Recently, I've been reading The Paleo Diet by Loren Cordain. The Paleo Diet is basically returning to the way our ancestors ate 500+ generations ago: lean meats, seafood, fruit, vegetables, nuts and seeds (anything you could hunt or gather).
The nice thing about this is that there are no restrictions on the quantities of food that you can eat; its all about the quality. Nobody ever got fat eating too many fruits and vegetables. The reason for this is because lean meat/seafood (i.e. protein) and fruits and vegetables (i.e. nutrient-dense carbohydrates) tell our bodies to react differently than modern processed foods do.
Eat too much protein (which is very difficult to do, by the way), and your body will tell you to stop because you'll likely feel too full to eat any more. The reason? It takes your body 2.5x more energy to break down protein in your system than it does for carbs or fats. In time, this jacks up your metabolic rate, making it much more difficult to put on any weight other than lean muscle mass.
Fruits and vegetables contain high levels of fiber, meaning that they make you feel full faster than any processed food ever could. Plus, even if you do eat 5 pounds of green beans in a day, you still would only be taking in fewer than 1,000 calories.
All of the research backing up the Paleo way of eating tells us that modern, processed foods (read: processed carbohydrates) are responsible for many modern ailments and diseases. Diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, stroke, cancer, Syndrome X... None of these were problems for our Paleolithic ancestors. But with the invention/discovery of dairy, grains, and processed sugars, human health took a huge turn for the worse.
The human body was not designed to eat processed sugars or dairy or grains. We evolved to eat what we had around us, and if mother nature didn't make it, you probably shouldn't be eating it. Lean meats, seafood, fruits and vegetables, nuts and seeds; as much as you want. It is just that simple.
Personally, after starting this style of eating a few days ago, I have yet to fully commit to it. I've successfully cut out all dairy products, which was tough, since I'm a Wisconsinite, and we love our cheese. I've cut out all breads/grains, so now all I have left is to cut out those little processed snack foods that I keep finding around the house. Today, my goal is nothing but meat, veggies, and fruits. I'll let you know how this goes tomorrow...
I've got some great Paleo recipes that I'm dying to try out (I'm thinking that tonight is going to be Paleo chili night!), so I'll post some of those as I try them (if they're any good, at least).
Also, if you want any more information, check out Robb Wolf's website (link can be found on the right side). His site has got to be one of the best nutrition sites I've ever come across. Aside from researching the Paleo Diet with Loren Cordain, he used to run the nutrition certs for CrossFit. He knows his stuff.
The nice thing about this is that there are no restrictions on the quantities of food that you can eat; its all about the quality. Nobody ever got fat eating too many fruits and vegetables. The reason for this is because lean meat/seafood (i.e. protein) and fruits and vegetables (i.e. nutrient-dense carbohydrates) tell our bodies to react differently than modern processed foods do.
Eat too much protein (which is very difficult to do, by the way), and your body will tell you to stop because you'll likely feel too full to eat any more. The reason? It takes your body 2.5x more energy to break down protein in your system than it does for carbs or fats. In time, this jacks up your metabolic rate, making it much more difficult to put on any weight other than lean muscle mass.
Fruits and vegetables contain high levels of fiber, meaning that they make you feel full faster than any processed food ever could. Plus, even if you do eat 5 pounds of green beans in a day, you still would only be taking in fewer than 1,000 calories.
All of the research backing up the Paleo way of eating tells us that modern, processed foods (read: processed carbohydrates) are responsible for many modern ailments and diseases. Diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, stroke, cancer, Syndrome X... None of these were problems for our Paleolithic ancestors. But with the invention/discovery of dairy, grains, and processed sugars, human health took a huge turn for the worse.
The human body was not designed to eat processed sugars or dairy or grains. We evolved to eat what we had around us, and if mother nature didn't make it, you probably shouldn't be eating it. Lean meats, seafood, fruits and vegetables, nuts and seeds; as much as you want. It is just that simple.
Personally, after starting this style of eating a few days ago, I have yet to fully commit to it. I've successfully cut out all dairy products, which was tough, since I'm a Wisconsinite, and we love our cheese. I've cut out all breads/grains, so now all I have left is to cut out those little processed snack foods that I keep finding around the house. Today, my goal is nothing but meat, veggies, and fruits. I'll let you know how this goes tomorrow...
I've got some great Paleo recipes that I'm dying to try out (I'm thinking that tonight is going to be Paleo chili night!), so I'll post some of those as I try them (if they're any good, at least).
Also, if you want any more information, check out Robb Wolf's website (link can be found on the right side). His site has got to be one of the best nutrition sites I've ever come across. Aside from researching the Paleo Diet with Loren Cordain, he used to run the nutrition certs for CrossFit. He knows his stuff.
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