The Paleo Diet: Eat Like a Caveman for Optimum Health

Thursday, March 11, 2010

Also known as The Caveman Diet, The Paleolithic Diet, Neanderthal Diet, Hunter-Gather Diet, whatever DIET you wish to call it, I’m going to talk to you about my favorite way of eating for a lean and healthy body. I hear it all the time: “Should I eat carbs? Is fat bad? What kind of foods should I eat? Am I getting enough protein in my diet?”

While all of these are very valid questions, I’d take to eliminate a lot of confusion and talk about why eating like a caveman will yield stellar results for your body, high energy levels, and is overall just a healthy way of  living.

Welcome to the Paleo Diet

Processed Foods Have Sadly Become the Foundation of the American Diet


Many of today’s commercial foods are loaded with sodium, hydrogenated oils, processed sugars, and preservatives. Let’s face it, America’s diet is not the healthiest. When over two-thirds of the country is overweight, don’t you think we should take a step back and figure out where we’ve gone wrong? Look at the average American’s pantry. It’s probably full. Not good. Weird euphemism? Well it makes sense. You see, if I ate like the average American, I would be in big trouble because I don’t have nearly enough cupboards to hold all of those boxed-up preservative-filled “food products.” Here’s what I’m getting at: Back when cavemen roamed the earth, they didn’t have Nabisco or the Keebler Elf to feed them. They couldn’t go to the store and pick up a box of Trix cereal. And because of this, I can say with confidence that they also carried a lean athletic physique… the kind of physique you’re reading my articles for! No, they lived off of meat, veggies, fruit, nuts, and anything else edible they could find that came from nature. That, in my opinion, is the way we as humans are supposed to eat. The more unprocessed and natural food comes, the better off you’re going to be eating it. Remember… YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT. If you want to look like a donut, by all means, eat donuts. But I eat Paleo as much as possible, and largely credit my leanness to this way of eating.

Foods to Eat on Paleo

Again, anything that could be found in nature and is unprocessed. It’s actually very simple. Here are the staples of the diet:

  • Meat
  • Eggs
  • Fish
  • Veggies
  • Roots
  • Fruit
  • Nuts

I know, the food list isn’t too extensive, but you’d be surprised how many great tasting recipes you can make using just these ingredients. Your taste buds might need some time to get used to this way of eating, but your body will appreciate the change, and you will become leaner, more energetic, and become a healthier you… Not a bad deal!

Foods To Avoid

  • Processed foods (basically anything that comes in a box or bag)
  • Refined sugars
  • Starches (breads, pasta, flour, wheat, rice, corn)

I recommend you take this model of eating and lay it as your Nutritional Foundation. As I’ve said before, nobody eats perfect 100% of the time. It wouldn’t be human if we did. We all love ice cream and we all love pizza, so please enjoy your favorite foods! Just not all day, everyday.

Paleo Alternatives to Common Processed Foods

God and Mother Nature actually created real foods that you can use to substitute other not-so-healthy foods. You can easily Google how to prepare all of these, and should be able to find them at the grocery store:

  • Instead of noodles… get spaghetti squash (delicious, I use it all the time!)
  • Instead of rice… get cauliflower and make “cauliflower rice”
  • Instead of sugary laden desserts… get fresh berries and enjoy them for dessert

I will post some of my favorite Paleo recipes and give you guys some ideas on some amazing meals!

What to Expect from Switching to Paleo

By eating this way, you will naturally lower your carb intake by removing all the starches and sugars. Most people eat way more carbs than they need, and much of it gets stored as bodyfat. You will get sufficient protein from your meat, eggs, and nuts. You will get your micronutrients such as vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants from your fruits and veggies. You will tend to not overeat. You will feel more energetic and feel better! The bottom line is that this is a great way of eating, and one that I use myself and highly recommend!

Great Video on Paleo Eating!

Paleo Nutrition

I love the simplicity of this video while giving valuable information. It emphasizes the importance of where your food originated from. Try and make some changes to your nutritional habits and see how it goes!

Some Paleo Breakfast Recipes I’ve Been Using <===

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Posted in Fat Loss, Healthy Living, Nutrition

About the Author

Hey guys, this is Craig Avera and Cesar Flores. We run Hollywood Body Fitness - which is geared toward achieving a lean athletic A-List Physique!

  • Clement

    Hi Craig,

    I respect your choice to go on a Paleolithic diet. Making vegetables, fruit and protein the staples of your diet certainly has a satiating effect on your body. Some people even realize that they were wheat or gluten intolerant after eliminating bread and rice from their meals.

    I personally see no need for such a diet. Brown rice and oatmeal are prevalent on my plate (or bowl) on training days. But going on a paleo diet certainly makes it easier to reduce your caloric intake and prevent blood sugar spikes

  • carlo

    how about brown organic rice? im asian and this is my core source of carbs on heavy cardio days and training days.

    carlo

  • http://hollywoodbodyfitness.com Craig Avera

    Clement,
    Believe me, I love my grainy carbs as much as the next guy. But other than carb cycling, which involves a lot of precision and preplanning, when I go Paleo for about a month, I drop body fat quicker than any other nutritional plan… plus my body just feels energized and I feel my healthiest.

