What is the Paleo Diet?
We recommend a style of eating which has become known as the “Paleo Diet”, which is summed up nicely in the quote on the right. The emphasis is on eating high-quality foods, with a focus on fresh vegetables, lean meats, and quality fats from nuts and seeds. It is not a ‘low-carb’ diet, but a low ‘junk’ diet.You won’t see any mention of cereal, bread, pasta, cookies, candy, or soda. These foods are highly refined and we are not well adapted to eating them. Our modern-day Western diet, high in processed foods, has produced an alarming rate of obesity, diabetes, and disease.
Why Paleo?The paleo diet avoids foods that have been associated with health problems including high blood pressure, high blood sugar, inflammation, gut irritation, Crohn’s disease, celiac, and diabetes (among others). Foods to avoid: Grains (corn, wheat, rice, barley and oats) Dairy (milk, butter, cream) Sugar Legumes (beans, peanuts and soy) Highly processed meats Foods we will be eating: Vegetables (fresh or frozen), lots of them Lean meats (chicken, beef, pork, turkey, fish, lamb, eggs, buffalo, etc) Fruits (fresh or frozen, in moderation) Nuts & Seeds Oils
How closely should you follow there guidelines? As closely as possible in the beginning. Everyone responds differently to food, and it’s true that one person may be able to tolerate some of the foods on our ‘don’t eat’ list without undue complications. But it’s very difficult to know what will or won’t cause problems unless we start with a clean slate. Give it at least 4 weeks to ‘reset’ your body, and then you can experiment with introducing one of your ‘can’t live without’ foods. You might be surprised! Please explore the following pages for ideas, resources, and downloads. |
“Eat meat and vegetables, nuts and seeds, some fruit, little starch and no sugar.”CrossFit Cofounder Greg Glassman |
