Is Paleo diet a meat diet?

The paleo diet is a regime that helps us eat the freshest, healthiest and nutrient-filled food there is. The paleo diet is based on a balanced diet. The typical Paleo recipes includes

meat of grass-fed cows,
Poultry, seafood, and meat,
Fresh and organic vegetables and fruits of all colors,
Complex carbohydrates coming from tubers and fruits such as sweet potato (potato / sweet potato), potato and banana
Healthy fats such as coconut oil, avocado, olive oil and animal fat.
Based not only on what our ancestors ate that suffered from fewer chronic diseases than we, despite having no access to modern medicine,

Many people see the list of foods removed from the paleo diet and remove them from the diet without adding new things. When they remove processed foods and cereals from their diets, often only meat, eggs, and bacon remain. But just as important as eliminated foods (processed foods, sugar, cereals and in some cases dairy and vegetables) are the foods we add to our diets.

A typical paleo diet recipes is half veggies (carrot, broccoli, zucchini, and spinach) and a quarter of protein (often meat or seafood) and a quarter of carbohydrates such as sweet potatoes. A “paleo recipes” diet can be balanced or not, depending on what you put on your plate – just like any other diet. It is essential to note that every person has different body needs.

In the paleo recipes diet, there is also an emphasis on the quality of the food consumed – we try to avoid genetically modified organisms, eat organic vegetables when possible and meat/poultry/seafood that was fed properly, without hormones or inadequate food for their species. We try to eat “all the animal products” because we know that there are essential nutrients and amino acids in the parts of the animal that we cannot find in the most common cuts. Eating “booze” such as liver, paws, cola, bone broth, and any other part of the animal helps to maintain a balanced diet.

The paleo diet recipes does not restrict the consumption of fat or cholesterol. Contrary to what we have been taught, fat does not make us fat (consumed in moderation). Fat is essential to assimilate some vitamins (A, D, E, and K) that are necessary for the functioning of our body. Without fat, those vitamins cannot enter our body to do their job. Every cell in our body needs fat to function.

An old article in Time Magazine admits that consumption of saturated fat has no proven link to increased risk of heart problems, and high consumption of sugar and carbohydrates did. In fact, our use of cholesterol in food has nominal influence on the level of cholesterol in our blood. There is no reason to be afraid of eating fat. A paleo diet recipes with enough protein and fat often helps people to lose weight because they are foods that make us feel satiated and as a consequence, we eat less. In fact, if your goal is to lose weight, a paleo diet can be the key to your progress.

The Mediterranean Diet For Losing Weight

There is a recent interest in the Mediterranean Diet for weight loss. Strictly speaking, it is not so much a diet but a lifestyle of the people of Greece and southern Italy or the coastal areas along the Mediterranean Sea. However, the eating habits of this region was recently recognised as a diet good for heart health and was also noted that it may be beneficial for weight loss. I have therefore doing a review of it here with regards to its effectiveness in weight loss.

The lifestyle of the Greeks and Italians is to gather around and dining is more of a social gathering rather than just eating. They consume high amounts of legumes like lentils and broad beans, tubers like radishes, turnips and carrots, green leafy vegetables like lettuce and root vegetable like potatoe, tomatoes and eggplants, nuts and seeds. They also partake a lot of fruits like apricots, peaches, nectarines and cherries, olives and in season figs and grapes too. Oil used is olive oil

Fishes like fresh sardines and anchovy are also eaten a lot with moderate diary products mainly of cheese and yogurt. The fish are usually grilled and drizzled with lemon juice. Wine consumption is moderate with a very low intake of non-fish meat products like pork, chicken, lamb and beef. Also rarely seen in cuisines of this region are processed foods high in salt and sugar.

For staples, pita, either white or whole grain and barley bread is consumed. Now let’s see how this eating habit does for your weight loss efforts

Firstly, Olive oil is high in healthy monounsaturated fats instead of the unhealthy polyunsaturated and trans fats found in other types of oil.

Secondly, studies1 have shown that eating a serving a day (about 130grams) of lentils and broad beans help study subjects lose 0.34 kg over a 6 week period. The Mediterranean cuisines also uses plenty of tomatoes and eggplants. Tomatoes are known to reduce inflammation and water retention and reversing leptin resistance. Leptin is the protein that signals to our brain that we are full and stop eating. Therefore, tomatoes are great to prevent us from overeating and lower our calorie intake. Eggplants are high fiber and low calorie. Its high fiber can lower blood sugar by slowing rate of digestion and absorption of sugar in body. Slower absorption keep blood sugar levels steady.

