Cheat Sheet
Living Paleo For Dummies
Living Paleo means eating all-natural, real foods that support steady blood sugar levels and eliminate inflammation inside the body. Living Paleo also means knowing how to estimate the right amount of food for your needs, stocking your kitchen with Paleo-friendly foods, and cooking healthful meals at home. Not sure how to make the switch to living Paleo? Use these tips to get started.
The Paleo Diet: Eating Like a Cave Man
The Paleo diet — sometimes called the cave man diet — is based on the idea that eating foods similar to those consumed by our hunter-gatherer ancestors is the healthiest, most successful path to sustainable weight loss and optimal health. These guidelines will get you started on making the transition to eating Paleo:
Build your meals around animal protein sources, vegetables, fruits, and naturally occurring, high-quality fat sources.
As much as possible, eat grass-fed, organic, pasture-raised meat and poultry and wild-caught fish and seafood.
Eat a wide variety of vegetables (including starchy vegetables, like sweet potatoes and winter squash) and fruits (especially berries).
Enjoy a wide range of naturally occurring fats, including coconut products (milk, flakes, butter, and oil), avocados, olives, and olive oil.
Avoid all gluten and grains, including wheat, rice, corn, quinoa, buckwheat, barley, spelt, and oats.
Avoid all seed and industrial oils, including canola, soy, and corn.
Avoid dairy, including milk, cream, half-and-half, cheese, and yogurt.
Avoid all processed and packaged foods.
Avoid all added sugars and artificial sweeteners. (The naturally occurring sugar in fruit is okay.)
Eat protein, vegetables, fruits, and fats to satisfaction, rather than to the state of being "full" or "stuffed."
The Advantages of Living Paleo
By removing foods from your diet that cause inflammation inside your body — foods that weren't part of our hunter-gatherer ancestors' daily meals — you'll enjoy a wealth of health and lifestyle benefits. Here are some of the benefits of living Paleo:
Weight loss and increased fat burning
Increased immunity to better fight colds
Increased ability to manage both emotional and physical stress
Reduction in both food and environmental allergy symptoms
Increased energy that lasts throughout the day
Deeper, more restful sleep
Clear, glowing skin
Strong, healthy nails and hair
Alleviation from depression
Elimination of joint aches and pains
Reduced blood pressure, cholesterol, and triglyceride levels
Reduced risk for "diseases of civilization," including heart disease, diabetes, and cancers
Improvements in skin disorders, like acne, alopecia, eczema, and psoriasis
Alleviation of symptoms of autoimmune disorders, including Hashimoto's thyroiditis, rheumatoid arthritis, celiac disease, and Crohn's disease
Freedom from bloating, gas, and other intestinal distress
