Diets
are not always easy to maintain. However, with the appropriate knowledge on
exactly what it means to “diet” and the types of foods that you are putting
into your body, as well as a little bit of tenacity and the will to follow
through, you would actually be surprised by just how easy dieting and healthy
eating can be to sustain. With 60% of Canadian adults and over 20% of Canadian
children currently struggling with obesity, family physician Dr. Ali Ghahary is
a strong advocate of low-carb diets and physical activity being implemented
into patient’s health care regimens.
Unlike
certain fad diets that are out there today that focus solely on fast weight
loss and counting calories, low-carb diets such as the Paleo diet (also known
as the Hunter-Gatherer diet) are designed to be long-term and help control your
glycemic levels, increase your HDL cholesterol levels (otherwise known as the
“good” cholesterol), and restrict certain (but not all!) carbohydrates, with
the focal point being on your overall well-being. Following a Paleo-based diet
is beneficial to your health and decreases your risk of certain health
conditions such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer’s, arthritis,
osteoporosis, and even certain cancers. Accompanying weight loss, a Paleo based
diet also improves your digestion, reduces chronic inflammation, and gives you
more energy.
The
term “Paleo” comes from the prehistoric era from over 2 million years ago known
as Paleolithic. If you think about it, processed foods and many of the
ingredients that we are ingesting into our systems today did not exist back
then – food had to be found or hunted. The Paleo diet gets back to basics, so
to speak, and was established upon the foods and lifestyles of our prehistoric ancestors.
It predominantly consists of grass-produced meats, omega-3 fatty acids (salmon,
walnuts, flaxseed oil, soybeans), rich antioxidants (fruits and vegetables),
while it excludes things like processed foods, dairy, grain products, salt and
sugar.
The
Paleo diet is all about limiting certain foods and strategically choosing
others, and it is one of the best diets that you could go on to preserve a
healthy body and mind. One incentive of following a Paleo-based diet is the
fact that you don’t have to count calories and can even indulge in some of your
favourite foods and beverages, as long as it’s done in moderation. For example,
dark chocolate with a cocoa content of 70% or higher, is a great source of
antioxidants and can lower your risk of heart disease, and while the Paleo diet
doesn’t encourage anyone to start drinking alcohol, studies have also suggested
that two antioxidants found in red wine, Polyphenol and Resveratrol, can also
improve heart health.
Meal
planning can be the most difficult part of finding success with any diet, but
is an important factor of the Paleo diet, and below are just a few small
examples of Paleo-based foods. There are also many different Paleo recipes
available online.
Breakfast:
Eggs
(scrambled in olive oil)
Kiwi
and kale smoothie
Seasonal
fresh fruit
Lunch:
Salad
& grilled chicken (drizzled with olive oil and freshly squeezed lemon
juice)
Dinner:
Spaghetti
squash (instead of pasta) topped with marinara sauce
Pork
Turkey
breast (skinless)
Salmon
(drizzled with olive oil and minced fresh garlic)
Steamed
vegetables
Snacks:
Dried
fruit and nut mix
Seasonal
fresh fruit
Celery
sticks
Carrot
sticks
Beverages:
Water
Green
tea
Almond
milk (instead of cow’s milk)
Decaffeinated
coffee (in moderation)
Homemade
fruit juice
