The caveman diet

[Iggy10490]

What is the Paleo Diet?

The Paleo Diet, also known as the caveman diet was created on the basis that humans should go back to a natural and unprocessed way of eating, much like our ancient predecessors.

It sounds like another fad diet but as you learn about it you’ll realize it makes a lot of sense. The diet tries to keep us away from these chemically processed foods, sugar, and other foods are known for inducing obesity as well as a whole but of auto-immune disorders and cardiovascular disease.

There’s a good amount of wiggle room in the diet which I like too. For instance, there isn’t the pressure that if you don’t follow it EXACTLY then you won’t see results. The truth is that some paleo eaters follow their preferences. For example, some will follow low-carb versions while others may have a protein packed paleo diet.

Recently there have been a ton of evidence which shows that people who follow a paleo way of eating are reducing their risk of disease as well as improving their energy, body composition, and general health.


What NOT to eat

No Sugar- Sugar is known for giving you that quick energy and then the inevitable crash. It is completely unnatural unless you get it from a fruit. Unfortunately, this sweet tasting devil causes all types of problems within our bodies

No Grains- Yes, that’s right. Grains were never part of our ancestor’s diet. They focused more on agriculture and hunting. Carbs from grains turn into glucose(type of sugar) which gives you some energy. However, the energy that isn’t used is stored as fat.

No processed foods- How do you know if something is processed? Usually if it comes in a box, it’s processed. Also, be careful because some meats are also processed as well.
Dairy- Dary intake is limited in the paleo diet.

Paleo Diet food guide

Vegetables: You can eat as much as you want but don’t fry these. Cooking options include boiled or steamed. (No potatoes, corn, or beans)

Fish: this includes any wild fish

Meat: Any kind of meat you want! Make sure you are not getting any grain fed meat. Try to get grass fed meat for the most benefits to your body.

Fruits: be careful with fruits because some are high in sugar and CAN actually make you gain weight

Nuts: these are a great snack choice instead of chips and cookies. They provide a good amount of energy

Eggs: eggs are packed with protein and are a great breakfast option. Of course, try to limit the yolk part of the egg because it is linked with high cholesterol
Healthy Fat: flax seeds, olive oil, coconut oil, almond oil


Sample Paleo Diet

This is just an example and all you have to do it get a good idea of what we're trying to accomplish here. We are trying to limit grains altogether as well as jam-pack it with some nice proteins and vegetables. Fruits are the next important item on our list with healthy fats to top it off. If you follow a diet similar to this the results will be inevitable.

Monday
Breakfast: Sunny-side up eggs w/ banana
Lunch: Tuna Salad wrap (not bread, with lettuce)
Dinner: Grilled chicken with asparagus/broccoli
Snack: Beef jerky

TUESDAY
Breakfast: Create your own cereal! A bowl of berries with some cocunut or almond milk
Lunch: Any kind of salad with some protein meat, Caesar salad with grilled chicken
Dinner: Chicken cutlet with sweet potato fries
Snack: almonds and a hard boiled egg

WEDNESDAY
Breakfast: Egg whites with bacon
Lunch: Chicken soup with vegetables
Dinner: Steak with any type of vegetables
Snack: Banana and an apple

THURSDAY
Breakfast: An omelet. You can include tomatoes, peppers, onions, bacon, turkey sausage, broccoli, whatever!
Lunch: Cold cuts over a salad with vinegar and olive oil
Dinner: Meat and Veggie stir fry
Snack: Can of tuna

FRIDAY
Breakfast: A fruit/vegetable smoothie. Be creative and try some new recipes!
Lunch: A salad or a soup
Dinner: Any protein with any vegetable
Snack: Nuts, an orange, an apple

The basic template for the day:
Breakfast: Could have any meat with some eggs
Lunch: A soup, salad, any vegetables, lean meat
Dinner: A protein with heavy assortment of vegetables
Snack: Any of the healthy snacks discussed, nuts, fruits, tuna, etc

Once you have the basic template down, the search begins. Start looking up some good recipes packed with vegetables and start planning your diet before you start it.


Frequently Asked Questions


Do I have to count calories?

The beauty of it is that you don’t even have to count calories. The reason is that you’re eating whole and natural foods, most of which aren’t even high in calories. A couple of servings of broccoli is only 150-200 calories at most compared to 1 serving of pasta or rice that equates to more than that.

Do I have to eat every three hours?

Eat when your hungry, period. Why are you going to force yourself to eat every two hours or three hours if you might not be hungry. In today’s busy society its really hard to stay on a schedule like that. If you fill your body with HEALTHY calories then you’ll automatically create that calorie deficit that will help you lose weight gradually.

