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Cracking the Paleo Diet Code |
I briefly mentioned what the Paleo diet was at the beginning of the book; otherwise all of my cavemen jokes would have been for naught. Here is the extended definition of the Paleo diet.
It can be argued that in the prehistoric period, people ate organic, naturally grown food. They hunted for free-ranging animal meat. They gathered wild fruits and vegetables. They supplemented their diets with fire-roasted nuts and seeds. They dug up roots. They drank mostly water. Because of this, they were in relatively good health.
Cavemen had to eat whatever they could find and exercised regularly. I guess if every time you walked out the front door there was something trying to eat you, then you probably stayed in shape. What I find most fascinating about the Paleo diet is that there were no carbohydrates in the form of pasta, etc.
And yet somehow those foods are the very things that we all believe we need for energy. We believe we need pasta, grains and processed carbs to keep our energy up. If that is the case, how was it the cavemen were able to have the energy to outrun predators and hunt for days at a time?
It wasn't until about the last 10,000 years that we deviated away from the healthy caveman diet, which is right around the time man discovered agriculture. For the 200,000 years before that, the cavemen had to chase down their food, defend their land, and survive many obstacles.
But one day, someone either figured out how, or were influenced, to start planting and growing their own food. Domesticating animals became the norm vs. having to go out every day and hunt one down. Now instead of having to go out and find food, you just stepped out into your backyard, grabbed a few potatoes and sent Ol' Bessy to the butcher, well you milked her first and then off she went.
As with anything we humans do, just having enough was n't enough. In the past 10,000 years we started mass producing food to the point that we throw away as much as we eat. Wasting food like this would have been unheard of in caveman times. I wouldn't want to guess how much of the animal they ate, but I am guessing anything that was edible. There wouldn't have been any kid in the caveman family pushing his roots away saying he didn't like them.
The parents would just say "then you can starve to death" and the kid most likely did, or he learned to eat what was available. The Paleo diet unfortunately became a thing only the cavemen did in history books. There just weren't enough of them left anymore to keep their diet mainstream.
Look at the food we eat now: It isn't what we were designed to eat, and our bodies are trying to let us that with more disease and obesity then the cavemen would have ever seen. How we eat is like a lion trying to live on watermelon or a cow only eating fish. It just isn't the right foods for what we are.
The Paleo diet is something that can change your life and potentially improve your health to the point that your daily aches and pains disappear. If you are still unsure about all of this, keep reading and you will see how easy it is to make this part of your lifestyle.
Don't let the caveman talk scare you away: While the Paleo diet seems restrictive, you are going to discover in Chapter 5 just how much food you have available to choose from.
Chapter 4 What To Expect When You Paleo It Up
Well if you have been beating your body up with a horrible nutritional assault you can expect to have a rough start. I never try to sugar coat the potential side effects when I am coaching a client. I don't want to scare them from trying, but I also want them to realize their bodies are going to be unhappy with the changes to start, but very thankful shortly after that.
Any change in diet, especially one from unhealthy to healthy, can result in some side effects. These do pass and sure beat the side effects of disease and death an unhealthy lifestyle can lead us to.
During the first month of transitioning to the Paleo lifestyle, people's reactions will be heavily varied. Some will lose a lot of weight, some get really grumpy, and many will experience a perceived lack of energy.
You are going to experience a natural detox that will not be the most pleasant. Once you stop consuming processed foods and the toxins they contain, your body will start the natural healing process. It will start to release the toxins in your system in the form of headaches, frequent bathroom breaks and may leave you feeling a bit lethargic, like a flu only in a healthy way.
This will also be a time when your cravings will be in full swing. The toxins that are leaving your body are highly addictive, and your body at this point still believes it needs them. It is really important that you stay as committed as possible during this phase, and most cravings will disappear after about two weeks.
As you transition, it is also important that you keep exercising. You might not feel like exercising but you would be missing out on a huge benefit in making the transition easier. Sweating! By getting out there and sweating you are going to get those toxins out that much faster. Do not be surprised if your sweat smells different.
I noticed when I detoxed with a lifestyle change that my sweat almost smelled metallic, which probably shows how many toxins were leaving my system. I also noticed the sweat made my skin itch, which it never did before. I was probably sweating out pure phosphoric acid due to the amount of pop I used to drink. It is crazy what our body goes through to get rid of all the crap we put into it, but it is a very necessary step.
If you struggle with moodiness, stabilization can be expected over time. If you don't believe that excess sugar in your diet doesn't affect your mood you would be wrong. If you don't believe me then try babysitting a bunch of kids and give them some extra sugar. They will go through all the emotions of alcohol consumption: All happy, then grumpy and end it with a crying fit most of the time. If you find you are moody in life right now, it could be due to excessive sugar.
One of the best things you can expect to happen after the side effects subside is feeling awful every time you choose to eat junk food. It is amazing what our body tells us once it is able to, and we are open to hearing. A body free of toxins and feeling great will take that junk food and make you regret it. You will become bloated, have intestinal discomfort and most likely have an unpleasant trip to the bathroom.
This happens because your body knows that the food you just ate is not good for you and tries to get rid of it. It used to do that for you, but as you continued to force that food in it eventually gave up. Your new normal was feeling slightly crappy all the time. You trained your body to love junk, and can train it to love healthy food once again.
Basically before you can feel great you are most likely going to feel really, really not great. The best thing about all this is that the side effects are only temporary, and soon you will feel much better than you have ever felt before.
Chapter 5 WTF Did A Caveman Eat
If you are still with me then it shows you know the Paleo diet can change your life. Now that you know what to expect in the transition to the Paleo diet, let's explore what a caveman actually ate.
I asked myself this exact question, because the thought of eating the bark off my backyard tree and digging up mysterious roots made me a bit nervous. I also couldn't remember the last time I had to chase down an animal to eat it; maybe in 91' but I was a lot younger back then.
I understood the whole premise of eating only what you could get off of the land but needed more clarification, as I am sure you do to. I mean really, was I stuck eating the berries on the trees I tell my kids not to eat, or was I going to have to start my own greenhouse in the backyard?
As I researched the Paleo diet I started to realize that the choices of whole natural foods are almost limitless. There really is no need to keep buying boxed processed items just to have variety. I have tried to create an extensive list of Paleo diet safe foods and beverages you can include in your daily meals.
As always, whenever possible ensure you choose organic and support your local farmers market. You should also take advantage of seasonal fruits and vegetables for increased variety. Always keep in mind the minimalist mindset you want to have in order to avoid over consumption. Just because you can buy an abundance of foods does not mean you need to.
Source: Cracking the Paleo Diet Code: Lose Weight Fast with Primal Eating & Intermittent Fasting by Wiggins, Darrin
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