems just about every month a new, fad diet pops onto the scene, promising to help you shed pounds and get healthy. But there’s one diet that has gained popularity with many. And instead of being new, it’s old. Quite old. The paleo diet is an eating plan based on foods humans were thought […]
It seems just about every month a new, fad diet pops onto the scene, promising to help you shed pounds and get healthy. But there’s one diet that has gained popularity with many. And instead of being new, it’s old. Quite old.
The paleo diet is an eating plan based on foods humans were thought to have eaten during the Paleolithic Era. In other words, it’s a way of eating based on how our ancestors ate. And when I say ancestors, I mean people who lived from between 10,000 and 2.5 million years ago. So you could say it’s the diet that human beings evolved on.
Why Do Some People Swear by the Paleo Diet?
Some health experts suggests that our genes have not adapted to modern diets that grew out of agriculture. They believe we can optimize our health if we eat the same foods our ancestors ate for thousands, or even millions, of years.
Why is eating farmed foods so problematic?
Before farming, human beings did not eat grains, legumes or dairy. While all of those food categories are delicious, some experts feel our guts and DNA simply cannot handle these foods that have only been around for a few thousands years. A blip on the human evolution screen.
What Foods are Allowed?
Our ancestors were hunter-gatherers and would eat locally-sourced (obviously) fruits and vegetables, meat, fish, eggs, nuts and seeds. Some on the paleo diet are very strict, eating only fruits and veggies that would have been available to their ancestors. For example, someone who evolved in a warm climate would have had different produce available than someone who evolved in Northern Europe.
Getting Started
If you are someone who needs to lose weight or reduce heart disease or other chronic conditions, the Paleo diet may be very beneficial. Getting started is easy. Simply avoid processed foods, grains and dairy products and eat plenty of the foods I listed. And as always, speak to your healthcare provider before starting any new diet plan.
SOURCES:
https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/paleo-diet/art-20111182
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/paleo-diet-meal-plan-and-menu
https://www.everydayhealth.com/diet-nutrition/the-paleo-diet.aspx
It’s that time of year when most of us think about setting our New Year’s resolutions. If you’re like a lot of people, you may have a goal of “losing weight” or “getting healthier.” These are obviously great goals to have, and making changes to your diet is one of the best ways to reach […]
It’s that time of year when most of us think about setting our New Year’s resolutions. If you’re like a lot of people, you may have a goal of “losing weight” or “getting healthier.” These are obviously great goals to have, and making changes to your diet is one of the best ways to reach both.
The problem is, too many people make the wrong changes to their diet. They want to lose 30 pounds and be healthy in an unrealistic amount of time. And so once January 1st comes around, they rely on fad diets that don’t provide their bodies with proper nourishment.
This is the number one reason people fail to reach their New Year’s goals.
Here are some ways you can set your nutritional New Year’s resolutions in a healthy way.
I see more and more people using a tracking app to track how many calories they eat in a day. But most of these programs give you a caloric reward (you can eat more) on days you exercise and a caloric punishment (you must eat less) on days you don’t.
The thing is, this kind of “logic” goes against normal intuitive eating patterns. In fact, for most people, feel less hungry on days they are most active and vice versa. My advice is to listen to your own hunger signals and make decisions off of those instead.
I can’t think of anything less healthy than a diet that does not allow you to eat macronutrients. Fat, protein and carbohydrates are all important for our health. Some people do better with more fat and fewer carbs, and some people do better with more carbs and less protein. It all really depends on your age, activity level, lifestyle, and general health. Your best bet is to work with a licensed nutritionist who can create an eating plan that is right for you.
No one becomes overweight and unhealthy overnight. It happens over the course of weeks, months, and years. Losing weight and getting your health back also will not happen overnight, so you need to be realistic.
And because weight loss and improved health can take time, it’s important that you focus on setting small goals and taking baby steps to get there. Reaching a set of smaller goals (lose 5 pounds, walk upstairs without becoming out of breath) instead of one big one (lose 50 pounds and look awesome in a bikini) will help you stay on track and committed.
Don’t be like everyone else and set yourself up to fail in the coming year. Be smart about your weight loss and health goals by following these tips. And if you’d like to work with a nutritionist who can help you reach your goals in a healthy manner, please get in touch with me.
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In recent decades, mindfulness meditation has taken the West by storm. As a result, more and more people are experiencing less stress and more fulfillment in their life by “staying in the moment.” Well, mindfulness can be applied to any area of your life, including eating! You may have heard of mindful eating before and […]
In recent decades, mindfulness meditation has taken the West by storm. As a result, more and more people are experiencing less stress and more fulfillment in their life by “staying in the moment.” Well, mindfulness can be applied to any area of your life, including eating!
You may have heard of mindful eating before and assumed it had something to do with eating more slowly and chewing your food longer. And while these two considerations are part of the practice, they only scratch the surface.
You may be wondering why you should even begin to explore mindful eating. Well, the main reason is that the practice can help you to lose weight and easily maintain a healthy weight. This of course helps you to prevent the development of certain chronic diseases such as hypertension, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease.
Health benefits aside, mindful eating also puts a lot of joy in your life. Most people no longer savor their meals but instead wolf them down while mindlessly watching TV or surfing the Internet. Mindful eating reminds you to savor your food and, in reality, savor every moment of this delicious life!
If you’re interested in mindful eating, here are some guidelines to help get you started:
Mindful eating makes dieting a thing of the past and empowers people to make better food choices through common sense and enjoying the experience of eating. I encourage you to give mindful eating a try and see if it can’t benefit your health and overall well-being.
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