Why are we trying to eat like cavemen?
Yes you would be eating like a caveman, but is that such a bad thing? After watching some documentaries about the food industry it’s shocking how some corporations are processing their foods. In this day in age we don’t know exactly what’s being put into our food. Just looking at a food’s ingredients list will leave you confused because of all the terms we just don’t understand.

No grains? What’s up with that?
The diet recommends a limited amount of carbs. It isn’t one of those dangerous low carb diets but its just a natural fact that if you limit the amount of carbs you take in you can essential burn fat much quicker instead of going through your energy stores.
Grains contain anti-nutrients and also leads to carb addiction. Also, eating excess grains leads to cancer, diabetes, and heart disease

Vegetables…every…day…every meal?
I’m sorry to say this but vegetables are so good for us. I know it, you know it. Now, you don’t have to eat them at EVERY single meal but the more you eat, the better. They fill you up and keeps your body balanced. Not to mention they’re also loaded with essential vitamins, minerals, and nutrients your body loves.

[necon76]

Makes sense that you're red.

[JSAFitness]

I will recommend the paleo diet to anyone regardless ofbwhat people on the forum think. It changed my life. I was over 300lbs last September and went on the paleondiet, I lost 80 lbs so far. I had lots pf energy andbreally loved my journey. My goals have changed now so my diet has changed. But the paleo diet saved my life.

[SuffolkPunch]

You can compose an effective diet using mostly non paleo foods

You can compose an ineffective diet using only paleo foods

In other words, how "paleo" your diet is is largely irrelevant to results.

Oh and:
http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...hp?t=154123511

[necon76]

I will recommend the paleo diet to anyone regardless ofbwhat people on the forum think. It changed my life. I was over 300lbs last September and went on the paleondiet, I lost 80 lbs so far. I had lots pf energy andbreally loved my journey. My goals have changed now so my diet has changed. But the paleo diet saved my life.

Whilst it's great that you made the change, you could have achieved the same result without the unnecessary food avoidance.


It's not paleo that got you where you are, it was energy balance.

[NorthernMusicia]

Staying away from highly refined foods instantly means better nutrition. Paleo does that. It's not that it can't be done outside of a paleo diet. While it's not for everyone, paleo is an interesting idea, and I have recently eaten fairly close to it. You have to ask yourself why so many non-Caucasian people suffer from issues induced by refined complex carbs, and it begs the question, what are these things in the long run doing to us?

[Dielikeadog]

The amount of diets that limit fruit intake baffles my mind.

[JSAFitness]

Whilst it's great that you made the change, you could have achieved the same result without the unnecessary food avoidance.


It's not paleo that got you where you are, it was energy balance.

I done a 40/40/20 style diet and was in deficit didnt seem to shift anything went on on the paleo diet and the weight fell of while retaining muscle. Im now on a new journey where I eat More carbohydrates and dairy

[SuffolkPunch]

Staying away from highly refined foods instantly means better nutrition. Paleo does that. It's not that it can't be done outside of a paleo diet. While it's not for everyone, paleo is an interesting idea, and I have recently eaten fairly close to it. You have to ask yourself why so many non-Caucasian people suffer from issues induced by refined complex carbs, and it begs the question, what are these things in the long run doing to us?

You are blaming the refined carbs when the evidence actually points to an excess of calories, insufficient exercise and imbalance of nutrients being the culprits.

Obviously its easier to get this imbalanced condition when including refined carbs in you diet but that doesn't mean you have to exclude them totally. I prefer to understand what I need and set out to get it whilst eating things I like - rather than relying on dubious pseudo science explanations.

[jbu22]

I done a 40/40/20 style diet and was in deficit didnt seem to shift anything went on on the paleo diet and the weight fell of while retaining muscle. Im now on a new journey where I eat More carbohydrates and dairy

I don't mean to be rude but there's nothing magical about the paleo diet. it's calories in vs calories out. a guy lost weight on a diet eating all little debbies

[JSAFitness]

I don't mean to be rude but there's nothing magical about the paleo diet. it's calories in vs calories out. a guy lost weight on a diet eating all little debbies

nd im
And im
Not being rude by saying everybody is different and people react better to different nutrients at certain points in there diet. Eating the paleo/caveman style helped me thats all im saying

[Robsolutely]

People are funny... and stupid... Sometime both as in this case.

There's nothing sensical about the caveman diet. It is a fad. End of story. Stop attributing the sum of your results to one factor. Read more, lift more, use actual sense, and stop relying on what "appears" to be common sense to you.

By the way, consuming that much canned tuna over the long haul opens up huge risk of mercury poisoning. Again, read more.

[Heavily]

Caveman diet.. wtf. Why would we go back and eat in the same way that we did thousands of years ago? Especially when we're going forward in time, not backwards. Just do IIFYM lol

[kenny85]

. But the paleo diet saved my life.

