Will You Take the Paleo Diet Challenge?

Paleo Diet Man

Are you willing to take the paleo diet challenge?

Do any of the following statements apply to you?

• You feel heavy
• You feel sluggish
• You have problems sleeping at night
• You find it difficult to get out of bed in the morning
• You are gaseous
• You often feel bloated
• You feel tired all day

If  more than one of the above statements applies to you then the reason that you are suffering could be as simple as your diet. Change your diet and your health could dramatically improve.

I recently wrote about my experience with the stone age diet – also known as the paleo diet or caveman diet. I have been asked to explain how to get started on this diet.

I first heard about this diet when I attended a lecture by a doctor who talked about the most common health issues we face today. One of his concerns was the amount of people who were overweight and what that is costing the United Kingdom National Health Service through  treating illnesses associated with obesity. He recommended that we should all be eating the stone age or paleo diet. His advice seemed to contradict what I thought was a healthy diet – mainly vegetarian, with lots of grains and cereals.

Afterwards I challenged him on his ideas. He replied:

“Don’t take my word for this. Try an experiment. Try out the diet on yourself for a few weeks and observe how you feel.”

This was a challenge that I decided to take. I tried the paleo diet. The result? I lost some weight, but more importantly I felt more energetic with a renewed vitality and zest for life.

So this is my challenge to you. See if the paleo diet works for you.

The theory behind this diet is that stone age man or caveman ate mainly what he could hunt. He supplemented this animal protein with fruits and berries that he could gather. Later in human evolution man cultivated grains which meant that the balance of his diet changed. And this is still the average diet today. High in grains and carbohydrates, with some protein from animals of fish. Some people, like the doctor I met, claim that the human body evolved to eat the paleo diet which is the most natural way to eat.

Here are the details of how you can adapt this diet. The principles are simple.

Foods to avoid.

Severely restrict your intake of the following foods:

• Grains- including bread, pasta, noodles
• Beans
• Potatoes
• Dairy products
• Sugar
• Salt
• Processed foods

Eat plenty of the following:

• Meat and chicken(Preferably free range and grain fed)
• Fish
• Eggs
• Fruit
• Vegetables – but not potatoes or sweet potatoes.
• Nuts, but  do not eat peanuts (a bean) or cashews (a family of their own)
• Berries- strawberries, blueberries, raspberries etc

There is no calorie counting required. Eat until you no longer feel hungry.

It also helps to exercise regularly – at least half an hour’s brisk walk every day.

This diet goes against conventional wisdom about healthy eating – especially the restriction on bread, pasta and potatoes which to many are an essential part of the diet.

Rather than take my word for it, take the challenge. Try the paleo diet for yourself and see how much your health benefits.

(If you have an existing medical condition please consult your doctor before changing to the paleo diet.)

You may find that changing to the paleo diet is difficult for you. You may habitually eat sugary or processed foods. You may feel that you cannot do without bread or pasta.  You may overeat or you may associate eating with certain activities such as watching television or when stressed. To help change your eating habits I recommend listening to the Weight Loss Hypnosis Audio Program This program has helped lots of people improve their vitality through changing to healthy eating.

It will certainly benefit you.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Is There a Perfect Weight Loss System? (positiveselfdevelopment.com)
• Paleo Diet: Can Our Caveman Ancestors Teach Us the Best Modern Diet? (health.usnews.com)
• Reaping the Benefits of a Low Carb Low Sugar Diet (after50health.com)