Many people like to do things in the simplest manner possible. We can call them minimalists. Their typical course of action is to find the simplest way to do things. They may not have a Palm Pilot, checking their email every five minutes. Perhaps they aren't multi-tasking while in the car on the way to work, bouncing between a donut, makeup and their iPod. They just like things simple.
Some people enjoy a dining experience that follows exactly such a mantra. The Paleo diet - eating like a dinosaur - has provided some people with a very simple and calm dining plan that is easy to follow and can deliver some terrific health results.
The late and great Jack LaLanne once famously said, "If man made it, do not eat it!" He was right. Most food made by men is highly processed, contains preservatives, and overall isn't the safest bet if our goal is to be as healthy as possible. Sure, man made food might taste better than something we pick from our own garden. But the fact of the matter is that our bodies spent the last million years eating garden picked food. It is only in the last fifty to one hundred years that this highly processed garbage we call 'food' has taken to the forefront of the world menu. Today's diets are highly toxic in comparison to what we as mammals enjoyed for many years. There is absolutely no way our digestive systems have adjusted to it - hence the many issues from which people suffer.
Give the Paleo diet a shot. You have nothing to lose. Walk through the grocery story and select only those foods which could be picked if you were a dinosaur roaming the earth some 65 million years ago. Pluck a fish from the stream by grabbing a tilapia filet from the seafood section. Walk through the produce section and pick some bananas, apples, and lettuce. Walk down the baking aisle and find nuts. Meat is great - just be sure not to allow the processed versions to make their way into your prehistoric shopping cart!
Any variety of meat, seafood, fruits, nuts, and vegetables that would be readily available in nature, millions of years ago, should be available to you at the grocery store. If it contains enriched white flour, you should not be eating it. If it sits in its natural form and is not made by man, then by all means - dig in!
If you are looking to maintain your existing levels of muscle mass, then Paleo dieting may not be your ideal long-term plan. Without such staples as pasta, you may quickly discover (if you possess a high metabolism) that you're just losing too much weight too quickly. However, if can provide you with a brief escape from your toxic dining habits, then you should give Paleo eating a shot! And if you are not sure, then perhaps a modified partial-Paleo diet will do the trick. Give it a try!