The caloric deficit saved your life, not the diet. But either way congrats on your progress

[NorthernMusicia]

It bothers me sometimes how people say "Don't do this don't do that". Then we're all advised to bow the the IIFYM god. It's a decent starting point but everyone's different. Everyone likes different things. If paleo works for someone, call it what you will whether you call it paleo or caveman, why do people get all snarky about it? Dogma. Religion. The closing of the mind. It reminds me of the sixties when us youngsters (at the time) broke from common culture and took a stand. How? By all getting into bluejeans and tie-died t-shirts. Wow. We are so afraid of individuality even when go 'counter-culture'. I for one refuse to join the herd. I'll think for myself thanks. (Now, where did I put that tie-died shirt.)

[singeress]

Do I have to count calories?

The beauty of it is that you don’t even have to count calories. The reason is that you’re eating whole and natural foods, most of which aren’t even high in calories. A couple of servings of broccoli is only 150-200 calories at most compared to 1 serving of pasta or rice that equates to more than that.
.

It is totally possible to end up in a caloric surplus while eating unprocessed foods. I actually had this problem when I was into that whole "let's eat clean, unprocessed foods" mentality.

Tracking macros/calories to eat under maintenance level = caloric deficit = weight loss.

The article is irrelevant.

[TheGame76]

nd im
And im
Not being rude by saying everybody is different and people react better to different nutrients at certain points in there diet. Eating the paleo/caveman style helped me thats all im saying

Placebo is a powerful thing, look at the supplement industry. They survive and thrive off of the power of placebo. You were able to lose weight because you really believed this diet would work for you, so you followed through with it more effectively and consistently than your 40/40/20 diet attempt.

[NorthernMusicia]

It is totally possible to end up in a caloric surplus while eating unprocessed foods. I actually had this problem when I was into that whole "let's eat clean, unprocessed foods" mentality.

Tracking macros/calories to eat under maintenance level = caloric deficit = weight loss.

The article is irrelevant.

^^
What she said... but I still lean heavily toward paleo. I have whole grain rice, pasta, bread, and other grain products on occasion - mostly because they're simple to make - but it tends to make me feel bloated. I feel better eating on the paleo side. I can eat a lot more mass and feel better keeping away from those products. I also noticed when I moved away from grains to a greater degree that my chronic heartburn stopped. Something in there didn't agree with me.

Don't discount belief either. I'm not talking about mind over matter. I mean it's easier to stay on track.

[ironwill2008]

What is the Paleo Diet?

I'm glad you asked, Red.


It's a nonsensical eating plan that arbitrarily excludes many foods that have traditionally been eaten by bodybuilders and fitness enthusiasts for years. And all with no scientific proof.


The worst purveyors of this nonsense, while hiding behind their facades of "whole-foods-only, nothing "processed," have page after page of supplement pills and powders for sale on their websites.



LMAO at the hypocrisy.

As well as at the numbskulls who buy into their BS.

[MetilHed]

LMAO at the hypocrisy.

As well as at the numbskulls who buy into their BS.

^This, and a lot of them (that I've seen here) are "I'm paleo, but I also eat [insert non-paleo food here]"

[devill1am]

First I'd like to reference this: http://www.nsca.com/uploadedFiles/NS...ook/Aragon.pdf

Why are we trying to eat like cavemen?
Yes you would be eating like a caveman, but is that such a bad thing? After watching some documentaries about the food industry it’s shocking how some corporations are processing their foods. In this day in age we don’t know exactly what’s being put into our food. Just looking at a food’s ingredients list will leave you confused because of all the terms we just don’t understand.

What is a 'caveman'? What era specifically are you talking about?

No grains? What’s up with that?
The diet recommends a limited amount of carbs. It isn’t one of those dangerous low carb diets but its just a natural fact that if you limit the amount of carbs you take in you can essential burn fat much quicker instead of going through your energy stores.

Pure nonsense.

Grains contain anti-nutrients and also leads to carb addiction. Also, eating excess grains leads to cancer, diabetes, and heart disease

Evidence, and what is 'excess'?

[health4life24]

[Iggy10490]

I never thought a diet that urged people to stick to unprocessed foods and to eat more naturally would get some negative feedback.

However, I CAN'T argue with some of you because you bring up great points. You guys are 100% right, cutting calories is the true means of losing weight. No if, ands, or buts.

However you choose to do that is up to you, therefore some people prefer to follow these types of diets. I actually don't think that there is really much wrong with this diet. If it promotes eating nutritious vegetables and protein then go for it. This diet also isn't telling you to cut out carbs completely. You'll be getting a lot of complex carbs from fruits, vegetables, and any whole grain foods you might add into the diet.

