Why Paleo? an Admission of Guilt

In May of 2013, I wrote Why not Paleo? And it really is true-- you should never say never. Especially in print for all the world (or my 3 readers) to see.

But admitting you are wrong is a sign of maturity (BOOM! There's the "Fitter at Forty" tie in), so I was wrong. Sort of. I find myself now recommending the Paleo diet. If you aren't really sure of what the Paleo diet is, go check out this great Infographic from PaleolithicDiet.com.

When I wrote my first post, I primarily did not support the Paleo diet because of the healthy foods that are excluded from the diet-- brown rice, white potatoes, and oatmeal. However, I thought it was time to explain why I've changed my mind and recommend it. Paleo calls you to...

1. Focus on whole foods. True Paleo calls for a diet full of foods that are consumed the way they are found in nature i.e. non-processed. 
2. Consume mostly vegetables and fruits for carbs. One of the main reasons Americans are overweight is because we eat large quantities of processed, simple carbohydrates (breads, grains, crackers, cookies, etc).
3. Limit sugar. Raw honey and stevia are allowed in moderation. But we should retrain our taste buds for food in its natural state. 
4. Add healthy fats. Eating Paleo means getting plenty of heathy fats in your diets from nuts, seeds, avocado, fish oil and grass-fed red meat.
5. Avoid dairy. Dairy products in America today are very different from what they once were. They are highly processed and full of antibiotics and hormones. 

*Please note* if you are attempting to eat healthy on any "diet" you should be limiting your intake of sweets and junk food regardless of the label. Yes, I'm talking about all those Paleo pancakes, puddings, cakes and muffins. Just because it's labed "Paleo" doesn't mean that you should eat it.

More Paleo info:

http://robbwolf.com/what-is-the-paleo-diet/

**I'm not a certified nutritionist-- just a fit chick who's tried way too many different diets and done tons of research.