The Outlier Guide to Paleo Eating & Lifestyle

Paleo Eating & Lifestyle

The Outlier Guide to the Rules and Strictness of the Paleo Lifestyle

by: Elan Hilaire

outlierwellness.blogspot.com

The Paleo diet focuses on eating today’s food in a way that mimics the best diet of our primal ancestors. This diet is not just following the diet we imagine our ancestors would have eaten, but also takes into account our current usage and knowledge of clinical studies, genetic / environment studies, and human biochemistry to make the best decisions about human nutrition in the 21^st century and future. Based on the general rule of not being able to image hunting or gathering your food, eating paleo enables us to focus primarily on eating high nutrient non toxic food that is absorbed in our bodies quickly and efficiently.  

Paleo Strictness

There are three different levels to a paleo diet and lifestyle. All levels are designed to cleanse your body of toxic waste as well as replenish your body with high nutrient food. For ALL LEVELS of the paleo diet, I have found it best to avoid eggs, dairy, alcohol and other drugs, and most nuts and seeds. For most young people, simply eliminating the non nourishing foods from your diet will make a substantial difference because you are no longer ingesting wasteful calories and nutrients. Below is a more detailed description of the levels of paleo strictness.

1. Hard Core Paleo– strictly cutting out all foods that do not fit with a hunter and gatherer / paleo diet: no grains (that’s all grains, includes corn, and pseudo-grains like buckwheat), no legumes (includes soy and peanuts), no potatoes, no sugars or synthetic sweeteners, no processed food, no dairy, no alcohol, no omega 6 / chemically extracted vegetable oils or chemically altered fats (like margarine). Remember if you cannot image hunting or gathering the food set before you, do not eat it!

2. Mid Level Paleo- In my opinion, this is best for the busy, or young person who may not be doing this for extreme health reasons, but still wants to feel and live a much healthier lifestyle. The biggest rule for this level is no alcohol, sugars, synthetic sweeteners, or dairy. My first attempt at a paleo lifestyle, I focused on this level for a while. The biggest aid to me was thinking if there was a commercial, or “popular” form of the product sold at a fast food chain. If there was, I would not eat it.

3. Beginners Paleo- Avoid nightshades (capsicum, eggplant, potatoes and tomatoes), eggs, alcohol, dairy, all nuts and seeds for at least 15 days. After that time period, it should not be difficult to increase yourself to the next stage if desired.

*The paleo diet can be done without measuring or weighing food

*It can be done in conjunction with the Zone Diet

*Always remember to drink at least three to four liters of water on a daily basis, no matter which level of the paleo lifestyle you are following

Paleo Diet and Lifestyle Rules

What to Eat

Protein Foods

-Lean unprocessed meat: grass-fed, wild and free range animals, beef, chicken, poultry, lamb, pork, venison, rabbit etc, including organ meats (ideally organic), and bone broth for calcium, minerals and nutrients for cartilage, it is also good for gut health.
-Seafood and shellfish: all types
-Egg Whites
-Organic/Vegan protein powder

Carbohydrate Foods

-Vegetables, non starch. The greener the better
-Starchy and root vegetables (not potatoes) peeled – in moderation

-Fruit, fresh especially berries, in moderation

-Fermented foods like kimchi

Fats and Oils

-Extra Virgin Olive oil
-For cooking: coconut oil (I like oil that has had flavor removed), Avocado and avocado oil, Macadamia nut oil
-Nuts, fresh unsalted (not peanuts), best nuts- lower in omega 6 – macadamia and cashews, hazelnuts. Remember to limit consumption if you are trying to lose weight

Drinks
-Filtered water
-Sparkling or soda water

-Mineral water
-Herbal and fruit teas

-Green tea

-Almond milk (unsweetened), *Hint: if you must sweeten use honey or agave

-Coconut water (no added sugar)

What Not To Eat

Protein Foods

-Processed meats (sausages, salami, bacon)
-High fat meat, especially from grain and feedlot animals (Think of the documentary ‘Food Inc’

-Dairy products, includes milk, yogurt, and cheese
-Legumes: Tofu and soy products, including soy protein powder, peanuts, peanut butter and oil

Carbohydrate Foods

-Grains and grain like foods (wheat, rye, barley, oats, quinoa, buckwheat, linseed, chia, rice, linseed. etc)
-Grain products (bread, crackers, bakery products, pasta, cakes etc.)
-Legumes (peanuts, soy, baked beans, chickpeas, humus, broad beans, lentils etc)
-Potatoes
-Sugar, all types including honey and fructose, agave, coconut sugar etc,                          

- No sugar replacements, even stevia

Fats and Oils

-All vegetable seed oils except listed above and peanut oil
-Butter
-Any commercial food cooked in oil or fats, e.g. deep fried food, or made with cheap vegetable oils, soy, sunflower, safflower etc.
-Margarine – all types

Drinks

-All juices, unless it is fresh pressed squeezed
-Soft drinks or any drink with sugar
-Artificially sweetened drinks
-Other alcohol apart from spirits or dry wine (if drinking alcohol)
-Milk, soy milk, rice milk, oat milk

Alcohol

-Dry wine or spirits

-Beer (has gluten / grains)

*No mixers apart from soda water, mineral water or water, or freshly squeezed lime or lemon juice

Lifestyle

Sleep: 7.5 – 9 hours per night. Sleep in imperative, lack of sleep will dash your efforts for health and fat loss, and put your body in an insulin resistant state.

Exercise: Any exercise is good, it releases positive endorphins into your body that help you to remain stress free and improve self esteem.

Stress: Avoid stress or find ways like meditation to minimize it. Carefully evaluate your lifestyle; if it puts your health at risk, it is not worth it.

Socialization: Don’t forget the power simple laughter and fun can do for your emotional health

In Sum, the Paleo diet is a great way for anyone to change their lifestyle. With various levels of involvement, the Paleo diet is beneficial to anyone no matter what their intended result. By simply adopting the hunter/gather method of thinking when it pertains to nutrition, the paleo lifestyle can help the modern human return balance to their bodies by bettering our fiber intake, controlling the acidity of our food, and balancing the macronutrients of our health. 

Sources: bibliography available upon request