MAYBE GOD is a CAVEMAN !

~"Orthodox" vs "New -Age" PALEOLITHIC EATING~  

The greatest strength of the PALEO lifestyle of eating is that it is based-on historical fact, so while there is room for flexibility, certain guidelines will always apply. This lifestyle cuts through the chase of the sea of dieting opinion that includes Atkins, Weight Watcher's Jenny Craig, Raw foods, Vegan-ism, Daniel Fast, Blood-type or the "Shredded-diet'. When we practice the PALEO lifestyle, we are finally checking all the egos 
(I mean opinions) at the door.  We don't need to read "The China Study". We can just refer the dissenters to Google to research historical information about the ancestors. 

WHY? Because PALEO  is the way man ate, FIRST. Although  the “caveman” label makes this sound like a weird fad diet,  it is not. Over the past 200,000 years, humans have biologically adapted best to whole foods: plants, meat, seafood—all of them packed with the nutrients our bodies evolved to thrive on.

Agriculture came on the scene a mere 10,000 years ago—a tiny fraction of our evolutionary history—and there simply hasn't been enough time and evolutionary pressure for humans to completely adapt to eating modern foods like wheat, sugar, chemically processed vegetable and seed oils, and other “Neolithic” foods. It’s not a coincidence that many modern diseases of civilization—including autoimmune disorders, cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and rampant obesity—have accompanied the global spread of industrialized food. That’s why the Paleo approach emphasizes returning to a more ancestral approach to eating.

In a nutshell, the Paleo diet (or, as I like to think of it, the Paleo template—the word “diet” tends to mislead folks into thinking this is nothing more than a temporary weight-loss program) is based on the notion that for optimal health, modern humans should go back to eating real, whole unprocessed foods that are more healthful than harmful to our bodies. 

But here’s the thing to keep in mind: we’re not trying to precisely replicate cavemen diets. Yes, a few Paleo die-hards may approach their diets this way, but there isn’t just one definitive, monolithic, one-size-fits-all “Paleo diet.”Some Paleo eaters choose to go super-low-carb, while others  are happy to munch on a baked potato or a bowl of brown rice every now and then. The Paleo tent is big enough to fit a host of different approaches, but the core tenets of ancestral eating remain the same:

• Eat whole, unprocessed, nutrient-dense, nourishing foods.Prioritize grass fed and pastured meats and eggs, wild-caught seafood, and vegetables. Enjoy fruit, nuts, and seeds in moderation.

• Avoid foods that will harm us by causing systemic inflammation, wrecking our guts, or derailing our natural metabolic processes. Abstain from toxic, pro-inflammatory foods like gluten-containing grains, legumes, sugar, and the laboratory-concocted Frankenfoods found in the middle aisles of your neighborhood supermarket.

Physicians, biochemists, nutritionists, and other researchers are starting to come around to the benefits of ancestral nutrition, and people who adopt a Paleo-like approach to eating are reporting significant improvements in their general health, body composition, and energy levels. Most importantly, there’s evidence that folks who eat this way are reducing their risks of numerous diseases and disorders that are associated with the Standard American Diet (S.A.D.).

I know what you’re thinking: how can this be healthy? Many folks seem to think that eating Paleo means going super-duper low-carb and consuming gobs and gobs of meat and animal fat. But for me, Paleo looks more like this:

Yes, high-quality proteins and fats are part of the equation, but so are lots of vegetables and even (gasp!) carbohydrates. It’s not like I dumped all the grains (which, let’s face it, aren’t naturally nutrient-rich) and processed junk off my plate and replaced it with bacon. Instead, I replaced it with vegetables and fruit—and I replaced the low-quality, CAFO-raised, steroid-injected meat I used to eat with grass-fed and pastured meat, eggs, and sustainable seafood. In other words:

Avoid lab-concocted Frankenfoods and ingredients that are more likely to be harmful than healthful, and prioritize real, whole, nutrient-packed food instead.

