With so many diets on the market, it can be almost impossible to know which one to choose. Low fat, high fat, low carb, no carb counting, eat what you want but in 5 hours a day only. It’s enough to confuse anyone!
Well on this website, we’re going to explain the Paleo diet to you in lots of detail. So you can quickly decide if it sounds like a great weight loss plan for your needs.
What Exactly Is The Paleo Diet?
The Paleo diet, also called the Caveman diet or sometimes even the Stone Age diet, is a diet where you don’t have to count your calories. You will be consuming a high protein, high fiber diet with unprocessed foods that were eaten by Cavemen many years ago.
The premise is that cavemen were lean and didn’t have a lot of fat stored on their bodies. So if we eat like them, then we can lose stored fat and be less likely to get serious health conditions like Diabetes or even cancer.
What Foods Can You Eat?
On this diet, the aim is to eat plenty of lean meats which can include fish, vegetables and fruits and a mixture of fats. You’re allowed to eat nuts and seeds, eggs and oils such as coconut and olive oil.
What you’re not allowed to eat are things that Cavemen wouldn’t have been able to make such as dairy, wheat and most grains. So you can’t have beans, potatoes, refined sugars or oils or peanuts.
The great thing about being able to eat fruit and vegetables is that they are packed with fiber. And fiber is great for making you feel full, so you shouldn’t be constantly hungry when on this diet.
And no calorie counting makes is really easy to follow for most people too.
Can You Cheat?
When you first begin this weight loss plan, you are allowed to have 3 meals a week which can be anything you want. That is the maximum cheating you are allowed to do and it is recommended you try and make this just 1 or 2 meals instead.
What About Meal Prep?
Most of the foods you are going to be eating will need to be cooked from scratch each time. You can’t have any packaged foods or ready meals. So you might find that meal prep can be tricky and you’ll need to find time to make your meals every day.
Do You Have To Exercise?
The Paleo diet is mainly about the nutrition you put in your body. It’s not a complete diet and exercise solution. So you don’t have to exercise whilst being on the plan. But, of course it is recommended to do some form of exercise every day to keep your body in shape and to use any excess calories.
Can A Vegetarian or Vegan Do The Paleo Diet?
The foods that are eaten on this plan are mainly lean meats, fish and fats. You have to have them for the diet to work and they cannot be switched out for anything else. Therefore, this diet will not be suitable for anyone who is vegetarian or vegan.
Does The Paleo Diet Work?
Like any weight loss plan, results will be different for each individual. Weight loss should occur, due to the low carb, non-processed nature of what you’ll be eating but sticking to it long term can be tricky for some people.
However, there are tons of success stories from people who love being the plan and have lost a lot of weight. It’s an easy one to follow, no calorie counting and you don’t have to give up all the foods you love completely. It has also been shown to control the blood sugar levels too, which alone will help with a lot of health issues.
Any Negatives?
Most food will need to be fresh and not bought in packets. So there’s a good chance that your weekly food bill is going to go up. On top of that, you will have to cook your meals from scratch, so it may take you longer in the kitchen each day.
Summary
As you can see, the Paleo diet is one that has been proven to help weight loss, control blood sugar levels and is easy to follow. If you like eating meat, fish and fresh fruit and vegetables, then this is certainly a diet for you.
If, on the other hand, you don’t have the extra money for the food bill or the time to spend making fresh meals, then you might be better looking for an alternative weight loss plan to follow.
Be sure to check out our reviews before you go and choose a diet plan that will work for you fast.