It took many decades for humans to develop from our intimates to this current state. Since this state works for us, it also makes us susceptible to various disorders and diseases. The predecessors were muscular enough to hound down wild animals or be chased by them. They can also withstand cold just by warming themselves up with the animal skin. But now, we cannot even climb a couple of stairs with no loss of breath. We are more dependent on medicines than we rely on food. But the question is, when we inherit everything from our ancestors, how come we are so weak? The simple solution to this question lies in the drastic changes in the diet.
The food habits changed drastically when people changed their habitat from hunters to farmers. We got accustomed to many new ingredients like pulses, grains, and legumes. However, this has done more harm than any good to the human race. This has lead to the beginning of a fresh format of diet known as the Paleo Diet. The Paleo diet states that you have to eat just like your ancestors and lose weight. It is one of the famous diets in the wellness world. This diet indicates eating more unprocessed and whole foods in an entire daily routine. It claims that by eating just like our ancestors, we will burn fat and will be less vulnerable to get various diseases like various heart problems, diabetes, cancer, and other complications.
Definition of Paleo Diet
The Paleo diet is also popularly known as the caveman, or hunter-gatherer diet, is dependent on the ancient eating ways. This diet is present since old times before the introduction of technological processes. Many health and fitness enthusiasts are including this diet in their daily routine for overall wellness and natural weight loss. The process primarily concentrates on unprocessed fruits, nuts, berries, vegetables, meat, fish, and seeds consumption. The diet contains a low amount of carbohydrates and a higher quantity of protein diet. The primary nutritional source comes from eating nutritious and healthy food.
At first, by following this diet, you might feel less energetic due to the reduction of carbs and dependent only on fats and protein as their energy source, but later, you will feel more energetic. When the body gets accustomed to this new diet, the metabolism will convert burning fat to create energy. Also, this process will reduce any cravings for sugary and salty food. In India, most people follow a three-meal in each day pattern (Breakfast, lunch, and dinner). All these meals are heavy, which is not very appropriate from a health perspective. India is one of the biggest populations in the world that will benefit from accepting the Paleo diet.
Food to Stay Away From in Paleo Diet Indian Version
Below are some of the foods you need to stay away from in the Indian Version Paleo diet.
- Vegetable oils like soybean, corn oil, canola oil, and other forms of oil
- Trans fat present in margarine and different processed food
- Legumes and grains like lentils, beans, pasta, buns, bread, and many more
- Processed and packaged foods. For this, you have to focus on the label of the product. Everything that comes with a label of low diet, diet food, or fat-free should be removed from the diet as they consist of artificial ingredients that are not good for health.
- Artificial sweeteners like sucrose, Acesulfame, potassium, Aspartame, Saccharin, and Cyclamates
- Sugary products like packages juice, pastries, soft drinks, candy, fruit yogurt, and many more
- Other products like a diary and refined products, and potatoes with no use of salt.
Legumes or Beans
Legumes and beans consist of an enormous Phytic acid amount, leading to different health issues in people. Thus all types of beans and pulses like soya and kidney beans, peas and chickpeas, black beans, peanuts, and lentils are limited in this paleo diet.
Processed Foods
Processed foods contain a low amount of nutrition compared to unprocessed ones. These types of foods go through specific processes that will reduce their nutritional level. It is the reason why processed and refined foods are not allowed in this diet. It is the reason why processed, and refined food items are not permissible in this diet. The different processed foods types that you need to stay away from while on a Paleo diet include cakes, burgers, wafers, pasta, French fries, sauces, cookies, pizzas, hot dogs, muffins, chips, biscuits, juices, and candies.
Grains
The next food item that is banned from the paleo diet is grains. Since it contains a high carb amount, this makes them the primary calorie source that will lead to other health problems in the body and weight gain. Another reason to boycott is they are also present in hybridized and highly processed forms. It is one of the reasons why the paleo diet stops you from incorporating grain in the diet. All the food items made from whole grain like pasta, corn syrup, bread, and brown bread are presently included in this diet.
Grey Food Zone Items in Paleo Diet
You have to completely exclude two food items from the Paleo diet, which are:
Dairy
Drinking milk has undoubtedly always been a topic of debate among health experts. Completely boycotting will lead to deprivation of specific nutrition in the diet. Milk might lead to particular health issues like acne, indigestion, and leaky gut who could not tolerate lactose. As dairy is the gray food zone, you can consume only limited amounts of grass-fed, raw and fresh milk instead of the pasteurized ones. You cannot intake butter, cottage cheese, ghee, other daily products, yogurt, paneer, and buttermilk as these are not grass-fed.
