Following a Paleo-Diet means basically eating similarly to what humans ate for 99.9% of our history. A human´s diet for the longest time included mainly meats, fish, vegetables, roots, some fruit and some nuts. Our bodies had millions of years to adapt to this protein and vitamine rich diet.
Grains and dairy however were only introduced some 10,000 years ago when people started raising cattle and cultivating grains.
Unfortunately, the human body did not have sufficient time to efficiently adapt to this diet change. Lactose and wheat intollerance are actually a pretty common problem. There are plenty of people with allergies to wheat and different types of dairy.
The paleo-diet seeks to return to the basics and the roots of what has been humanities nutrition for such a long time to return us to our "ancient taste".
There are a few rules to follow which are actually pretty simple:
Things you should eat/drink:
1. Lots of proteins (beef, pork, chicken, fish, game, eggs, etc)
2. Saturated fats (butter, coconut oil, lard, etc)
3. Lots of vegetables
4. Some fruit ( 1 or 2 portions)
5. Some nuts ( 1 or 2 ounces)
Things you should cut out:
1. Sugar (That means sugary drinks, cakes, sweets and similar things)
2. Dairy (Milk, yoghurt, etc.)
3. Grains and Legumes (wheat, corn, most beans, etc)
4. Vegetable and hydrogenated oils (corn oil, margarine, etc)
Things to consider:
1. Cook yourself, cook from scratch (avoid fast and processed food)
2. Exercise (short training sessions, short but intense sprinting)
3. Go organic when possible. Prefer meat from grass-fed animals.
4. Avoid stress
5. Sleep at least 8 hours.
Finally:
Going paleo is a lifestyle, not a temporary 30-day diet. For those who want to loose weight, going paelo is a great start. But once the desired fitness and body weight is reached, you should continue living paleo.
The paleo food pyramid:
