Paleo or Stone Age Diet: Definition, Advantages & Disadvantages
Paleo diet / Stone Age diet – The Stone Age diet describes the concept that has been proven for over 200,000 years to lead to health, increased performance and the ideal weight. The term “Paleo” is an abbreviation for the English word “paleolithic”. The word means something like “stone-age”. Vegetables, high-quality animal products and fruit are the main components of the so-called “Stone Age diet”. The focus of this diet is not on the quantity, but on the quality of the food. The stone age life is not to be imitated, rather it is a question of nourishing oneself naturally. Therefore, the Paleo diet is based on our ancestors, the hunters and gatherers. Whether the Paleo diet keeps what it promises, what the advantages and disadvantages are and the criticism of the fancy diet, you can read here.
Paleo definition and 7 principles
Give up sugar
Especially drinks like soft drinks, iced tea and juices contain a lot of sugar. Sugar consumption leads to increased insulin levels, which is the cause of many diseases such as diabetes. Carbohydrates also cause the body to store energy in the form of fat instead of reducing the fat store.
No dairy products
Avoid milk and dairy products! These foods can be the cause of autoimmune diseases or promote them. Just like cereal products, the milk of other animals has only been consumed by humans for 10,000 years. Milk from cows contains substances that are not designed for human digestion. In addition, there are animal hormones in the milk.
Grain products are a no-no
Whether white flour or rice, these products contain a lot of carbohydrates but few nutrients. Just like sugar, carbohydrates in the form of cereal products cause or promote civilization diseases.
Hands off ready meals
On fast food or bag soups, convenience foods contain large amounts of artificial additives and unhealthy fatty acids. During the Paleo diet is to avoid highly processed foods.
Vegetable fat is not allowed
During the Paleo diet, products such as margarine and oils such as sunflower or rapeseed oil should be avoided. Alternatively, animal fats such as lard or butter can be used. Exceptions are coconut and olive oil.
Fruit in moderation
Everyone knows that “an apple a day keeps the doctor away”, but fruit also contains a lot of sugar. In hunter-gatherer times, fruit was available to humans in much smaller quantities. Although fruit contains many healthy and important nutrients, the fructose also makes you fat.
Pay attention to the good fatty acids
Due to the proliferation of vegetable oils, there is an excess of omega-6 fatty acids, and an omega-3 fatty acid deficiency. A lack of omega-3 fatty acids can lead to insulin resistance and an increased susceptibility to inflammation. The good omega-3 fatty acids can be found in fish, for example.
Tips: Healthy eating and weight loss
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Procedure of a Paleo diet
The idea behind the Paleo diet is to eat like a Stone Age man. This means eating products that are as natural as possible, no legumes, no grains and no dairy products. The Paleo diet is more than just a diet, it is a form of nutrition that is supposed to be healthy.
It is recommended to start the Paleo diet gradually and to implement the change step by step. You can set yourself a period of time in which you adhere to the principles of the Paleo diet described above. A test phase of one month is recommended. During this period of time, you will have to abstain from many foods that are on your plate these days. These foods include: Rice, pasta, bread, sugar, processed meat but also coffee and alcohol. Ideally, a Paleo meal should consist mainly of proteins found in egg, fish and meat and vegetables. The body fat measures decreases particularly strongly in the first six months. However, this effect decreases in the following 24 months of the active Paleo diet.
Experience with the Paleo diet
The Paleo diet is a great way to lose weight healthily and to consciously deal with what you actually eat. The stone age diet also brings some disadvantages with it!
Disadvantages of the Stone Age diet
The Paleo diet should not become permanent. While today’s healthy adult has a caloric requirement of around 2,000 calories, the hunter-gatherers of the Stone Age had a requirement of over 3,000 calories. So this large amount of fish and meat provides modern humans with significantly more protein than needed. Too much fat and few carbohydrates can lead to weight gain rather than weight loss as with the Stone Age diet. Because the meat and fish 200,000 years ago came from wild animals, it had a lower fat content than the meat that today comes largely from factory farming. Problems with the joints and high blood pressure are also complaints that can go along with the Paleo diet.
Advantages of the Stone Age diet
The Stone Age diet is probably one of the longest tested diets of mankind. A variety of studies prove the effectiveness of the Paleo diet. Who is looking for a healthy diet, is probably interested in the longest proven diet there is. Rejecting industrially produced food is in principle a health-promoting attitude. Especially convenience foods, soft drinks and hormonally treated milk are considered harmful to health. By eliminating processed foods and especially grain products, the Paleo diet is helpful for alleviating autoimmune and metabolic diseases such as acne, multiple sclerosis, and diabetes. This diet has also been proven to lose weight, stabilize blood sugar, and increase athletic performance. Other benefits that make the Stone Age Diet so popular are fewer headaches and an end to afternoon fatigue. Already the occupation with what one takes to itself has the conscious contact with food and a learning effect to the consequence.
