A paleo diet helps switch your body from burning carbohydrates for energy to burning fat for energy. It comes with benefits, of course, because it is a diet consisting of ‘real and fresh food’. It helps one get rid of bloating, acnes, allergies, migraines and excess weight. The diet requires you to give up on grains, dairy, legumes, processed food, packaged snacks and sugar and exchange these for meat, vegetables, fruits, eggs, seeds, nuts and fats. It is a huge lifestyle change and not always easy considering that your body has grown up on a steady stream of simple carbohydrates that include pasta, bread, cookies, chips, cheese, cereal, soda, hamburgers and beer.
Here are a few tips for beginners starting a Paleo diet.
- The first step is usually the most important one. This would be getting rid of all the non-Paleo food items. It would help if you do it all at once and replenish the kitchen with Paleo food to save yourself from temptation. However, if going cold turkey on this does not help, take it one level at a time. Get rid of the dairy products the first week, grains the second, legumes the third, sugar the fourth and so on.
- After that figure out what you want to accomplish with this diet: Lose weight? Manage an autoimmune condition? Lead a healthy lifestyle? This gives you the motivation to keep going when the situation is tough. Make sure that you follow the diet strictly for the first 30 days.
- Post the first month, follow the 85/15 approach. Stick to Paleo 85 percent of the time and occasionally treat yourself with a burger, cocktail or ice cream. It lessens the pressure when setbacks happen and helps you bounce back.
- Learn to read between the lines when going through labels or ingredients. There may be hidden details which you definitely don’t want to miss.
- Five, reintroduce changes every step of the way. When eating out, ask for two portions of vegetables instead of mashed potato with your steak. If you are craving for a dessert, have some dried mango. Use coconut oil when cooking, or even, lard.
