Many diets have swamped our culture over the years. The “low-fat diet” of the nineties took the world by storm, and since then we have evolved to understand that some fats are good for us, and have steered ourselves away from more detrimental ingredients like refined carbohydrates and sugars. Nowadays diets like the Paleolithic Diet, the presumed diet of our ancestors in the Paleolithic period, are emerging. While this somewhat “old school” regimen proposes some useful concepts, I feel it can be modified to cater to the urban lifestyle today.
The Paleolithic period lasted 2.5 million years and ended about 10,000 years ago with the development of agriculture. A strict Paleo Diet consists of foods like meat, eggs, fish, berries, fruit, some nuts, roots, and vegetables. It completely excludes grains, dairy, legumes, salt, refined sugar, and processed oils. The theory explains that the human body has not changed much at all genetically from the times of the caveman and that the same diet is ideal for optimum health in modern man. However, some critics argue that the Paleo Diet isn’t suitable for everyone, and in certain respects I have to agree. I feel that some of the foods excluded in the Paleo Diet are essential to stabilize blood sugar level and prevent adrenal fatigue and exhaustion.
What I propose is a “Modified Paleo Diet”-same diet but adding complex carbohydrates that help stabilize and maintain healthy levels of blood glucose. Small servings (1/2 Cup per Paleo meal) of foods such as beans, sweet potato, ancient grains such as quinoa and amaranth, gluten-free oatmeal and brown rice will help with energy production for the brain, muscles, major organs and glands. After all, the circumstances of our lives are much different now than they were back in the Paleolithic era. We are not always in a fight or flight situation! Most of us have day-to-day chronic stresses that burden our adrenal glands and there is not a lot of time to rest. To support the adrenal glands, our bodies need a healthy source of low glycemic index foods, which stabilizes the blood sugar level to maintain constant energy production. It is still possible to maintain a healthy lifestyle without having to go all the way back to our roots!
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