Salt
Salt is a vital sodium source present in the body. This significant ingredient is present in the gray zone of the paleo diet for a reason. A small amount of sodium is exceptionally beneficial for the body and does not include any adverse signs. Also, a small amount of salt enhances the food taste and converts it into something more palatable. Hence you can consume salt but in small quantities.
11 Foods to Include in Paleo Diet Indian Version
Below are some of the food items that you might eat in your paleo diet. You can keep this list while chalking out your meal plan or going for some grocery shopping.
Fruits
There is absolutely no restriction on the total number of fruits you can have in this diet. Fruits include plenty of essential multiple vitamins, antioxidants, and minerals, safeguarding the body from the free radical attack. If you are on a strict diet to reduce fat, then the only fruit that you should restrict your intake to is banana consumption as they are richer in sugar.
Fish
Fish is one of the most noteworthy elements of the Paleo diet. Nearly 25 to 30% of the daily intake of the calorie arrives from animal protein and fish. Fish are full of nutrients and include a high source of protein. It also contains a high amount of healthy Omega 3 fatty acids. It makes it valuable for the fitness of your heart. Due to the presence of this nutritional content, you could daily include fish in your diet.
Nuts
Nuts are a vital nutritional source like minerals, vitamins, and fats. The high dietary fiber proportion acts like a great snack and keeps you full for an extended time. Some of the most common Paleo diet-friendly seeds and nuts are walnuts, pumpkin and sunflower seeds, almonds, and cashew nuts. If your principal target is to reduce weight, you should eat all these products intemperance as they include high calories.
Tea
Tea like herbal or green tea is beneficial for the Paleo diet. These strong beverages are ideal for getting rid of all the body detoxification.
Coconut water
It is another nutritious food to include in a paleo diet. However, you should not intake it on a regular basis.
Vegetables
Paleo diet always recommends and prefers in take of a lot of green and leafy vegetables. There is no such limit as how many vegetables you can consume. They are loaded with dietary fibers, beneficial vitamins, and minerals. You can consume any vegetables for your health goals, but always exclude high carbohydrate vegetables like potatoes and sweet potatoes. Always makes sure to buy only the best vegetable quality.
Meat
Lean meat is another significant element of the Paleo diet chart. The Paleo diet insists on a large consumption of lean and fat-free meat. It is highly dense in proteins and is necessary for smooth operation and healthy muscles of the internal body. The paleo friend meat options are beef, turkey, chicken, pork, lamb, and goat.
Fats and Oils
It is not possible to eat everything in the raw form. You need to cook some items, and for that, you will require oil. So oil and fats are other vital constituents you need to take care of in your paleo diet. In this diet, include only those foods that offer you healthy polyunsaturated and monosaturated fats. Try to ignore foods composed of trans and unsaturated fat. The best options for fats and oil include homemade butter, ghee, and coconut oil, mostly obtained from grass-fed animals. You could also consume extra virgin olive oil for this purpose.
Eggs
The Paleo diet allows you to include eggs as they are natural, unprocessed, and an outstanding nutritional source. If you are on a regimen of weight loss, then you should not consume egg yolk consumption. However, always try limiting your consumption to not more than two eggs in a day if you include a sedentary lifestyle.
Honey
It is okay to intake unadulterated and pure honey in a limited amount. But you should not consume it in large amounts as it is full of sugar.
Coffee
Coffee, especially the black one, contains less or no amount of sugar and milk. This form of coffee is allowed in the paleo diet.
| Vegetables | Fruits | Meat | Fish | Oils and Fats | Nuts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Asparagus | Grapes | Legs. Thigh, breast and wings of chicken | Carp | Extra virgin olive oil | Cashew nuts |
| Beet | Water melon | Grounded, steak and meat of beef | Mackerel | Ghee | Sunflower seeds |
| Celery | Mask melon | Thigh, breast, wings and legs of turkey | Tuna | Coconut oil | Almonds |
| Peppers | Raspberries | Grounded, meat and steak of lamb | Salmon | ghee | Pumpkin seeds |
| Carrots | Peaches | Steak, chops and bacon of pork | Kingfish | walnuts | |
| Zucchini | Guava | Grounded, meat and steak of goat | Trout | ||
| Green onions | Papaya | Prawns | |||
| Spinach | Figs | Pomfret | |||
| Parsley | Bananas | Catfish | |||
| Brussel sprout | Blueberries | Sardines | |||
| Broccoli | Clamps | ||||
| Cauliflower | Lobsters | ||||
| Sweet potatoes | Hilsa | ||||
| Cabbage | Red snapper | ||||
| eggplant | Crabs | ||||
| shrimps |
Benefits of Paleo Diet Indian Version
Now let us have a quick look into the potential Paleo Diet benefits Indian Version, which are as follows.
