Ask yourself these questions

Beyond your ethnic heritage, you can evaluate your upbringing and foundational nutrition (or lack thereof), as well as your genetic predispositions to health or disease to the best of your ability. Then, answer these questions regarding your current health status:

How do you feel most of the time?

What is the status of your physical fitness or athletic performance?

How is your body composition in terms of how much fat you have compared to muscle?

How are your moods?

Does your energy level fluctuate throughout the day?

How is your appetite?

Do you have food cravings? For sugar? For carbs? For salty or fatty foods?

Does your skin look healthy, clear, and glowing?

How is your vision?

How is your dental health?

Do you have regular bowel movements?

Have you been diagnosed with a specific health condition?

If you answered all of these questions positively, congratulations! You’re in a very small minority, and you can skip ahead to the recipes later in the book. If you’re like most people, you probably didn’t give a positive answer to all of the questions, which means you would benefit from evaluating your current approach to health and nutrition in short order. Read on to learn more about how food works in your body to either work with or against what will naturally keep you in a state of optimal health with regards to your digestive function and blood sugar regulation. These two components are the keys to long-term, optimal health and well-being as they can drive your body’s systems either in the right or wrong direction.

if you’re ready to just get started with the food, jump right on in, the water’s fine

If you simply want to improve your overall health, reviewing the one-page guides throughout the book and following the recipes will get you well on your way. If you have an existing health condition, set of symptoms, or a specific health goal, continue reading all of the chapters to learn how food operates in your body. Then, proceed to the 30-Day Meal Plans to find an approach that may be best for you.

You can identify which plan is right for you by reviewing the introductions to each meal plan, as well as the set of conditions and/or ill-health symptoms that each meal plan is designed to support. In the meantime, the chart that follows will give you a basic rundown of which foods to eat and which to eliminate for a Paleo lifestyle.

paleo eating basics: start here.

[ + ] eat
whole foods

MEAT, SEAFOOD & EGGS

It is ideal to enjoy meat and seafood from grass-fed, pasture-raised, organic-fed animals or wild-caught and sustainable seafood sources. (Resources can be found in the guides on the following pages.)

VEGETABLES & FRUITS

Making a dietary change doesn’t mean your food needs to be boring or repetitive! There are more than 50 kinds of vegetables in the guide see here. Use that guide regularly, as well as the recipes in the book, to discover new and interesting vegetables at your local farmers’ market or grocery store. Better yet, grow your own outdoors or in an indoor vertical garden.

Fruit can be hard on your blood sugar if you overdo it, so I encourage you to limit your fruit intake. Avoid adding fruit to your meals; instead, eat it for dessert. If you exercise a great deal and want to maintain athletic performance, you can include more fruit in your nutritional plan.

NUTS & SEEDS

When you are new to a Paleo-type of diet, nuts are a great go-to snack item. That said, nut consumption can easily be overdone. If your goal is fat loss, I caution against eating too many nuts. Please refer to portion recommendations in the Meal Planning section.

FATS & OILS

When you’re cooking or simply want to add healthy fats to a meal with very lean meats, choose the best quality fats you can find. Please refer to the “Fats and Oils Guide” later in the book for details as to which fats are recommended.

[ - ] eliminate
refined foods

Дата добавления: 2015-11-14