The Paleo Reset diet, inspired by the eating habits of our hunter-gatherer ancestors, has gained popularity as a way to improve health, lose weight, and boost energy. This article delves into the benefits of the paleo reset diet, provides guidelines on how to follow it, and addresses common concerns.
Introduction to the Paleo Reset Diet
The paleo diet, also known as the Stone Age diet, caveman diet, or hunter-gatherer diet, centers around consuming whole, unprocessed foods similar to what our ancestors ate thousands of years ago. Proponents believe this way of eating promotes health and fitness due to its emphasis on natural foods and exclusion of processed items. It involves a 30-day reset that can kick sugar cravings, shed excess weight, bulk up your veggie intake, and boost energy.
Understanding the Core Principles
The paleo diet emphasizes foods that could be hunted or gathered, such as meat, fish, poultry, eggs, vegetables, and fruits. It excludes grains, dairy, sugar, and legumes, which are staples of the modern American diet. This approach aims to reduce inflammation and improve overall health by eliminating foods that may contribute to chronic diseases.
Benefits of the Paleo Reset Diet
Weight Loss and Improved Metabolic Health
The paleo diet may lead to significant weight loss without calorie counting and major improvements in health. Studies have shown that individuals following a paleo diet can experience a reduction in waist circumference, triglyceride levels, blood pressure, HDL cholesterol, and fasting blood sugar. A small study found that people who followed the paleo diet lost just over five pounds after three weeks. They also saw a 0.5-centimeter decrease in their waist circumference as well as improvements to their systolic blood pressure.
Balanced Blood Sugar and Increased Energy
Many patients enjoy benefits such as balanced blood sugar, increased energy, reduced inflammation, and stronger immune systems. By cutting out processed foods, you may also improve your energy level and mood because eating processed foods is linked to poor energy and low moods.
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Reduced Inflammation
The Paleo Reset is a way of giving your body a rest from toxins in our food and in our environment. The goal is to be as close to 100% as possible in order to reduce the food induced inflammatory responses. The reset time period helps brings the chronic inflammation to a rest. This allows you to recognize how well your body responds to a clean diet and what foods cause you symptoms as you attempt to reintroduce them.
Gut Health Improvement
Soluble fiber, found in foods like flax and chia seeds, plays a crucial role in gut health. It acts as a "garbage truck," carrying fat and bile-containing waste into the colon, while also feeding the microbiome. This process supports the production of short-chain fatty acids, which can prevent chronic diseases. Fermented vegetables and fruits, such as sauerkraut and kimchi, also contribute good bacteria to support gut health.
Foods to Eat Liberally on the Paleo Reset Diet
- Meat and Poultry: Opt for organic, grass-fed choices of beef, lamb, mutton, pork, chicken, turkey, duck, goat, and wild game like venison.
- Organ Meats (especially liver): Liver is the most nutrient-dense food on the planet. It is the best source of iron, so it is incredibly beneficial if you tend to be anemic.
- Bone Broth Soups: Bone broths differ from stock in that they’re simmered for a long time, up to 48 hours, typically 24 hours. Bone broth is rich in glycine which is needed for maintaining a healthy gut lining.
- Fish: Especially fatty fish, like salmon, sardines, mackerel, anchovies, and herring. Wild is best.
- Eggs: These should be pastured and organic. Eat the whites and yolk. The yolks contain selenium, vitamin D, choline and other nutrients.
- Starchy Plants: Yams, sweet potatoes, tapioca, yucca, taro, lotus root, plantains, and breadfruit.
- Non-Starchy Vegetables: Cooked or raw including artichoke, asparagus, beets, broccoli, broccoli rabe, Brussels sprouts, cabbage carrots, cauliflower, celery, chilies, cucumber, eggplant, garlic, green onions, greens (beet, collard, dandelion, kale, mustard, turnip), jicama, leeks, lettuce (endive, escarole, iceberg, leafy varieties, radicchio, romaine), mushrooms, okra, onions, parsley, parsnips, peppers, pumpkin, radishes, rutabaga, scallions, spinach, summer squash, Swiss chard, tomato, turnips, and zucchini.
- Fermented Vegetables and Fruits: Sauerkraut (without vinegar), kimchi, curtido, beet kvass, coconut kefir, etc.
