So with a bit of research I am going to share with you the latest diet craze that seems to have a lot of people talking.
The Paleolithic diet is also known as the Caveman, stone age or hunter-gatherer diet. The diet is a modern nutritional plan based on the presumed ancient diet of wild plants and animals that humans would have consumed in the Paleolithis era; an era that lasted about 2.5 million years ago and ended around 10,000 year ago when agriculture was developed.
The staples of the diet consist of fish, grass-fed pasture raised meats, vegetables, fruit, fungi, roots and nuts. The no-nos of the diet are grains, legumes, dairy, salt, refined sugar and processed oils. Water to drink, with some people recommending tea, and alcohol and fermented drinks being restricted from the diet.
Lean proteins support strong muscles, healthy bones and optimal immune function and should make up about 56-65% of each meal.
Fruits and vegetables are rich in antioxidants, vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients and have been shown to decrease the likelihood of developing a number of degenerative diseases including cancer, diabetes and neurological decline. These should make up 36-45% of each meal.
I was reading the latest Oxygen magazine last night and the article about the cover girl, Penny Lomas, which outlined her training and diet program.
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| penny rocking the Oxygen cover |
Penny is a personal trainer and figure competitor from Melbourne and follows a Paleo diet. She explains that her diet is high in protein and high in good fats and she has a carbohydrate load day every fifth day which consists of sweet potato, red Himalayan rice or brown rice.
Penny's diet looks like this ::
Meal 1
100g meat and a small handful of nuts or almond butter. 1tsp fish oil and a black coffee
Meal 2
100g salmon and veggies and 1tsp coconut butter
Meal 3
100g beef and veggies and 1tsp coconut butter
Meal 4
100g of white fish and veggies and 1tsp butter
Meal 5
100g of chicken and veggies and 1tsp fish oil butter
Meal 6
100g beef or 3 whole eggs and veggies and 1tsp flaxseed oil
Penny is a figure competitor so obviously her diet is very strict and portion controlled but you can see that there is a bit of variety in her meals and this could quite easily be adjusted to suit different people's dietary requirements.
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| penny on the left |
Following a Paleo diet does not necessarily mean you are following a "body-builders" diet. From my research on the internet there are whole families that eat regular meals that follow the Paleo diet. Some of the recipes I have come across look delicious and what is surprising is that a lot of children follow the Paleo diet due to their parent's belief in the philosophy.
I came across some amazing and pretty beautiful blogs that are completely dedicated to everything Paleo.
One blog that really caught my eye was Rubies & Radishes. Arcy follows a Paleo diet (although she does eat potatoes) and blogs about her nutritional lifestyle and the simple, healthy and quick meals she cooks.
Here are a few recipes to show you that eating Paleo doesn't need to be hard or boring.
Sun-dried tomato and basil stuffed chicken breast
Ingredients
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 teaspoons pine nuts
4 sun-dried tomatoes, marinated in olive oil, chopped
1/4 cup basil, chopped
1/2 cup chicken stock
1-2 tablespoons ghee
salt + pepper
1. Place chicken breast in between 2 pieces of wax paper and using a meat hammer or rolling pin, beat until chicken is thin enough to roll.
2. Salt & pepper both side of the chicken breast.
3. In the center of each chicken breast, place 1 clove crushed garlic, 1 teaspoon pine nuts, 2 sun-dried tomatoes, half of chopped basil.
4. Starting at the broader end, roll chicken around the filling and secure the chicken breasts with a toothpick.
5. Heat ghee in a skillet with a tight-fitting lid. Brown stuffed chicken breast on all sides.
6. Add chicken stock to skillet and any extra ingredients you have left over to the skillet. Place lid on skillet and lower heat to simmer and cook for 20-25 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.
7. Remove chicken from skillet and cover with foil to keep warm.
8. Reduce sauce: Turn up heat until sauce is boiling, once boiling, reduce heat to low and allow sauce to cook to desired consistency.
9. Pour sauce over chicken & serve with veggies of your choice.
Banana muffins
Ingredients
2 ripe bananas, mashed
1/4 cup honey
3 eggs
1/3 cup coconut oil, melted
1 tablespoon vanilla
1/4 cup almond butter
1/2 cup coconut flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 cup cacao nibs
1. Preheat oven to 350F
2. In a mixing bowl, mash bananas until smooth, then add eggs, honey, coconut oil, vanilla and almond butter and mix thoroughly.
3. Add coconut flour and cinnamon, mix really well.
4. Let batter sit for 5-10 minutes (tangent: I had to go feed Indy in the middle of making these & I found that when the coconut flour sat for a few minutes, it absorbed the liquids really well and the muffins turned out with better consistency ... who knew? trying to bake and manage a baby at the same time, would help me discover new cooking techniques!)
5. Add in baking soda and cacao nibs. Mix until baking soda is mixed through.
6. Fill muffin tins all the way. This made 9 muffins. You don't need muffin wrappers for these, the muffins slide right out of the tray.
7. Bake for 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
8. Remove muffins from the muffin pan or tip on their side and let cool.
All the ingrediants are super healthy, not expensive and follow the paleo diet.
I look at my diet at the moment and it does, somewhat, follow the Paleo philosophy. I do eat legumes, a lot of legumes, but I think that when it comes to healthy eating it is about what works best for you and your body and there is no right or wrong answer. If I take some of the Body for Life diet and mix it with some of the Paleo diet I think I get a diet that is working for me!
If you are wanting to know more about Paleo some other awesome blogs to check out are ::
Paleo Plan by Neely Quinn
Nom Nom Paleo by Michelle Tam
Paleo Parents An awesome blog for families with children
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