What is Paleo?
Paleo is a choice to eat real food (with no calorie counting) focusing on: plenty of vegetables; well-sourced meat, fish and poultry; nuts and seeds; and fruit; with minimal starch, sugar and dairy.
Why would eating Paleo be good for my family?
Food is medicine. Many health issues, including autoimmune-related diseases, are attributed to chronic inflammation which can be reduced by eating Paleo. Also, eating protein at every meal helps your blood sugar remain consistent, allowing you to function at your optimal level. Finally, eating nutrient-dense foods and limiting sugar allows you to eat the amount your body needs to perform and reduces cravings for empty calories. Bottom line…you will all feel better!
So…I can only eat what cavemen ate?
Paleo is based on the nutrient-dense diet of cavemen, not trying to replicate what was eaten 10,000 years ago. The idea is to eat unprocessed, whole foods and avoid eating foods that can contribute to poor health, such as foods that contain calories but few nutrients.
Won’t that be a lot of work to feed my family?
Once you learn the basics, Paleo is amazingly simple to follow because there is no calorie counting, and you get to eat the foods you like on the schedule you choose.
Give me an example. What is for breakfast, lunch and dinner?
There are simple guidelines in my book plus two dozen recipes for all meals including desserts! Here are some super-simple meal examples that require no recipes and take hardly any time to prepare. The beauty is that you can eat as much of the main protein as you like so you always walk away satisfied and nourished.
- Breakfast:
- scrambled eggs with or without chopped up slices of deli ham
- berries, melon, avocado or whatever fruit is in season
- Lunch:
- turkey slices rolled around carrot sticks
- an apple
- sweet potato chips or handful of almonds
- Dinner:
- roast chicken or fish
- vegetables of your choice cooked the way you like
- green salad or fruit salsa or guacamole
What foods are NOT Paleo? Do I have to completely eliminate them?
Many common foods are not Paleo including bread, pizza, pasta, soda, peanuts, lentils and more. However, if you can commit to eat Paleo at least 80% of the time, that allows for you to indulge in foods you are used to eating while still dramatically improving your health. The important thing is to be consistent, not obsessed.
How about you? Are you a fan of eating Paleo?
