Be a Caveman For a Week

I'm sure you've heard of the Paleo diet, it's been trending online for quite some time. If you're on Pinterest, I guarantee you see images of Paleo foods or meal plans daily. The Paleo Diet has been around for a long time, but only in the last couple years has it gained some steam, especially among celebrities. Now I don't think it is nutritious enough to make it a total lifestyle change, but I think it is good to do for a little bit to help cleanse your body and get you to eat more nutritious foods. Any diet (such as Paleo) that restricts or eliminates a lot of foods can be unrealistic to achieve perfection, especially today, with so many food options available in so many different ways.

In 2014 U.S. News ranked it the worst diet, tied for 31st place with the Dukan Diet.

Scientific American Magazine also called it "half-baked" and also said that "any kind of food unavailable to Stone Age hunter-gatherers,” including dairy products, grains and beans, was nutritional bad-think."

It is important to note, that not everything about this diet is bad, which is why I'm suggesting you try it, for at least a week.

I think one of the best things about the Paleo Diet is the elimination of processed foods. You may think that's easy, but once you research what you eat, you'll find that nearly everything is processed or goes through some sort of preservation with added chemicals and such. So by eliminating (or cutting down A LOT) you'll be eliminating a lot of toxins from your body and you will feel much better! Though fair warning, initially you will feel like crap because we've become so accustomed to these foods, but after a few days (or the week) you will feel much better!

To define the Paleo Diet, the Scientific American says:

"Their diet is largely defined by what they do not do: most do not eat dairy or processed grains of any kind, because humans did not invent such foods until after the Paleolithic; peanuts, lentils, beans, peas and other legumes are off the menu, but nuts are okay; meat is consumed in large quantities, often cooked in animal fat of some kind; Paleo dieters sometimes eat fruit and often devour vegetables; and processed sugars are prohibited, but a little honey now and then is fine."

The massive amount of meats, fish, fruits and veggies you consume on Paleo is awesome and totally good for you! You can pretty much eat as much as you want from these categories, which means your protein and fiber intake is going to skyrocket. Protein and fiber is essential for your body in many ways, and can be especially helpful for those looking to gain muscle mass.

The elimination of dairy and some other things though isn't great because when choosing carefully, some of those foods can be (and should be) part of a healthy, balanced diet.

One New York City nutritionist, Jennifer Andrus, recommends the 80/20 rule (which I am a fan of because it's realistic). "If 80% of your diet is perfect, there’s wiggle room for the rest,” she says. After all, “There’s a lot of space between Paleo and a crappy diet of Pop-Tarts and McDonald’s.”

So if you can make it through one week of the Paleo Diet you will feel a lot of changes/differences in your body. If it seems like too much for you, or you have certain health conditions that prohibit you following it completely, try to adapt to it as best as you can. Cutting down on processed foods and eating more meat, fruits, and veggies, will definitely be in your health's best interest. It's something we all should aim to do to lead a healthier lifestyle.