Paleo diet & the consequences
But what are the goals and consequences of the Paleo diet? As with almost all diets, the goal of the diet is to get rid of bad eating habits and bring the body back into balance. Consequences of the Paleo diet are first weight loss, less fatigue, a reduced feeling of fullness. Especially allergy sufferers might feel redeemed and show a weaker reaction to triggers.
The Paleo food pyramid
Vegetables
Vegetables are one of the cornerstones of the Paleo diet, so you need to consume plenty of them. Vegetables provide sources of fiber and phytochemicals.
Meat
Valuable proteins, micro-nutrients and healthy fats are provided by meat. The Paleo diet pays special attention to the quality of the meat. This is found especially in meat from animals that have grown up in their natural environment. Meat from pasture-fed sheep, cattle and free-range chickens and pigs.
Fish
Fish and seafood are also good sources of protein and important omega-3 fatty acids. It is recommended to eat fish dishes at least 2-3 times a week. Here too, it is important to take a look at the origin of the fish. Wild caught fish is better than fish from aquacultures and fish farms.
Eggs
Eggs are better than they are made out to be. During the Paleo diet, they provide important nutrients such as vitamins, proteins and good fats and also keep you full for a long time.
Fruit
Fruit provides the body with vitamins and fiber. But as described above, fruit should only be consumed in moderation because of the fructose. It is also advisable to switch to fruit with a lower sugar content, such as berries instead of grapes and bananas.
Healthy fats and oils
Especially for cooking, good fats are an essential part of the Paleo diet. Selected vegetable fats such as olive oil, avocado oil and coconut oil are healthy energy suppliers.
Sugar free drinks without additives
Sugar and additives are also taboo for drinks during the Stone Age diet. Alternatives are for example water, coconut water and unsweetened tea.
Criticism of the diet and method
Some doctors warn against the Paleo diet because, as described above, there is a risk of gaining weight quickly instead of losing it. Blame is the high fat content of the Paleo diet. The Paleo diet is a low carb diet. The sinning with a slice of bread falls thereby during this Diät still more in the weight than with other parliamentary allowance. Overweight threatens diseases such as high blood pressure, depression and joint problems.
Recipes: Breakfast Lunch Dinner
Breakfast – A Paleo breakfast could consist of fried eggs, broccoli and a fruit salad, for example. At lunch, there are peppers stuffed with minced meat, in the evening fish with vegetables. Paleo snacks are fruit or nuts.
Lunch – Lunch on the Stone Age diet is a pepper stuffed with ground beef or a fatty animal product such as steak or salmon fried in coconut oil or beef tallow with a large serving of vegetables. Paleo snacks are nuts and fruit.
Dinner – A Paleo dinner can consist of green vegetables with species-appropriate fish, a glass of bone broth, and a handful of nuts.
Paleo diet book: Book recommendations
Paleo – Stone Age diet: lose weight without hunger
Nico Richter presents his favorite recipes for the Paleo diet in his cookbook. He loves cooking with unprocessed foods and you can tell! For all those who want to eat natural and healthy but are unsure how the change should work. Nico shows with his cookbook that healthy eating doesn’t have to be boring. The 30 day plan makes it easy to get started with stone age nutrition. My absolute favorite from the recipe collection is the barbecue sauce a la Paleo.
Paleo Cookbook for Beginners-The Recipe Book for Beginners & Professionals
For professionals and beginners, this cookbook is just right. In it you will find 99 recipes for the perfect start to the Paleo diet. Who also wants to learn more about the Stone Age diet, will find all the necessary information. The book clears up all prejudices and false assumptions around the Stone Age diet.
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Questions and answers: Paleo diet
What can you eat on the Paleo diet?
During the Paleo diet, mainly untreated and natural products are eaten. The diet is based on the diet of the Stone Age people.
Is Paleo really that healthy?
Since one pays attention to his diet during the Paleo diet and renounces sugar and carbohydrates, the Stone Age diet brings many advantages with it. The risk of developing diabetes, for example, can be reduced.
What did the Stone Age people eat?
The Stone Age diet is limited to natural products.
What is Paleo vegan?
The Paleo diet is not vegan because the main component of the diet includes meat and animal products.
What can you eat on the Paleo diet?
Natural products and unprocessed foods may be eaten during the Paleo diet. This includes especially vegetables and meat.
Is potato paleo?
Potatoes can be eaten during the Paleo diet, if they are natural and unprocessed. That is, not in the form of chips, fried with vegetable oil. However, it should not be overdone with the potatoes, because they contain a lot of starch and carbohydrates.
