Paleo eating has become one of the most popular ways to eat healthfully, even for many athletes, but what is it exactly? Here’s a rundown on the various food groups, from the April ’13 Better Health:
1) Lean protein. This should come from grass-eating animals and make up 19 to 35 percent of total calories.
2) Plants. Eat lots of them. In primitive times people ate an average of 100 types of vegetables and fruits during a year, which provided a diverse array of nutrients and antioxidants.
3) Carbohydrates. Carbs in primitive times came from whole foods, including roots, nuts and seeds. Obviously, there was no processed sugar—no “simple” carbs.
4) Fiber. Ancient people got more than 100 grams of fiber each day in their diet (compared to fewer than 20 grams today).
5) Grains. Only small amounts of seeds were eaten—and not much in the way of grains at all.
6) Fats. No cooking oil, so the only fat was from meat, fish and vegetables, which resulted in a balance of pro-inflammatory omega-6 and anti-inflammatory omega-3 fats.
7) Dairy. No dairy foods were consumed. “Humans today are the only species on Earth that consume the milk of other species.”
—Becky Holman
www.OldSchoolNewBody.com
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