    Brown rice, oatmeal, quinoa – all good starchy carb choices if incorporating them into your diet, for sure. When I’m not in “Paleo mode” I definitely love all three.

    Carlo,
    As above, brown rice, especially organic, can be a very good part of your diet, it’s just not Paleo.
    I have found that by reducing grainy carbs from my diet, I can lean out very quickly, which is why I recommend it for optimum health as well as attaining their peak physique.

  • Casey L.

    im looking to lose the last 15 pounds from my body to be at an ideal weight!

    everything im reading about the paleo is wonderful and i truly believe this is the right plan for me!!!

    will it be the correct chhoice as well to lose these last 15 pounds?

    thanks :D

  • http://hollywoodbodyfitness.com Craig Avera

    Casey,
    Paleo is so awesome because it’s feeding your body the most natural foods out there – what we were meant to eat. It will make you feel better and yes, fat loss should definitely be a by-product of this way of eating. I highly recommend it.

  • Tudy K

    Im a small person, im 5’1 and 120 pounds.
    But even though im small, 120 pounds on me is alot.
    I should weight 110 pounds or 105 pounds.
    But its very difficult for me to lose weight becuase im already small,
    Ya see my deliema here Craig?

    I dont have anyone else to ask these uestions too, especially on Paleo, and you look to be an expert.

    Ive ordered the book, now im just crossing my fingers and praying, this is the diet, the lifestyle change that can get ride of these pesky pounds!

    i dont have alot to lose, just hard for one who’s already small to lose more weight.

    thank you for your time

    Ps: your site is AMAZING!

    Tudy

  • Kelly N.

    :D Hi Craig,

    Im getting married in 2 months and i just really want to be tight and comfortable [what bride doesn't!]

    It’s just that, im at a toss up between the paleo [which i love] and the atkins diet…

    i think i could afford to lose 5-10 pounds in these two months, but I know that “if you start a diet it should be a diet you can stick with for life…”

    if i can lose the 5-10 pounds and tighten up on atkins in two months then im willing to do so….but I really enjoy the paleo.

    could the paleo offer me the same results? or better?

  • http://hollywoodbodyfitness.com Craig Avera

    Kelly,
    First off, congrats on your wedding – exciting stuff :)

    Okay, for that last little push to go the extra mile and look stunning on your big day, I actually have the perfect program for you.

    It’s called the “Vacation Body Blueprint” and was written by my buddy Rusty Moore who runs another awesome fitness site, but I was his test dummy for the program :)

    Anyway it’s a free eBook download, don’t worry though, it’s 100% safe:

    http://vacationbodyblueprint.com

    There’s even a testimonial from me and pic in there. But it’s closer to an Atkins type diet than Paleo… low carb and fairly low calorie, with fairly a extensive workout routine, but it sure as hell will get you where you want to be for your big day!

    If you’re familiar with an Atkins type approach, then I’m sure you know, as I do, that it works well, especially for quick results.

    It’s a perfect program for quick results. Generally speaking though, I recommend Paleo as more of a lifestyle diet, and low carb/Atkins as a quick fix fat loss program for instances such as yours.

    If you follow Paleo, you don’t need to be 100% strict on it either. I’m certainly not. I like to follow the 80/20 principle… 80% good diet behavior, 20% well… naughty you could say :)

    Let me know if you have any more questions though, and good luck!

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    [...] to a more typical bodybuilder look. Fox supplements her health and fitness routine by following the Paleo diet, and she created a calorie deficit to slim down and maintain her ultra-lean [...]

  • http://africanscholar.com Ty Menaker

    Thanks, thats quite useful stuff to know! I must admit I’m a bit useless in the kitchen, but I’m trying my best to learn. Admitting iis the first step right!? I promised to cook a whole meal for my wife this weekend for the first time – very exciting! I found some really simple recipe at this site, seems to be designed exactly with people like me in mind, which is fantastic! Anyway, thanks for your tips, I’ll be sure to subscribe to your site to read more later.

  • http://www.sailinglouisiana.com Day Trader

    I loved the video and I am starting this diet / way of eating today. I think it makes complete logical sense. Thanks for the information.

  • Luke

    Im 16 and wondering if this is right for me im 6’2 and 12stone and just wondering can i do this at my age or should i wait until im older thankyou for your time

  • http://BestDiets.tv Virgil Arave

    In order for you the river and salt the medical way, just get saline IVs at $525 each or drive them orally like many professional athletes do.

  • http://www.truefitness4u.com Sam Childs

    Great post, you nailed the obesity problem in the modern world on the head!

    I like to have chicken salad with virgin olive oil, its really light but has plenty of protein in it, cya round!

    -Sam

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    [...] isn’t much to these routines. It is simply a mixture of Paleo Diet and reducing calories. Lets look at Paleo. This is great for burning fat because reducing refined [...]