Benefits of the Paleo Diet

The nutrition facts and advice we have been following over the last fifty years about good human nutrition and diet may have been completely wrong and helped contribute to the current obesity issue we see today in the United States. The industrial and agricultural revolution led to the production of highly processed foods and this is when we began to see the start of all the health problems in the United states such as: a rise in diabetes, rise in obesity, rise in cancer, rise in hypertension and rise in cardiovascular disease. This led to nutritional advice that was heavily based on minimal protein from lean meat sources, lots of grains, and-fruits and vegetables. Unfortunately after following this government food pyramid advice for the last fifty years Americans continue to struggle from the health problems listed above. Sixty-six percent of Americans are overweight and thirty- three percent of Americans are obese. The Paleo diet advocates a way of life similar to pre-historic cavemen. It is a diet that consists of a lot of protein, saturated fats, vegetables and fruits. They recommend avoiding grains, processed foods and manufactured sugars. They also recommend up to sixty minutes of vigorous exercise each day. Many of the foods we have been taught to avoid, eggs, red meat, organ meats, and fatty cuts of meat are all a common part of the Paleo diet. The diet is very easy to follow. There is no calorie count like you see with lots of diets today and the food portions are very easy to control. The food portion for a person is the size of your palm. The Paleo diet generally recommends one portion of protein, three portions of vegetables, and one to two portions of fruit for every meal. People who follow the Paleo diet generally lose weight, have more energy, and sleep better at night. They also generally see improvements in their blood cultures. This all came about due to research on the cellular remains and fossils of the Paleo cavemen. We found that they were extremely health; they were lean, strong and did not suffer from things like clogged arteries, heart disease, obesity and other health issues that the modern man is facing in todays world. They thrived on a diet of high protein, high saturated fat, and vegetables and fruit that were in season. The Paleo people did not have access to all kinds of fruits and vegetables all year long. They took advantage of these when the season was right for them to grow. The modern day man and woman is virtually identical genetically to the modern day man and woman, therefore the modern day man and woman should be able to thrive on the same diet the Paleolithic people thrived on and also receive the same health benefits. There have been isolated populations that live on the same diet that have been scientifically studied that have been found to thrive on the diet and consistently live long lives without chronic health problems. When our modern diet of highly processed foods and grains were introduced to these same people they quickly become obese and fell victim to the same health problems that we see so common in the United States today.













Source 1: http://thepaleodiet.com/about-the-paleo-diet/
Source2: http://www.thebigfatsurprise.com