Every year seems to bring new fad diet and weight loss plans to get your body ready for beach weather, but few actually offer nutritionally sound advice for trading in your old potato chip lifestyle for one that you can both tolerate and reap benefits from. Thankfully, in recent years we have seen a spike in motivations for people to eat a healthier, more natural and organic diets, with many people turning to the Paleo Diet® as a viable solution for improving all aspect of their life. So what exactly is the Paleo Diet®, and why do it? The easiest way to explain what the Paleo Diet® is all about is to tell you to eat like your ancestors. This doesn’t mean you need to find a grocery store that carries dinosaur meat, but rather take a step back from the countless harmful additives found in many of our foods today and try to enjoy a simpler, cleaner way of life.
Like you may have assumed, the Paleo Diet® refers to all the foods that may have been eaten throughout the Paleolithic era including primarily fish and lean meats, fruits and vegetables, seeds and nuts, and any other typical hunter-gatherer type foods. Foods that didn’t become common until after the boom of the farming industry, like grains and legumes, are limited because of their supposed incompatibility to our genetic capabilities. Some Paleo Diet®’s are more strict than others, but most commonly a person participating will need to refrain from consuming any grains like bread, noodles, rice, and more, legumes like beans, peanuts, peas, and lentils, any dairy products including milk, cheese, yogurt, and butter, as well as salt, potatoes, or anything that is heavily processed or contains any refined sugar. This may seem impossible as you wander around your favorite grocery store and see the barrage of mysterious ingredients on every package, but the positive impact it can have on your life speaks for itself so long as you are determined to make it work for you.
You already know that you should be eating healthy to ensure you have the best possible life, but you really should think about how your dietary choices can impact your long-term health. It isn’t about giving up the food you love or submitting to a process you hate, but rather putting yourself and your health needs first above all else. Just because we have the ability to enjoy modern medicine and a convenient meal doesn’t mean we should turn our backs on the tried and true methods that have kept our civilization alive for centuries, the Paleo Diet® is proof of that. If you or someone you love is dealing with autoimmune diagnosis, get the level of care you deserve by calling Dr. James Dowd today at 1.810.225.7553 to get started, or or click here to make an appointment online.