- Traditional Fats: Coconut oil, ghee, red palm oil, pal kernel oil, macadamia oil, duck fat, beef tallow (from free range cows) and extra virgin olive oil.
- Other: Olives, avocados, and coconuts. Including coconut milk. Sea Salt and spices.
Foods to Eat in Moderation
- Processed Meat: Sausage, bacon (both cured and uncured), salami, pepperoni and jerky.
- Whole Fruit: Choose a wide variety of colors: green, red, orange, and yellow. All fruit is permitted, but favor low-sugar fruits, like berries, grapefruit, oranges, and peaches over tropical fruits, apples, grapes and pears.
- Nuts and Seeds: Allowed nuts include almonds, brazil nuts, cashews, hazelnuts (filberts), macadamias, pecans, pine nuts, pistachios, and walnuts. Avoid peanuts, they are actually a legume, not a nut. Allowed seeds include chia, flax, pumpkin, sesame and sunflower.
- Green beans, sugar peas, and snap peas: These are technically legumes, but they are usually tolerated well.
- Coffee and Black Tea: All teas and coffee are permitted. You can drink them black or add coconut milk.
- Vinegar: Apple cider, balsamic, red wine and other varieties.
- Restaurant food: Avoid restaurants during your Reset diet, and when it is over you should not eat in a restaurant more than 2x/week including lunches in order to minimize the toxic tag a longs in restaurant meals.
Foods to Avoid Completely During the Reset
- Dairy: Including butter, cheese, yogurt, milk, cream, and any dairy product that comes from a cow, goat, sheep or other mammal.
- Grains: Including wheat, rye, barley, spelt, couscous, malt, graham flour, semolina, durham, oats, and non-gluten grains such as rice, corn, sorghum, teff, quinoa, amaranth, etc.
- Legumes: Including beans of all kinds (soy, black, kidney, pinto, garbanzo), peas, lentils, peanuts.
- Sweeteners, real and artificial: Including sugar, high-fructose corn syrup, dextrose, coconut sugar, molasses, maple syrup, honey, agave, brown-rice syrup, Splenda, equal, NutraSweet, xylitol, mannitol, erythritol, serve, and stevia.
- Chocolate: Milk chocolate contains both dairy and sugar.
- Processed or refined foods: If it comes in a bag or box don’t eat it.
- Industrial seed and vegetable oils: Soybean, corn, safflower, sunflower, rapeseed, peanut, cottonseed, and canola oils.
- Sodas, including diet sodas, and fruit juice: All forms including natural varieties.
- Alcohol: In any form.
- Process sauces and seasonings: Soy sauce, tamari and other processed sauces and seasonings.
Starting the Paleo Reset Diet
Initial Steps
- Commit to a 30-Day Reset: The Paleo Reset is best continued for a minimum of 30 days to feel the benefits of the diet.
- Omit the "No" List: Completely avoid the foods listed above.
- Embrace the "Yes" List: Focus on incorporating a variety of colorful, nutrient-dense foods into your diet.
- Stay Hydrated: Drink plenty of water throughout the day to help your body detox.
- Get Moving: Add movement to your routine to enhance the benefits of the reset.
- Practice Eyeballing Portions: Develop your portion control skills.
- Record Your "Before": Take measurements or weigh yourself before starting the 30 days, and then focus on how you feel along the way.
Meal Planning and Prepping
Successfully following the paleo diet for an extended period will require a great deal of planning and meal prepping, especially if you follow a particularly strict version. One of the best ways to do meal prep for the paleo diet is to do so in bulk. An easy way to do paleo meal prep is to set up sheet-pan meals: You can cook large amounts of meat and roasted vegetables on sheet pans and portion them into meal-size containers for easy lunches and dinners. You may also find success by slicing fruits and veggies to keep in the fridge for simple snacks.
