This is a diet I have mentioned many times before but i've never really spoken about it in much depth. I thought i'd do a little more research into it and share my findings with you as a lot of people have been asking about it and how it benefits me and my MS.
It's all about discipline as well as enjoying and experimenting with the foods you can eat. This diet is great for anyone who wants to live a more naturally healthy lifestyle and wake up feeling energised on a daily basis.
The Paleo Diet is based on our hunter-gatherer ancestors and their diet. Understandably we don't need to hunt for our food so it's about making choices which reflect this historical diet.
I find so many diet websites confusing to understand and are usually bombarded with advertisements to buy their books and products so I hope to give a clear understanding below of what the Paleo Diet is all about in a more simplistic manner. It's more of a lifestyle change than a 'diet' as such.
So what does this 'diet' consist of?
- High intake of protein
- Low intake of carbohydrates
- High fibre intake
- Moderate to higher intake of GOOD fats (monounsaturated and Omega-3 fats)
- Higher potassium intake than sodium
- High intake of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants
What can I eat?
- Grass-fed meats (not grain-fed meats)
- Fowl
- Wild fish (not farmed fish)
- Eggs
- Vegetables (the darker the better)
- Oil (olive oil, coconut oil, avocado oil)
- Fruits (try those with thinner skins such as grapes and berries and again the darker the better)
- Nuts (Almonds are great!)
- Sweet potato
- coconut milk, almond milk
What can't I eat?
- Legumes (peanuts included)
- Dairy
- Gluten, Wheats, Grains
- Salt
- Refined sugar
- Processed foods - Takeaways, packet meals, anything bleached or artificial
- White potato
Want some tips?
- Eat little and often - SMALLER portions every 3-4 hours
- Drink green tea and water throughout the day
- Don't overload on fruit...it may be natural but contains high levels of fructose (sugar = carbs = fat)
- Don't be conned by 'gluten-free' foods, these are still processed and unhealthy
- Give it a go for at least 1 month to see results.
- Just because you eat one bad thing doesn't mean you have to write off the day entirely. Keep going!
- If you DO somehow find yourself eating 'bad' food...make the bad food gluten free at least... GF and Dairy Free dark choc, GF Pitta Bread and honey. Be realistic. It's better to be semi healthy than totally unhealthy.
Food Diary
Keeping a food diary can be a great way of monitoring how certain foods affect you. Think of the benefits of being able to look back at what you've eaten over a 5 - 8 week period. I write mine on a word document which I keep on my home and work computer and I've made it a habit of filling it out as the day goes on. BE HONEST: DONT BE SCARED TO LIST YOUR MISTAKES.. this will help you see where you may be going wrong or highlight 'good days'.
There are some great apps to help you track your intake of food such as My Fitness Pal.
I've been loosely following this diet since January however I don't feel i've been doing as well as I should. I'm going to do a 30 day food diary and set myself some guidelines in terms of going to the gym and setting targets. For me it isn't about losing weight, as i actually want to gain muscle, so I will set some body fat percentage loss targets as well as some simple ones like eating clean for AT LEAST 5 days consecutively.
Most importantly you need to ENJOY the Paleo way of life. There are some amazing recipe books out there which can really help inspire you with your cooking. Happy eating!
P x
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