by Ira Braceloff
The Paleo diet, simply put, imitates the eating habits of our ancestors. The term Paleo means primitive or very early. Our ancestors were hunters and gatherers, and they foraged animals and plants.
The Paleo diet promotes the minimalist lifestyle of the caveman, eliminating the processed and embracing the natural. The basic premise of the Paleo diet is consuming food as our ancestors did over 10,000 years ago, when they ate natural food such as plants, nuts, leaves, fruits, roots and tubers, fowl, fish, and meat.
In fact, these are the foods humans were designed to consume through evolution for optimal function. We can unanimously agree that our health and wellbeing are the foundations for a happy and peaceful life.
Here are the primary health benefits that being Paleo gives you.
1) Weight Loss
The low carbohydrate nature of the Paleo diet lays the very basic step for weight loss. By going Paleo, you are allowing your body access its glycogen stores and use up the fat as a source of fuel.
This in turn trains your body to become a fat burner rather than a glycogen burner. It is also because of Paleo’s effect on this key health indicator, weight management, that the diet is very famous.
2) Increased Energy
The first benefit you will notice usually after about a week of eating paleo, is just plain feeling better. Most people have reported gaining higher, more consistent levels of energy. This definitely is a better means to kiss those energy drinks goodbye.
Paleo promotes a steady release of energy that happens through using up the very good amount of nutrients stored in the body.
3) Better Sleep
A healthy sleep routine can boost your immune system and keep your body in top shape. A lot of people on the Paleo have experienced more consistent sleep almost immediately after switching to the diet.
The Paleo lifestyle encourages at least eight hours of sleep every night.
4) Improved Mood and Decreased Anxiety
People on the Paleo say they experience a significant improvement in focus. This also translates to decreased anxiety and hence improved mood.
Some parents have even claimed that a Paleo diet improved ADHD in their children.
5) Improved Mental Clarity
Along with nutrition and a predictable energy level comes mental clarity and good decision making. The mental clarity and extra edge from staying focused help in every avenue of life and it is good to understand that stress in our life can be combated with smart eating habits.
Improved mental clarity is the second best reason after weight loss, people switch to Paleo for.
6) Better Muscle and Joints Health
Paleo excludes the intake of inflammatory foods such as grains, and hence dieters have been reported to experience decreased muscle and joint soreness.
Even after an intense workout, you will notice you are not quite sore.
7) Recovery from Various Health Conditions
Paleo is known to provide gradual recovery from a number of health conditions including GERD, IBS, sinus problems, joint pain, stomach discomfort, stomach acid reflux. Paleo banishes these conditions or at least provides significant improvement.
8) Better muscle building
The Paleo diet promotes consumption of healthy protein and we all know that protein is essential for muscle repair. Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins.
When we eat protein, our body sends the fuel around to repair muscle, transport oxygen to red blood cells etc. By keeping your protein intake at decent levels, you are fuelling your muscles the right way.
9) Enhanced Athletic Performance
The Paleo diet is designed to help people feel lighter on their feet, and be more youthful and athletic. Your athletic performance is bound to improve, or if you are not much of an athlete, may be you will find yourself picking up some new fitness habits just because your body is so eager to move around.
10) Overall Health Improvement
Paleo promotes healthy eating habits and a better lifestyle, thus improving overall health. People in the Paleo tend to fall sick less often, pay fewer visits to the doctor, take fewer medications, and improve their blood pressure and blood work results too.
(Ira is a health & nutrition enthusiast, globe trotter, and an avid cook who has picked up various nutritional philosophies and lifestyles along the way. She is passionate about nutrition, its impact on happiness, and effect on the mind. At present she blogs for dieting revisited, where you can read reviews on paleo burn program and Robb Wolf’s 30 Day Total Transformation guide.)
References
1. The Paleo Diet: The Original Human Diet (Hardcover) by Robb/ Cordain Wolf.
2. The Paleo Diet: Lose Weight and Get Healthy by Eating the Foods You Were Designed to Eat (Paperback) by Loren Cordain.
3. Paleo for Beginners Essentials to Get Started (Paperback) by John Chatham.
4. Practical Paleo: A Customized Approach to Health and Paleo Recipes Book by Diane Sanfilippo of www.BalancedBites.com.
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