In case you’re wondering, I cook entirely gluten- and soy-free, and steer clear of legumes and refined vegetable and seed oils. No one is  "Paleo perfect,” . For example, I would  not swear-off sweet potatoes. See related blogpost@ http://serenityweightloss.blogspot.com/2014/05/paleo-lifestyle-may-i-have-sweet-potato.html

If you’re on a weight-loss journey, suffering from an immunological disorder,   a super-strict, Orthodox Paleo may be the perfect starting point for you, for 14-28 days intervals. Serenity calls them ’"REBOOTS" or  Paleo re-sets. But as a general matter, do not  strictly, slavishly, and mindlessly mimick the diets of our Paleolithic ancestors. Rather, the way they ate simply gives all of us a starting point from which to decide how to eat in the modern world. Serenity recommends WHITE SHEET or Orthodox PALEO, then BLUE SHEET, for a more flexible PALEO Eating lifestyle. Also make my choices by considering the health risks and consequences of the foods you eat.

As a modern cave-foodie,  follow these three basic rules:

Even I must set my opinion aside, because I do not practice all aspects of the Paleo lifestyle either. For example, I do not eat red meat , chicken or pork. 

1. Follow the Paleo roadmap as closely as possible.

Yes, there may be an occasional detour, and every now and then, some gastronomic off-roading can be fun and well worth the indulgence. But we need to keep moving in the right direction, which means avoiding dietary potholes like gluten, soy, added sugar, processed junk, and other inflammatory and gut-wrecking foods as much as possible.

2. Simple and quick does the trick.

Cooking becomes an overwhelming chore when we get too wrapped up in complicated, time-consuming recipes. To be practical and sustainable, ancestral nutrition has to be easy. As a night shift worker and a busy mom, I’m always on the lookout for shortcuts in the kitchen, and often rely on modern conveniences that cavemen never enjoyed, like slow cookers and food processors. (I also appreciate indoor plumbing, for what it’s worth.)

3. Last but not least: It better be crazy-delicious.

Too many folks think the Paleo approach to eating is about deprivation, and that all we eat is ground beef with a side of steamed broccoli. “I can’t go Paleo – there’ll be nothing I can eat,” skeptics say. But what they mean is that they can’t conceive of Paleo food being anywhere near as scrumptious as their weekly meals at the local greasy spoon, or as satisfying as the crinkly bag of half-eaten fluorescent cheese poofs on the floor of their car. To get people to maintain a Paleo lifestyle, it’s important to show how the food that fuels them can be healthy AND insanely good.

A few additional things to keep in mind:

• The Paleo diet is not a weight loss cure-all. If years of unhealthy eating have wrecked your metabolism and you’re carrying around extra body fat, switching to a Paleo lifestyle will certainly help your body composition and overall health. But the point of eating Paleo is not to shed as many pounds as possible so that you can fit into the jeans you wore in high school. This nutritional approach is about optimizing your health and wellness – not transforming you into a waiflike size zero runway model with that special heroin-chic je ne sais quoi.

• Stick with it for at least 30 days. For many people, switching over to Paleo isn’t easy. Due to the sudden drop-off in dietary carbohydrates, folks who are used to mainlining pasta and sugar often report that they feel terrible for the first couple of weeks after going Paleo. (Some call this the “Paleo flu.”) But if you can make it through this initial period of sluggishness (which can least two or three weeks), you’ll come through the other end feeling like a million bucks. Trust me. I’ve been there.

• Eat like a champ. Don’t be afraid to try new recipes or experience new foods – including healthy dietary fats. The Paleo diet may feel restrictive at first, but if you have an open mind and adventurous palate, you’ll soon find that this way of eating offers infinite variety, flavors, and nourishment.

MAYO CLINIC ENDORSES  PALEO LIFESTYLE

See full article @ http://www.slideshare.net/serenityretreats/o-keefe-cardiomayo-clinic-endorses-paleolithic-eating

By:

Michelle Edmonds, M.A., M.Ed.

Author|Co-Founder|Sr. Nutritional Consultant

The SERENITY CHALLENGE

Serenity Weight Loss and Detoxification Program

For more information on Serenity's PALEO guidelines

http://www.slideshare.net/serenityretreats/paleo-eating-in-the-serenity-weight-loss-and-detoxification-program

For our recipe board

http://www.pinterest.com/serenityweight/serenitys-healthy-menu-picks/