A Complete Guide to the Paleo Diet

Paleo nutrition is all about going back to the basics. Before humans started harvesting food through agriculture, we simply plucked from the vine and hunted for meats. The Paleo diet is the belief that if you can pick it or kill it, it's natural and healthy for consumption.

The goal of the Paleolithic diet is to normalize insulin levels. Insulin is the hormone that regulates fat and carbohydrate metabolism in the body. Before the advent of processed foods, humans were predisposed to function on moderate insulin levels due to regulated blood sugar. Since the dawn of the Neolithic and Industrial era, the human diet has taken a significant turn.

The Paleo diet has a direct influence on your body's ability to lose weight. Controlling insulin levels has an effect on the appropriation of amino acids, fatty acids and carbs to tissues, and it also regulates your cholesterol and appetite. High insulin levels, on the other hand, cause insensitivity to fats and sugars, which debilitate the effectiveness in controlling fat build-up. In lieu of a Paleo diet, processed foods cause what is known as hyperinsulinemia, a condition commonly linked to diabetes, obesity, cancer, heart disease, stroke and other diseases. Paleolithic nutrition controls insulin levels, thus enabling a healthy metabolism.

What are Paleo foods? Paleo foods include vegetables, meats, nuts and seeds, and fruit in moderation. Fruits are naturally grown, but they generally contain an exorbitant amount of sugars, which raise insulin levels. Foods that go against the Paleo credo are sugar and processed sugar, junk food, and legumes/beans and grains (due to their ability to be harvested). You can drink naturally flavored water, certain teas, black coffee, and espresso. And while the Paleolithic diet is enough to accrue a healthy equilibrium, supplements such as fish oils, olive/coconut/almond oils, and flaxseed/grape oils can also be consumed.

The Paleo diet is based on the idea that we've had too little time to adapt. According to S. Boyd Eaton, a leading researcher on Paleolithic foods, "We are the heirs of inherited characteristics accrued over millions of years; the vast majority of our biochemistry and physiology are tuned to life conditions that existed before the advent of agriculture some 10,000 years ago. Genetically our bodies are virtually the same as they were at the end of the Paleolithic era some 20,000 years ago." By reverting back to the foods we consumed for the bulk of our evolution, we are able to normalize our insulin levels and establish a healthy regulatory system.

If you’re fed up with famishing diet plans, exhausting exercise regiments, and plain old bad food—try the Paleo diet. It’s the natural way to go.

You can start your Paleo experiment with these select products:

Nature Box – Nature Box snacks are made with wholesome ingredients and minimal processing—if at all. You can get $5 off orders with code SPECIAL25.