Good for the Heart
The Paleo diet is exceptionally beneficial for the cardiovascular system of the human body. It also promotes healthy fat consumption. Secondly, it will prevent you from having any processed or junk food, which is claimed to be a health disaster. It also helps control the cholesterol level present in the blood and thereby prevents any heart occurrence or blood-related disorders.
Efficient Against Diabetes
You might be shocked to know that almost 10 lakh Indians passed away each year due to diabetes-related disorders. Nearly 7.1% of the Indian adult population suffers from diabetes which is mainly due to the absence of proper diet and exercise in their daily life. The Paleo diet primarily focuses on the vitamin, protein, and fiber-enriched diet and excludes most foods and carbohydrates higher on the glycemic index. You should exclude everything that will increase the sugar level tremendously in the blood. Thus if you follow a paleo diet, it will protect the body from the ingredients that will enhance your chances of diabetes. According to different researches, when you are on a paleo diet, diabetes decreases with better insulin response.
Degenerative Diseases
These diseases primarily occur due to cell degeneration, leading to malfunctioning or associated tissue or organ breakdown. Some of the most popular degenerative issues include Parkinson’s’, Alzheimer’s, and many more. A student of Loren Cordain, named Robb Wolf, has published several articles on how the current diet will lead to enhanced occurrences of degenerative issues. Paleo diet Indian version is one of the ways to protect the person from various diseases.
Allergies and Autoimmune
In autoimmune disorder diseases, the body self-defense mechanism mistakes other cells as foreign components and begins to destroy them. It is a scientifically proven fact, and diet is one of the significant factors for preventing or promoting the autoimmune disorder onset. Since the Paleo diet is free from any chemical and all-natural, it protects the body’s internal environment and prevents any form of autoimmune disorders. There is also reporting of particular incidents that state that people have also recovered from certain autoimmune disorder diseases after switching to the paleo diet. There are many anti-inflammatory properties present in the natural and healthy ingredients or can be of huge benefit to people who are more susceptible to allergies.
Limitations of the Paleo Diet Indian Version
Now that we have seen the Paleo diet advantages, it is now time to check out its limitations too.
Nutrition Deficiency
Vegetarians consume only nuts, vegetables, and fruits. Since dairy and milk products also do not have any significance in this diet, there will be a slight deficiency in the nutrients. If you are looking for a fat cutter diet, this one is perfect for you as it does not contain multivitamins, whey protein, and essential minerals like phosphorus and calcium.
Highly Expensive
It is one of the biggest disadvantages of the paleo diet as it is a highly expensive diet. The major highly nutritional food items in the diet like fishes, milk, grass-fed lean meat, and nuts are quite costly. This is another reason this diet cannot be consumed by pure vegetarians in India 2022 .
Applicability
The major disadvantage of the Paleo diet is its applicability. In India, those who are vegans or vegetarians will find it a little difficult to follow this diet. The primary meals of the Indian diet consist of rice, legumes, whole grains, and pulses. But these are not allowed in the Paleo diet due to the presence of a high amount of carbohydrates.
Not ideal for Vegetarians
It will be a little difficult for vegetarians to survive on the paleo diet due to the inclusion of eggs, fish, and lean meat in the process.
One week Sample Paleo Diet Indian Version Plan
The below plan contains a well-balanced amount of food in the Paleo diet. You might adjust it as per your handiness.
