We have reached a point in our society where we are becoming more and more aware of nutrition and fitness and the things we put into our bodies. As time goes on we have realized the foods we have consumed for decades and they way they were prepared are incredibly unhealthy for us. With that being said the need to find a nutritional plan that actually works is at an all time high.
Well let’s think for a moment. We as a species have been around for an incredibly long time, but it wasn’t until about 10,000 years ago that the agricultural revolution began. In case you aren’t quite clear on what that is, this is the time we began the big farming boom. That combined with recent technology is how we got to the present food “culture,” so to speak. Processed foods, GMO’s, grains, and dairy — these things have been found to be harmful to our bodies. This has led to the endless list of diseases and the increasingly high percentage of obesity that we as a society face. Now if you are anything like me, a southern girl who grew up on corn bread, potatoes and everything fried, this is pretty much the majority of your diet.
So where do we go from here? Well we get back to the basics. That is where the name “The Paleo Diet” comes from. It stems from the Paleolithic era. I was watching Good Morning America one day, not something I usually do, but I just happened to tune in on the segment where they were discussing this particular diet program. I am currently pregnant with my third child and during each pregnancy I suffered from extreme morning sickness and pregnancy-induced anemia. I am constantly fatigued and the majority of what I eat makes me sick. I was forced to take a dramatic look at the foods I ate on a daily basis.
The Paleo Diet is about going back to consuming the foods our bodies were meant to consume. To give you a better understanding here is an excerpt from www.thepaleodiet.com.
“The Paleo Diet is based upon eating wholesome, contemporary foods from the food groups our hunter-gatherer ancestors would have thrived on during the Paleolithic era, the time period from about 2.6 million years ago to the beginning of the agricultural revolution, about 10,000 years ago. These foods include fresh meats (preferably grass-produced or free-ranging beef, pork, lamb, poultry, and game meat, if you can get it), fish, seafood, fresh fruits, vegetables, seeds, nuts, and healthful oils (olive, coconut, avocado, macadamia, walnut and flaxseed). Dairy products, cereal grains, legumes, refined sugars and processed foods were not part of our ancestral menu.”
Decades of research by Dr. Loren Cordain and his scientific colleagues demonstrates that hunter-gatherers typically were free from the chronic illnesses and diseases that are epidemic in Western populations, including:
Gout
Acne
Cancer
Obesity
Osteoporosis
Type 2 diabetes
Varicose veins, hemorrhoids, diverticulosis, gastric reflux
Myopia (nearsightedness), macular degeneration, glaucoma
Autoimmune diseases (multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis)
Cardiovascular disease (heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, congestive heart failure, atherosclerosis)
This is from the original website for the Paleo diet program by Loren Cordain, PH.D.
Starting out it may be hard, but that is how it is with any change in life. It is never easy, especially when you’ve lived your whole life eating and thinking a certain way. I just hope this inspires at least one person to live a healthier life as I have been inspired myself.
