Top 5 Paleo Diet Foods for a Lean Body

You may have been looking up a recipe online and saw a title that says “Paleo friendly…”  Paleo, what is Paleo?  For one, Paleo refers to the Paleolithic era, the time when cavemen roamed Earth.  During this time, food was only available when it was hunted and gathered.  This was the primary job for cavemen, to find food to survive by way of hunting and gathering.  Unfortunately back then, there was no fast food, grocery stores, or farmer’s markets to purchase your daily or weekly food supply.  One of the best qualities of this way of life is that obesity was non-existent and the food they consumed was not causing disease.

The Paleo Diet is great for your Health

The Paleo diet is described as one of the purest and healthiest ways in which an individual can eat because it generally is low in refined foods, sugars, and devoid of trans-fats [1].  A diet low in refined sugars, refined foods, and trans-fats helps an individual avoid the risk of becoming obese or having metabolic dysfunction, which in turn helps eliminate diseases and disorders such as cancer, type II diabetes, heart disease, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and depression.  Simply said, your current diet could be slowly killing you.

Top 5 Paleo Diet Recipes

Evidence has shown that a Paleo diet can help improve blood pressure and glucose tolerance [2], which are two measures closely related with heart disease and type II diabetes and leaders in mortality.  In addition, a Paleo diet can help lower daily insulin secretion (which can avoid fat gain in your body), increase insulin sensitivity (your insulin becomes more efficient), and improve overall cholesterol, HDL, and LDL lipid profiles.  With that said, the Paleo diet may be one of the healthiest ways to eat and listed below are five ideas for Paleo foods/meals one should eat more of.

1. Chili. Chili may not sound like the healthiest foods around, but when it is cooked using whole ingredients and zero potatoes, it can be energizing for your body.  “Wild Game Chili” is a Paleo friendly recipe using a one pot concept.  Using a Dutch oven, the wild game chili calls for coconut oil, venison and bison (although a lean substitute can be used for this protein due to the small availability and price), spices, and citrus for flavoring.  While there are other ingredients in the recipe, you are certain to wow the family in a healthy way, similar to how the cavemen may have prepared this meal.
2. Breakfast Avocado and Bacon Omelet. The bacon avocado omelet is a powerhouse meal consisting of bacon, avocado, onions, cilantro, and eggs.  Starting your day off with this treat will only set you back about nine grams of carbs (which will help prevent mid-morning crashes in your blood sugar), loaded with healthy fats, and high in protein.
3. Lemon Tahini Tuna Salad. A great option at lunch time is one not loaded with heavy carbs, fats, and greasy artery clogging foods.  Having a Paleo friendly salad will help keep energy levels high and will not have you feeling sick after the meal.  The ingredients for a lemon tahini tuna salad are simple: mixed greens or your favorite salad leaf, tahini, lemon, garlic, and tuna.  Pack this salad for your next lunch and compare your energy levels to foods you used to eat midday.
4. Chicken Fajitas. Cavemen did not consume grains because there was no grain farming during that era.  Because of this, your fajitas will not contain tortillas.  The ingredients are simple for the fajitas: chicken, peppers, onions, spices, cloves, lemons, lettuce, tomatoes, and any other vegetables you enjoy.  Avoid adding sour cream or cheese on your fajitas to complete this Paleo diet recipe.
5. Almond Crusted Salmon. Almonds and salmon are two of the best ingredients in a Paleo diet.  They do not have carbohydrates and are a source of good fats.  When mixed together, they make a great one-two team.  Almond crusted salmon is a great paleo recipe which includes almonds, salmon, coriander, cumin, lemon, salt, pepper, cilantro, and coconut oil.  All of these items for this recipe are pure, delicious, and will not drain your energy levels away.

 Changing the way in which you consume food is simply your lifestyle.  Common knowledge is that when individuals are “dieting”, they are starving and unhappy.  The fact is a diet simply refers to what you consume from day-to-day and is one of the biggest parts of a healthy lifestyle.  If you are looking to drop a few pounds and are interested in having endless energy throughout the day, consider changing the way you eat so that you eat like a caveman.  Challenge yourself to give the paleo lifestyle a chance over 30 days or so and compare your energy levels.

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