Females and males, alike, are participating in CrossFit, an exercise that focuses on creating a competitive nature among its participants, through aerobic, body weight and Olympic weightlifting exercises. In order to succeed in perfecting the ideal physique, participants are told to follow a strict Paleolithic, or “caveman ” diet. The Paleolithic diet (often referred to as simply “Paleo”) consists of eating the same clean, unprocessed foods that the cavemen ate before the dawn of our agricultural period.
Is this diet safe for everyone, or is it just another fad diet whose hype will soon die down?
You do not need to be competitive in order to follow a healthy lifestyle. While it may not be such a bad idea to have a little competitive streak (we all like to win, right?). The Flintstones cartoon show that cavemen favored a lack of clothing, bones as accessories and self-propelled automobiles, thankfully, this new lifestyle simply promotes the nutritional aspects of the Paleolithic era, not any other aspect of the caveman lifestyle.
Cavemen were said to have invented the wheel that we humans keep reinventing, so it seems as though we just keep adding onto something that was already good, thousands of years ago.
While no one truly knows what the cavemen ate back then (were you alive during the Paleolithic era?), it is safe to say that unprocessed and natural foods were their go to.
In simple terms, the Paleo diet prohibits anyone from ingesting anything that was not available to our ape-like ancestors. Cavemen were hunters and gatherers, so they would only eat or drink that which was readily available to them. They could not process their foods, add coloring or modify anything like our favorite foods are today. That means that protein is only cooked in the simplest of terms (no smoked meats) and food is only naturally sweetened with fruit juice, etc. (sugar is a refined product that cannot be created without a machine that is used to transform the sugar cane juice into the crystals that we currently use to sweeten foods!). So a strict follower of the Paleo diet does not put any fake foods into their bodies. It is also Gluten-Free, since breads, pastas and cereals are not foods that you can simply pick and eat. And since cavemen could not produce coffee or alcohol, you can say bye bye to your favorite beverages.
So is the Paleolithic diet just another fad? For those who only partake in it, because of a competition, or temporary goal, it may be. But, if the Paleo diet is implemented as a lifestyle change, then you only end up eating healthier and cleaner foods, in turn making you and your body healthier.
And that truly is the ultimate goal, is it not? True, wearing skinny jeans and having washboard abs is a plus, but looking great while also feeling great is a luxury that the Paleo diet can provide.
