Basics - What is the Paleo Diet?

Image Source: Beautification Syndrome

Before we get into the whole "money" side of our diet, let's discuss what the Paleo Diet is.

The Paleo Diet (aka Neolithic diet, hunter-gatherer diet, caveman diet, Stone Age diet) tries to emulate how our ancient ancestors are in the Paleolithic era.  These people were hunter-gatherers who lived off the land, eating meat, seafood, eggs, nuts, vegetables and fruit.  The Paleolithic era is pre-agricultural revolution so grains, dairy, beans, sugar, potatoes and all processed foods are typically abstained from.

There seems to be many different definitions as to what you can and can't eat.  If you google "Paleo Diet" you'll get many sites, all telling you something different.  One says you can eat eggs while another does not.  One site will tell you canola oil is okay to eat while the other tells you to eat Coconut oil.

When people ask me how I lost my weight, I tell them openly about Paleo and then sent them to Modern Paleo Principles, which gives a great overview of the diet.  Using those guidelines, you can tweak the diet to suit your needs and food preferences.

Most importantly, you have to listen to your body.  You may discover that your body doesn't like a certain food.  Well, then don't eat it!  I love to eat nuts but I've come to discover that they cause bloating and gas, so I stopped eating them.  Listen to your body - I can't express that enough! - and do what's best for you.

I've included my "Cave Rules" so you may see what I eat.  It is in no way a 100% Paleo diet.  Some things have been included and some excluded because of my body or taste preferences:

------------------------------------

Anne's Cave Rules:

Eat:

• Meat/Chicken/Pork
• Vegetables
• Fruit
• Fats (butter / coconut oil / olive oil)

Eat Sparingly:

• Potatoes (these aren't paleo but every once in a while I like to have fried potatoes)
• Sugar (I rarely partake except once a month - girls, you know what I mean!)
• Oats (I know - not paleo - but it's a good replacement in those recipes that require bread crumbs like meatloaf which I like to have once in a while)
• Pre-made Sauces (I *heart* BBQ sauce)

Do Not Eat!!!:

• Gluten / grains
• Nuts (these are paleo but my tummy doesn't like them)
• Beans
• Processed Foods