Paleolithic Diet
The paleolithic diet, also known as the paleo diet or caveman diet, is a fad diet based on the food humans' ancient ancestors might likely have eaten, such as lean meat, nuts and berries.
The diet is based on several premises. Proponents of the diet posit that during the Paleolithic era — a period lasting around 2.5 million years that ended about 10,000 years ago with the advent of agriculture and domestication of animals — humans evolved nutritional needs specific to the foods available at that time, and that the nutritional needs of modern humans remain best adapted to the diet of their Paleolithic ancestors. Proponents claim that human metabolism has been unable to adapt fast enough to handle many of the foods that have become available since the advent of agriculture. Thus, modern humans are said to be maladapted to eating foods such as grain, legumes, and dairy, and in particular the high-calorie processed foods that are a staple of most modern diets. Proponents claim that modern humans' inability to properly metabolize these comparatively new types of food has led to modern-day problems such as obesity, heart disease, and diabetes. They claim that followers of the Paleolithic diet may enjoy a longer, healthier, more active life.
The Diet:
- More protein and meat: Meat, seafood, and other animal products represent the staple foods of modern-day Paleo diets, since advocates claim protein comprises 19-35% of the calories in hunter-gatherer diets. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the national public health institute of the United States, recommends that 10-35% of calories come from protein. Advocates recommend, relative to modern diets, that the Paleolithic diet have moderate to higher fat intake dominated by monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats and omega-3 fats, but avoiding trans fats, and omega-6 fats.
- Fewer carbohydrates: Non-starchy vegetables. The diet recommends the consumption of non-starchy fresh fruits and vegetables to provide 35-45 % daily calories and be the main source of carbohydrates. According to the United States Department of Agriculture, the acceptable macronutrient distribution range for carbohydrates is 45 to 65 percent of total calories. A typical modern diet gets a lot of carbohydrates from dairy products and grains, but these are excluded in the Paleolithic diet.
- High fiber: High fiber intake not via grains, but via non-starchy vegetables and fruits.
Eat: Meat, fish, eggs, vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, herbs, spices, healthy fats and oils.
Avoid: Processed foods, sugar, soft drinks, grains, most dairy products, legumes, artificial sweeteners, vegetable oils, margarine and trans fats.
If i were to make a recipe from this chart, I would make:
Salmon steak: First, I cooked the vegetables and fruits separately with the olive oil on the pan. Such as Pepper, oranges. Lastly, I cooked my salmon seasoning it simply with salt and pepper. Then, I plated my ingredients and this is how it looked.
This is the paleolithic diet I tried this week starting from Tuesday:
Tuesday: Lunch & Dinner- Tempura, poached halibut, grilled arctic char
Wednesday: Lunch- Grilled pork belly kimchi
Dinner- Duck Liver and some lemon to add flavor
Thursday: Breakfast- Scrambled eggs & Bacon
Lunch- Pizza pizza( This day, i didn't have time to search for the diet, because I had to rush to my next class)
Dinner- Chicken wings from St.Louis
Friday: Lunch- Bourbon chicken and Orange chicken & Steamed vegetables
Dinner- Chicken curry & Nan
Saturday: Breakfast- Pan fried eggs & Bacons
Lunch- Kimchi fries from yonge&college (With extra kimchi and pulled pork)
Dinner- Grilled Mackerel with kimchi.
Sunday: Lunch- Shrimp Tacos with vegetables, water for drink
Dinner- Braised pork ribs
This was the diet I tried this week on paleolithic diet. It was a great experience, but on the other hand, it was kind of uncomfortable. Usually, my meal mostly follow with rice. It was hard to avoid rice for a week. When I were having meat, such as braised meat or fried meat, I wanted rice so bad! But still, this was a different kind of diet I tried that I have never tried, and it was a great experience! I don't think I will me maintaining this diet, as 'grain' is a big part of my diet.
One thing I wan I want to ask the chef for an advise, is that what would be the best thing to replace rice from this diet, as the diet avoids grains? I am still curious!