It is also known to increase production of insulin which can lower blood sugar. The high fiber content also helps to keep you full longer resulting in lower calorie consumption.

Thirdly, their diet also consist of fresh sardines and anchovy. Each 100g of serving of sardines contains 125 calories, 7g of fat, 20g protein and 0 carbohydrates. Each 1 oz serving of anchovy contributes 37 calories, 1.4g fat and 5.8g protein. Both are rich in omega 3 fatty acids.

White pita bread has a Glycemic index of 57, with the whole grain option being lower while the barley bread is even lower at 34.

As for the fruits eaten, all are highly beneficial for weight loss. Apricots is low in calories of roughly 48 calories per 100 grams and high fiber. Peaches are also low in calories and boost metabolism as tthey contain flavanoids like catechins and they also have high fiber content. A medium nectarine has 60 calories, 15 g fat and 2g fiber. Sweet and juicy, it provide a source of natural sugar without the need for added sugar. Cherries contain a hormone called melatonin which is what is produced when we are in deep sleep that sets our body fat burning into overdrive mode. They are also low in calories and contains vitamins that boost metabolism. Cherries are believed to be one of the most energy boosting fruits.

Based on the above observation, all the components seem to be tailored for weight loss. No wonder the recent craze on this diet. Although it was not originally meant as a diet plan, with just a few minor adjustments, it can be turned into a super effective weight loss diet. Some of the changes are for example to skip the pita and just take the barley bread instead, and skip the potatoes. In addition, non-fish meat products should be limited to skinless chicken breast and skip the other meats altogether. With these changes, what your eating plan would be

a. Carbohydrates from green leafy vegetables and low to non existent starchy carbohydrates

b. Low fat diet mainly from cheese and yogurt

c. High protein from the nuts, seeds, sardines and anchovy

d. low calorie, high fiber and metabolism boosting fruits

e. Moderated consumption of wine which also helps

I would say, you can’t go much wrong following the above.

An Acne Diet You Should Follow

For those who don’t know if there is a relationship between your acne condition and the foods you eat, let me tell you that there is. You might have heard that oily foods cause acne, but this isn’t entirely true. Oily foods have caused internal changes including high cholesterol levels, but they don’t really have a huge impact on the skin condition. When does oil affect skin conditions such as acne? The only time oil would affect your acne condition, is when you use cosmetic products that have animal fats, oils and additives. Most of the makeup products and skin care products on the market today have oils added to them.

One thing you should begin doing is purchase herbal skin care products that contain no oils or preservative chemicals. These additional chemicals and oils will only cause harm to your skin condition. For those who have acne, it is never a good idea to use tons of makeup. Makeup may seem like a great way to hide your acne, but it surely does not make things any better. The types of food you eat will affect your overall acne condition. The following are some of the foods you should and shouldn’t limit on a daily basis, if you intend on controlling your acne.

The calcium rich fluid we all love drinking could be bad for your acne condition. Milk has been a great addition to any breakfast meal, but it could lead to your acne getting worse than it already is. Since milk originally comes from cows, there is a significant amount of fat and hormones which could cause an imbalance in your acne condition. I am not saying that you should stop drinking milk, but it would help if you could limit your daily intake. If you are someone who drinks milk several times a day, it could be a problem for your acne.

The one type of oil that is considered to be a helper in your acne condition is Omega 3 fat oils. All types of fishes have this fish oil in them, and they have been known to prevent acne and keep skin looking fresh. Whether you are cooking the fish or simply having some sushi, it is considered to be great for your skin and overall health. Apart from the acne benefits of fish, you would also be taking in some much needed proteins.

Oranges and berries are two amazing types of fruits you should eat at least once a day. When I say berries, I mean all sorts of berries; whether it is strawberries, blueberries, raspberries or blackberries. Berries and oranges have high antioxidant content along with nutrients that help with skin development and acne prevention. By eating such fruits, you’ll be able to get rid of the bad skin cells, which allows for new skin development. During skin development, one thing you should do is drink lots of fluids. Water and concentrated juices are the best, as they give your body the hydration, vitamins and energy.

I hope this you can incorporate parts of this acne diet into your everyday meals, so that you can get rid of all the acne and live a young and healthy life.