The Paleo diet originated from a collection of extensive research and writings about the diet of human being in ancient history. Although admittedly, most of the writings do not coincide to the nature of the Paleo diet, some themes remain common.
The Paleo diet comes from the word Paleolithic, but from the modern perspective. This diet was founded on the concept that people and their ancestral families are continually evolving for millions of years before finally reaching the Neolithic age. During the Neolithic era, farming and other advancements altered the human's diet, which became mostly detrimental to health. In the last century, further changes have aggravated the damage of diets to people's health.
This diet bears several names, such as Cave Man diet, Paleolithic diet, Stone Age diet, Neaderthin, Pre-agricultural diet, Hunter-Gatherer diet, and Evolutionary diet. Most foods today, those which are unheard of during the pre-historical times, are prohibited. This includes processed and canned goods, food with added sugars and preservatives, certain legumes and grains, dairy products, food additives, artificial sweeteners, and tubers. Even potatoes that need to be cooked are not allowed.
The only allowed foods on this diet are meat, fish, eggs, almost all vegetables, nuts, and fruits. Honey served the purpose of our sugar today. With the Paleo diet, organic foods are encouraged, even meats. Animals should be fed with organic feeds or foods such as grass instead of grains. Ancient people were healthy and did not have problems associated with saturated fats.
During their time, our ancestors did not have difficulty losing weight. As a matter of fact, obesity was almost absent in the Paleolithic age, hence, weight loss was not so much given the attention that it is given today.