Monday
| Breakfast | Lunch | Dinner |
|---|---|---|
| Sautéed vegetables and eggs cooked in olive. Also, consume five soaked almonds and one fruit. | Chicken salad dressed in olive oil with few nuts | Grilled or steamed fish with sautéed green vegetables |
Tuesday
| Breakfast | Lunch | Dinner |
|---|---|---|
| Scrambled eggs with vegetables and fruit | Chicken or fish salad | Roasted chicken with leafy vegetables and a homemade bowl of mushroom soup |
Wednesday
| Breakfast | Lunch | Dinner |
|---|---|---|
| Double egg omelet, one bowl of watermelon, and half tablespoon of flax seeds | Grilled breast chicken pieces with green beans salad | Baked Fish with a bowlful of cauliflower soup |
Thursday
| Breakfast | Lunch | Dinner |
|---|---|---|
| Broccoli soup and baked egg | Fish, avocado, and lettuce wraps | Stir-fried vegetables and meat |
Friday
| Breakfast | Lunch | Dinner |
|---|---|---|
| Egg omelet with lots of bell peppers | Stir fry of spicy pepper chicken | South Indian dish named chicken Chettinad with sautéed vegetables |
Saturday
| Breakfast | Lunch | Dinner |
|---|---|---|
| Smashed sweet potato with scrambled eggs | Various herb and citrus chicken | Baked fish with thyme and lemon |
Sunday
| Breakfast | Lunch | Dinner |
|---|---|---|
| Boiled egg with onions and tomatoes | Grilled chicken with roasted potatoes, onions, and tomatoes | Chicken keema with veggies and coconut curry |
Mid Day or Evening Snacks in the Paleo Diet Indian Version
You do not need to stick to three meals every day. You can include mid-evening and morning snacks based on your hunger in between your meals which are as follows.
- Cucumber or carrot
- Boiled eggs
- A handful of seeds or nuts
- Homemade mushroom, vegetable, and clear soup, and broccoli soups. Do not use any cream or sauce during the preparation. You can also make it light and healthy by adding some natural herbs to the soup with minimal spices.
You can also visit a restaurant while on a Paleo diet and order the following dishes.
- Grilled fish or chicken with innumerable side veggies
- Get extra vegetables in place of rice and bread.
- Soup with no creamy dressing
Frequently Asked Questions
Now you might have some more questions regarding the Paleo diet Indian Version. The below frequently asked questions might help you further to get more information.
Is the Paleo diet useful?
Terminating all the mass gainer grains and foods from your diet will offer you results in weight management. But it will be tough for you to maintain it in the long run since there are so many dietary limitations or restrictions.
Is it good to implement this diet during specific medical conditions?
Many foreign authors research and prefer this diet in many medical conditions. According to them, the Paleo diet decreases the risk of blood pressure, acne, fat-burning weight loss, and inflammation. But you should always talk with your physician or doctor first before pouncing on this diet.
Are there any foods in the Indian diet that are Paleo?
Yes, many Indian people consume seeds, nuts, vegetables, and fruits in the Paleo diet. The diet is rich in minerals, vitamins, healthy fats, and fiber sources. However, there are certain nuts, like cashew nuts, that are rich in carbohydrates. If you are on the weight gainer goal, then you can increase the nuts consumption.
Can I include bread in the Paleo Diet?
Since grains are not allowed in the paleo diet, bread composed of whole wheat or various grain combinations like oats, bajri, barley, ragi, corn, and many more are not allowed in this diet. Since grains are full of carbohydrates and might be highly hybridized or processed, it is not present in this diet.
Why might the Paleo Diet be bad for me?
The Paleo diet is quite difficult and challenging to implement in any regular Indian lifestyle. This is because Indian people depend on the whole grain for meeting nutritional needs; surviving without chapati and rice will be difficult for them. The chief components of this diet are fishes, lean meat, and eggs. Thus it is also a bit difficult for vegetarians to follow this diet as they consume only vegetables and fruits. Since pulses, legumes, and pulses are not allowed, the diet might make them deficient in calcium, protein, and vitamin D.
What to eat on a Paleo diet?
People who are usually on a paleo diet can consume eggs, fruits, vegetables, and fish. They can also intake a limited quantity of vegetables and fruits in this diet. Nearly 25 to 30% of the daily dietary calorie expenditure will come from animal protein and fish.
Final Thoughts
If you are able to spend a lot of money on unprocessed and whole-food, then also be ready to spend a high amount of time in the kitchen. If you or someone you know is on a non-vegetarian meal, then this diet is great for you in weight management. To compensate for your nutritional requirements, you can add various supplements like Vitamin B and D, folate, and calcium in your diet according to your nutritionist consultation.
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She currently lives with her husband in Navi Mumbai, and they have been happily married since 2017. She is also a fitness freak herself and has completed several marathons like TATA Mumbai Marathon, Pinkathon, and more! In her free time, she likes to listen to music while writing her journal. Discipline is her best friend, and she ensures to impart this virtue in her clientele as well.
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