Sample Paleo Meal Plan
Monday
- Breakfast: eggs and vegetables fried in olive oil, one piece of fruit
- Lunch: chicken salad with olive oil, a handful of nuts
- Dinner: burgers (no bun) fried in butter, vegetables, salsa
Tuesday
- Breakfast: bacon, eggs, one piece of fruit
- Lunch: leftover burgers from the night before
- Dinner: baked salmon with vegetables
Wednesday
- Breakfast: leftover salmon and vegetables from the night before
- Lunch: sandwich in a lettuce leaf, with meat and fresh vegetables
- Dinner: ground beef stir-fry with vegetables, berries
Thursday
- Breakfast: eggs, one piece of fruit
- Lunch: leftover stir-fry from the night before, a handful of nuts
- Dinner: fried pork, vegetables
Friday
- Breakfast: eggs and vegetables fried in olive oil, one piece of fruit
- Lunch: chicken salad with olive oil, a handful of nuts
- Dinner: steak, vegetables, sweet potatoes
Saturday
- Breakfast: bacon, eggs, one piece of fruit
- Lunch: leftover steak and vegetables from the night before
- Dinner: baked tilapia, vegetables, avocado
Sunday
- Breakfast: leftover salmon and vegetables from the night before
- Lunch: sandwich in a lettuce leaf, with meat and fresh vegetables
- Dinner: grilled chicken wings, vegetables, salsa
Simple Paleo Snacks
If you get hungry between meals, there are plenty of paleo snacks that are simple and easily portable:
- Toasted almonds or mixed nuts
- Hard-boiled eggs
- Fresh fruits and vegetables, including baby carrots, celery sticks, and sliced apples
- Dairy-free chia pudding
Paleo Shopping List
- Meat: beef, lamb, pork, etc.
- Poultry: chicken, turkey, etc.
- Fish: salmon, trout, mackerel, etc.
- Eggs
- Fresh vegetables: greens, lettuce, tomatoes, peppers, carrots, onions, etc.
- Frozen vegetables: broccoli, spinach, various vegetable mixes, etc.
- Fruits: apples, bananas, pears, oranges, avocado
- Berries: strawberries, blueberries, etc.
- Nuts: almonds, walnuts, macadamia nuts, hazelnuts
- Almond butter
- Olive oil
- Olives
- Sweet potatoes
- Condiments: sea salt, pepper, turmeric, garlic, parsley, etc.
Addressing Potential Drawbacks
Nutrient Deficiencies
The paleo diet eliminates several food groups that are highly nutritious, including legumes, dairy, and gluten-containing grains. Legumes are rich in fiber, protein, and various micronutrients, including iron, zinc, and copper, while dairy products have essential nutrients like calcium, which is important for bone health. Eliminating these food groups can put individuals following a paleo diet at risk of developing nutrient deficiencies. One study found that people who followed a paleo diet had just 50 percent of the recommended dietary intake of calcium.
Read also: Paleo Diet Delivered: What You Need to Know
Gastric Distress
The paleo diet includes foods high in fiber, like vegetables, fruits, and nuts. Since foods high in fiber can have a laxative effect, a person transitioning from a low fiber diet to a paleo diet could experience gastric distress, such as bloating, as a result.
Cost and Sustainability
The diet can be expensive. Research suggests it can be 10 percent more costly than a diet with similar nutritional value. Many people find it difficult to stay on track because the approach is restrictive and is not always conducive to traveling or eating out. Some experts say it’s not an effective strategy for sustained weight loss for that reason.
Making the Paleo Diet Work for You
Modified Paleo Diets
There are now several different versions of the paleo diet. Some allow more modern foods, such as grass-fed butter and gluten-free grains like rice. Today, many people think of paleo as a template to base your diet on, not necessarily a strict set of rules you must follow.
Sensible Indulgences
While following a paleo diet, the below foods and beverages below are perfectly fine in small amounts:
- Wine: Quality red wine is not only part of the paleo diet, but it is high in antioxidants, polyphenols, and beneficial nutrients.
- Dark chocolate: Dark chocolate is very high in antioxidants and important minerals like magnesium and iron. Choose a product with 70% or higher cocoa content.
Eating Out on the Paleo Diet
Eating out while following the paleo diet doesn’t have to be hard. Simply select a meat or fish dish on the menu and swap in some extra veggies.
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Who Should Consider the Paleo Reset Diet?
Paleo may be a good diet choice if you have multiple food intolerances such as gluten or lactose intolerance. Paleo is also a good choice for people who generally feel better physically and mentally when they don't eat processed foods.
Who Should Avoid the Paleo Reset Diet?
The paleo diet is not recommended for those with disordered eating habits or a history of eating disorders. You should not eat a paleo diet if you have preexisting vitamin deficiencies. It is also not recommended for those at risk for heart disease, kidney damage or Type 1 diabetes.