The beauty of any diet plan is that is should be a minimal outline and that's it. You can tweak it as much as you want to find a perfect balance for yourself. I myself have some whole grains in the morning to give me some energy throughout the day but I like to get my calories from lean protein and vegetables with fruits as my snacks.

I also think that processed foods are just so bad for our bodies and that they're are some that promote "fat free", "gluten free", "zero calorie sodas", etc and these are highly misleading. When you have a diet that's telling you don't give into all that Bull**** and stick to what our ancestors ate, meaning what they could find naturally, then the latter is better advice.

They say the caveman diet to give you a clearer idea, you don't actually have to go forage in a forest near you

[Terrimonas]

[SwoleMe]

That meme suck. People can't spell

[Poirier94]

Makes sense that you're red.

ha yes

[x-ray vision]

I actually don't think that there is really much wrong with this diet.

It promotes food avoidance for illogical reasons and it does so with foods that are perfectly fine and nutritious. See my links below for other reasons.

You'll be getting a lot of complex carbs from fruits, vegetables, and any whole grain foods you might add into the diet.

Wrong. You even said so in your OP (although you backtrack later in the OP). And you also claimed that grains were never part of our Paleo ancestors' diet, which is incorrect.

The beauty of any diet plan is that is should be a minimal outline and that's it. You can tweak it as much as you want to find a perfect balance for yourself. I myself have some whole grains in the morning to give me some energy throughout the day but I like to get my calories from lean protein and vegetables with fruits as my snacks.

Then you aren't following Paleo and are violating the guidelines that you promoted in your OP. You even made stupid statements like this:

"Also, eating excess grains leads to cancer, diabetes, and heart disease"

Eating "excess" anything can lead to those things.

And this:

"Sugar is known for giving you that quick energy and then the inevitable crash. "

No, that's an outdated myth.

I also think that processed foods are just so bad for our bodies

You're wrong. That's an incorrect blanket statement. Individual foods aren't "bad" for our bodies. Overall diets, however, can be. Oatmeal, cottage cheese, yogurt, pasta, bread, white rice etc. are all processed foods that are perfectly fine.

I never thought a diet that urged people to stick to unprocessed foods and to eat more naturally would get some negative feedback.

Read some more reasons why:

http://paleomovement.com/alan-aragon-paleo-critic/
http://www.nsca.com/uploadedFiles/NS...ook/Aragon.pdf

[devill1am]

I also think that processed foods are just so bad for our bodies and that they're are some that promote "fat free", "gluten free", "zero calorie sodas", etc and these are highly misleading. When you have a diet that's telling you don't give into all that Bull**** and stick to what our ancestors ate, meaning what they could find naturally, then the latter is better advice.

This where your argument falls apart. The general rule of thumb may not be so awful but your matter-of-fact statements about processed foods are wrong. A 'processed' food is not necessarily 'bad' for you. So you are advocating that people avoid certain food groups for absolutely no good reason.

[Iggy10490]

This where your argument falls apart. The general rule of thumb may not be so awful but your matter-of-fact statements about processed foods are wrong. A 'processed' food is not necessarily 'bad' for you. So you are advocating that people avoid certain food groups for absolutely no good reason.

That was an intelligent response and I understand what you're saying. I guess I should have made a better distinction between acceptable processed foods and unacceptable.

My fault was in categorizing them into one negative idea which was stupid of me. Thanks for the clarification, but I still think that the paleo diet is a good guideline to follow if you are trying to lose weight.

[devill1am]

That was an intelligent response and I understand what you're saying. I guess I should have made a better distinction between acceptable processed foods and unacceptable.

My fault was in categorizing them into one negative idea which was stupid of me. Thanks for the clarification, but I still think that the paleo diet is a good guideline to follow if you are trying to lose weight.

I don't really think you should try to make a distinction at all. It's your overall diet that matters, not avoiding an ice-cream or a chocolate cookie on Sunday afternoons.

I'd also add that there's a negative stigma attached to processed foods - I get what you're trying to say on an intuitive level - if our bodies evolved to eat certain food types then we may be better off going back to that - it's extremely flawed though - our ancestors, further back than modern humans, likely ate a diet in Africa that was a high % of plant based food. Also, foods whether natural or not (we could argue as to what natural even means but let's not be too pedantic) - are simply chemicals entering the body. I would suspect that, in a few decades we may well have super processed foods that are far healthier, satisfying and tasty than our currently available natural foods.

Rather than saying paleo is a good guideline, how about just saying that a diet high in protein and fats is a good guideline (if you don't want to count calories) i.e. high in essential macro-nutrients and satiating... or better yet a diet that fits your DCA/IIFYM goals.