The Paleo diet, also known as the Blueprint diet or the hunter-gatherer diet, is one of the diet regimens that are continually growing in popularity nowadays. Basically, following this diet requires you to follow how the cavemen of the Paleolithic period ate. It is believed that the humans who ruled the earth millions of years ago were healthier, fitter and stronger than people of today. Nonetheless, they also lived longer. This is why diet experts and nutritionists came up with the idea that if people of the modern world consume what the cavemen ate back then, they might just be as healthy as the early humans were.
If you are interested in following the Paleo diet, it is of course necessary for you to learn about the different Paleo foods that you may incorporate in your everyday diet. But before you get the list from this article, you can first try to imagine how the cavemen lived back then for you to have an idea of the foods they might have consumed before. The cavemen did not yet know about agriculture, cultivation and animal husbandry. What they did to survive is to hunt and gather. They would travel and stay in a particular place where resources are abundant. Once they have exhausted the edible items in that area, they would once again move out to another. Thus, it is safe to assume that they only consumed what were obviously consumable: game animals, seafood, vegetables, fruits, seeds and nuts that can be eaten in its raw and whole form.
If this is the case, you might think that there are a lot of limitations, then. Just like any other diets, the Blueprint diet also eventually restricts the consumption of various types of foods, too. But there are a lot more that you can eat and you can enjoy delicious meals with the use of the ingredients allowed in the Paleo diet. Here now is the complete list of Paleo foods for a Paleo lifestyle:
Meat. The Blueprint diet is basically a high protein diet. Since the cavemen were hunters and gatherers, they hunted game animals such as boars and goats, among others. Only lean meat cuts are allowed in the Paleo diet or at least, the visible fats in the meat should be removed. Processed meat products should be avoided.
Fruits. Virtually any fruit can be consumed while one follows the Blueprint diet, aside from those that are not obviously edible. Moreover, if you are after weight loss, you might want to keep your consumption of sweet and sugary fruits at a moderate level. Fruit juices are also allowed in moderate quantities since the cavemen did not know how to juice, after all.
Vegetables. As with the fruits, only obviously edible vegetables are allowed in the Paleo diet. Green leafy vegetables are highly encouraged as it will actually provide the carbohydrates and calories that you need to produce energy. The calories in vegetables come from their natural starch and sugar content. Moreover, you may also opt for root vegetables such as carrots, artichokes, tater and beets, among others. Just stay away from potatoes and sweet potatoes as they are too starchy.
Seafood. Eventually, you may also consume seafood such as fishes like salmon, bass, cod, trout and tuna, among other known edible fishes. Nearly all type of edible seafood is allowed in the Blueprint diet.
Seeds and Nuts. These food sources are great snack items. Aside from being delicious and healthy snacks, nuts and seeds can provide you with the fats and oils needed by the body. However, keep your consumption of these food sources if you are after weight loss.
