Understanding The Paleo Diet
If you're savvy on the various new programs and ideas for weight loss and overall health improvement, you've probably heard about the Paleo Diet. The Paleolithic era was the time period from about 2.6 million years ago to the beginning of the agricultural revolution, about 10,000 years ago.
Dr. Loren Cordain, a member of the faculty of the Department of Health and Exercise Science at Colorado State University, is the author of "The Paleo Diet." Following decades of research by Dr. Cordain and his colleagues, they determined that hunter-gatherers who lived in this period of time were typically free from many of the chronic illnesses and diseases that seem to be epidemic in Western populations, including:
- Cardiovascular disease (heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, congestive heart failure, atherosclerosis)
- Type 2 diabetes
- Autoimmune diseases (multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, etc.)
- Myopia (nearsightedness), macular degeneration, glaucoma
- Varicose veins, hemorrhoids, diverticulosis, gastric reflux
Following Dr. Cordain's research The Paleo Diet was created, and is based upon eating wholesome, contemporary foods from the food groups our hunter-gatherer ancestors would have thrived on during the Paleolithic era.
WHAT PALEO INCLUDES: These foods include fresh meats (preferably grass-produced or free-ranging beef, pork, lamb, poultry, and game meat, when possible), fish, seafood, fresh fruits, vegetables, seeds, nuts, and healthful oils (olive, coconut, avocado, macadamia, walnut and flaxseed).