Paleo Principles from Modern Paleo Diet Books

Get acquainted with the modern diet, influenced by various paleo diet books...

The modern Paleo diet books are built upon the belief that man’s health and well being can be maintained by consuming a diet consisting of slightly processed food that were available before the advent of agriculture and these are the views that we have gathered from various paleo diet book that we have referred through over the years. There are however no set of fixed rules much like commandments written on stone. Everyone is to free to eat as much as he wants as long as what he eats belong to the Paleo food list as described in the previous chapters. There are no zones to follow, neither are there calories to count.

To the more avid Paleo advocates, the diet is simple enough to follow but for the first time converts, the absence of set rules can be confusing and may even tempt them to make excuses for certain exemptions every now and then and break the diet to splurge on certain indulgences.

For the uninitiated, we have listed below some guidelines or tips on what to do and what not to do. They are by no means a set of rules to follow but more of a set of advice to guide you through your first Paleo adventure.

• Wheat, rice, corn, and all other grains have no place in the Paleo diet book. They are no better than refined sugar.
• Junk foods and restaurant food prepared with vegetable oil and synthetic food supplements are also out. You should eat real food instead.
• Refined sugar, maple syrup, corn syrup, and artificial sweeteners are definitely out.
• Virgin coconut oil, palm kernel oil, and olive oil together with animal fats such as butter, tallow, ghee, and lard are in. Refined oils such as canola oil, vegetable oil, corn oil, and soy oil are out. Hydrogenated fats are out as well.
• Beans, legumes, peanuts, tubers, dairy products, have no place in the paleo diet meals plans too.
• As per most paleo diet book, Paleo is more than a diet. It is a lifestyle which means aside from food, movement in the form of exercises and rest by way of sleeping are just as important. Together, food, sleep, and movement constitute the three foundations of modern Paleo diet books.
• Short, high intensity daily exercises will do well for the required movement.
• You should also make sure you get enough sleep every day. Give your body enough time to recover after each work out. Never abuse your body at all.
• Avoid contact with chemicals as much as possible. Don’t drink tap water. It is highly chlorinated or fluoridated. Drink mineral water instead. With much the same logic, avoid swimming in chlorinated pools. Use only deodorants that are free of aluminum, fluoride free toothpaste, and more natural organic soap.
• Do some intermittent fasting two or three times a week. You can skip breakfast and morning coffee. You may skip lunch too if you like. By fasting, you are actually starving the body cells to induce them to reallocate the nutrients from cells that are not functioning optimally for use to fuel other cell functions. You should not do this every day though as the body will learn to adapt to it negating the purpose of fasting.
• You can save a lot if you join CSA (Community-supported agriculture) programs. There must be one in your neighborhood or anywhere near you. They are the cheapest source fresh Paleo food stuff.
• Consider buying food in bulk like buying half a cow, half a bison, or half a lamb instead of buying by the pound. You will save a lot more this way. Besides, you will be able to get all the prime cuts too. You will need a freezer though for this.
• Start learning how to cook shanks, shoulders, tails, trotters, and hocks. You may have been avoiding them in the past in favor of the prime cuts but you will be surprised at how delicious they taste. On top of that they sell cheaper that is why they are called thrift cuts. You will save a bundle of money including them in your meal plan.
• Make it a point to pay the farmer’s market a visit near the end of the day and not an hour earlier. The farmers would want to get rid of their produce before the day ends and are likely to sell their produce at a bargain to anyone still hanging around the place rather than leave them to waste.
• Get organized. Make sure you have a Paleo shopping list a weekly Paleo meal plan. Check if all the Paleo ingredients for your weekly meal plan are in stock. Being organizes from shopping to cooking gets things done faster and easier. You will also avoid buying too many things on impulse.
• Make at least one day in a week your “Fish Day.” On this day eat only no-cook fish such as tuna salad with kippers for snacks with a lot of raw green leafy vegetables.
• Make recycling very much a part of your cooking. For example, if you grill breast chicken today, don’t throw away the left-over. Store them in the refrigerator and use them for chicken salad or chicken stew a day or two later.
• Don’t be afraid to experiment cooking your own meal from your very own paleo recipe. Try to create something that will make you feel great. There are no fast rules about preparing a Paleo meal as long as you stick to using the Paleo food list. Try to discover your own range of Paleo foods that makes you feel great and stick with it.

Once again, don’t be discouraged if you don’t experience immediate results. There are people whose bodies need more time to adjust to a new diet. And don’t be alarmed if at first you feel foggy or lethargic. This is a normal reaction when the body changes over to using fat for energy rather than from carbohydrates.