What’s a Paleo Diet and What Are the Health Benefits for Busy Parents?

Are you a busy parent looking to bring a dramatic yet healthy change in your diet? Have you considered the paleo diet, a healthier lifestyle choice inspired by our hunter-gatherer ancestors? 

The Paleo diet is one of the most widely talked about diets in recent years. It emphasizes whole foods and natural ingredients, aiming to mimic the food groups early humans would have eaten. From potential weight loss and increased energy levels to overall health improvements, this dietary change can provide various benefits for busy parents looking to maintain their health while juggling hectic schedules.

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Many people have questions about how to start a Paleo diet and what meals are allowed. Here we will answer some frequently asked questions about the Paleo diet to help you decide if it is right for you.

What is the Paleo Diet?

The paleo diet, often referred to as the “Caveman Diet,” mimics the diet of our hunter-gatherer ancestors from the Paleolithic era. This diet predominantly incorporates whole foods that could have been gathered or hunted by these early humans. However, keep in mind that the modern paleo diet isn’t identical to what cavemen ate, but its no-processed food approach is similar.

This includes lean meats, fish, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds, basically, food items that would have been available before the advent of farming. The intention is to return to a way of eating that’s more in sync with how our bodies naturally evolved, eliminating added sugars.

How to Get Started Eating Paleo

Since the paleo diet is much different than what you’re used to eating, it may take you a while to adjust. However, the following advice will help you eat a paleo diet as soon as possible.

Stop Eating Processed Foods

Anything processed has to go. This includes anything that comes from grains, dairy, beans, refined sugars, industrial vegetable oils, and soy. While you can drink coffee, you can’t add cream and sugar. You cannot drink any alcoholic beverages, regardless of how they’re made.

Eat Unprocessed Foods

A simple paleo shopping list includes meat, fish and seafood, eggs, vegetables, fruits, tubers, nuts and seeds, healthy fats and oils, and salts and spices. Just make sure it’s non-processed. 

Make sure to cook with healthy fats and substitute ghee for butter. Eliminate beans, rice, peanuts, white potatoes, corn, and anything made from wheat or gluten. Keep in mind that you can have treats on this diet like toasted almonds, meat jerky, and dairy-free chia pudding.

Go Grocery Shopping 

Here’s what you should add to your shopping list and weekly meal plan:

• Meat: Lamb, beef, and pork.
• Poultry: Turkey and chicken.
• Fish: Mackerel, salmon, and trout.
• Eggs: Brown or white.
• Fresh Vegetables: Lettuce, peppers, onions, tomatoes, and carrots.
• Frozen Vegetables: Veggie mixes, spinach, and broccoli.
• Fruits: Bananas, oranges, apples, avocados, and pears.
• Berries: Raspberries, blueberries, and strawberries.
• Nuts: Walnuts, hazelnuts, and almonds.
• Miscellaneous: Almond butter, olive oil, olives, sweet potatoes, garlic and sea salt.

If you want to skip the aisles, you can purchase food from a subscription service, as many places cater to the paleo diet. This includes Factor, which has plenty of nutritious low-calorie meal plans that up the protein, limit the carbs, and get you to load up on delicious smoothies.

Follow Other Known Health Advice

Make sure to exercise for at least 30 minutes a day, get plenty of sleep (ideally 7 to 9 hours a night), and regular exposure to sunlight. The paleo diet is often low in vitamin D and calcium, so be sure to sit out in the sun (using sunscreen) and eat plenty of broccoli, spinach, and kale.

The Potential Health Benefits of a Paleo Diet

Busy parents who need a nutritious diet are in luck, as the paleo diet has a lot of evidence backing up its benefits. Here are some potential health benefits associated with paleo. 

• Improved Glycemic Control: The diet’s emphasis on lower carb, high protein foods regulate blood sugar levels more effectively. This reduces the risk of Type 2 diabetes.
• Improves Satiety and Gut Health: The emphasis on protein intake, largely from fresh vegetables, fruits, and nuts, enhances feelings of fullness and improves digestion.
• Helps with Weight Management: The diet’s high satiety and fat content (ketosis) can make it less likely that you’ll snack on foods, leading to a slimmer waistline. 
• Lowers Blood Pressure: Thanks to an emphasis on natural, unprocessed foods high in potassium, it can aid in balancing sodium levels. This leads to lower blood pressure.
• Improves Cholesterol Balance: This diet’s composition supports healthy cholesterol levels by keeping a proper balance between HDL (good) and LDL (bad) cholesterol.

However, we want to be clear that many of these benefits aren’t tested in the long term, only the short term. In the long term, problems will often crop up, even if the diet is followed correctly.

The Potential Health Risks of a Paleo Diet

While there are many positives to this diet, such as limiting the intake of milk and eliminating processed food, the paleo diet comes with its fair share of risks that may make you think twice.

• Low Carbohydrate Intake: Carbs are our brain’s main fuel source. Trying to remove them can hurt your overall health and make you feel more tired and less focused.
• High Saturated Fats: Saturated fats lead to increased cholesterol levels and cardiovascular disease, but they’re suggested in generous amounts on the paleo diet. 
• High Intake of Fatty Meat: Some people use paleo as an excuse to load up on bacon and steak, which aren’t good for you. Even a high amount of lean meat can be bad.
• Minimal Long-Term Improvements: Paleo may yield immediate benefits, but evidence shows that it has minimal long-term benefits compared to other popular diets.
• May Cause Disordered Eating: By eliminating certain food groups from your diet, there’s a risk of developing an unhealthy relationship with food, which could lead to guilt.

The paleo diet is also horrible for the environment. A paleo diet releases 2.6 kg of greenhouse gasses in the air. Compared to the omnivore diet (2.2 kg) and the vegan diet (0.7 kg), the paleo diet is contributing more to climate change. Fortunately, it isn’t as bad as the keto diet (3 kg).

In Conclusion…

The paleo diet has its fair share of positives and negatives. When done right and for a short period, it can do wonders for your health. However, over the long term, it can increase the risk of certain diseases. We recommend limiting the meat and upping your fruits and veggies.