The Paleo diet is a nutrition plan that is based off of the Paleolithic era diet. During this time, hunters and gatherers ate primarily meat, fish, leafy vegetables, and minimal amounts of fruit. Our ancestors did not eat grains or dairy because it was not available to them. So if you want to try the paleo diet, eat meat, fish, vegetables, nuts, and little amounts of fruit. The science behind the paleo diet is based on the research that our pre-agricultural ancestors did not have our modern Westernized illnesses that include obesity, cancer, cardiovascular and autoimmune diseases. Researchers have concluded that the absence of these diseases is largely due to our ancestor’s diet. I’m sure it also has to do with the fact that they had to hunt and gather their food, which means getting a significant amount of exercise going out to hunt and gather.
Tom Veneto, author of Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle, explains “the flaw” in the Paleo Diet. It’s good to educate yourself on both sides of the argument. I encourage you to do more research to formulate your own conclusions on the Paleo diet and other nutrition plans.
The Paleo diet does not work for all individuals. We vary depending on our metabolic makeup, genetics, sleep patterns, stress levels, body composition (fat or lean body mass), etc. Also your nutrition plan should be considered when deciding your fitness goals. Individuals should know if they want to increase fat loss, increase muscle growth, improve oxygen uptake (VO2 max), or increase their power output. Some people can easily metabolize carbohydrates and feel that they need carbs for energy. But many people have intolerance to carbohydrates; these individuals have a tendency to release insulin when eating carbs which then increases sugar in the blood stream, thus leading to increases in fat body mass.
http://www.burnthefat.com/paleo_diet.html
This website has many scholarly research articles that help explain the Paleo diet
http://thepaleodiet.com/published-research
District CrossFit puts the Paleo diet into simple terms
http://districtcrossfit.com/our-athletes/nutrition/
