The Paleo diet, sometimes referred to as the caveman diet, is based on a philosophy of consuming the types of foods available to our hunter gatherer ancestors. Loren Cordain, PhD, Robb Wolf and other proponents of the Paleo diet cite studies reporting that the Paleo diet improves blood lipids, promotes weight loss without calorie counting, gives relief of pain from autoimmune diseases and supports a healthy lifestyle that can keep people from developing many of today’s concerning health issues including diabetes, heart disease, and cancer. Robb Wolf states that the Paleo diet is the only approach towards nutrition that works with our own genetics. (http://robbwolf.com/what-is-the-paleo-diet/)
The Paleo Diet: Similarities and Differences to Other Diet Plans
Lots of diets and healthy eating programs promote eating lean proteins, fruits and vegetables, fiber and healthy fats, and not eating processed foods, sugars, salt and alcohol. What is the Paleo diet difference then? The types of food included in the Paleo diet obviously are filled with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. The real difference in the Paleo diet and other diets that include lean proteins, fruits and vegetables, and healthy fats seems to be what is defined as a “healthy fat” and the lean protein sources that are allowed and not allowed, as well as the type of meats that are preferable as protein sources. Saturated fats are discouraged by many health experts and nutritional programs. Many of these are included in the Paleo diet as healthy fats. Protein from animal sources seems to be one of the basics of this diet, but grass fed or wild meats are preferred over animals that have been raised on grain feeds. While wild meat is a very lean protein source, it also does contain some saturated fats, as well as omega-3 fatty acids which are definitely good for us. One more difference between the Paleo diet and other diet plans is some of the food types that are not allowed in the Paleo diet. These include grains, dairy and legumes which other healthy eating plans encourage.
The Paleo Diet and Your Food Budget
The Paleo diet promotes eating more fresh, lean meat and fish as well as the freshest veggies and fruits you can get which means you may find that your grocery bill is higher than usual should you decide to adopt this type of nutritional plan. We have a few suggestions that may help you stretch your food budget and still stay within the hunter gatherer spirit of the plan.
AFA Bluegreen Algae – Many people get the wrong ratio of omega-3 fatty acids to omega-6 fatty acids which can lead to inflammation in the body which in turn can then lead to a variety of autoimmune diseases. Many fast foods, junk foods and processed foods have an over-abundance of omega-6. For good health, you need 3 to 4 times as many omega-3’s as omega-6’s and most Americans get 10 to 20 times as many of the omega-6’s as omega-3’s. See the problem? AFA bluegreen algae is a whole food solution for getting lean proteins and high quality fats with the exact ratio of omega-3 and omega-6 that the body needs. We think that fits perfectly with the Paleo philosophy.
Supplements from wild superfoods – In these modern times, most of us don’t have the time to do our own hunting and gathering so here’s a more modern solution to getting natural wild nutrition. These three supplements provide antioxidants, vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients from all organic wild elements of nature.
- Antioxidant Supplement – This supplement is rich in chlorophyll, glutathione, enzymes, vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients from its combination of AFA bluegreen algae, kale sprouts, red clover sprouts, wheat sprouts, concentrated wheat sprouts, and Dunaliella salina algae providing superior antioxidant nutrition.
- Full-spectrum algae supplement – This supplement provides a unique richness of minerals and phytonutrients from the lake and sea through a combination of nine different algae: dulse, kelp, fucoidan, Ecklonia cava, bladderwrack, Dunaliella salina, spirulina, chlorella and pure AFA bluegreen algae.
- Mushroom and algae supplement – This supplement combines five powerful mushrooms: reishi, maitake, cordyceps, wild black trumpet, and Poria cocos, that have been shown to have antibacterial, antiviral, anti-inflammatory and antifungal abilities, support immune system function, support heart health, and provide a rich source of proteins and antioxidants.
Now you know how to get on board with the Paleo diet if you feel it is right for you without having to be concerned about the extra financial stress it may put on your food budget. Consider using these supplements to add some of the wild superfood nutrition the Paleo diet promotes. This just may be a way for you to go “caveman” on a budget.
Sources:
http://robbwolf.com/what-is-the-paleo-diet/
http://www.webmd.com/diet/paleo-diet
