The 411 on the Paleo Diet
The new hot trend of eating like a caveman.
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Most Googled Diet of 2013 - Last year, the Paleo Diet was the most googled diet by Americans. But what exactly is it? Read more about this trendy way of eating and its health pros and cons. —Kellee Terrell (@kelleent) (Photo: Sacramento Bee/MCT/Landov)
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Eating Like a Hunter-Gatherer - Created by Dr. Loren Cordain, the Paleo Diet encourages us to eat like we did back in the day — like waaaaay back to the cavemen days. This diet consists of eating primarily foods that we could hunt for or find in nature: Meats, nuts, greens and local fruits and vegetables. Cordain believes that this is the way that humans were genetically designed to eat. (Photo: Cyrus McCrimmon/The Denver Post/Getty Images)
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What Foods Does This Diet Exclude? - If you decide to follow this diet you have to say goodbye to a lot of the foods you eat, including some foods that are found in nature. You cannot eat grains and gluten (cereals, pasta, breads); any processed foods (anything made in a factory); dairy (milk, cheese, creamer, yogurt); legumes (beans); white potatoes; added sugar; certain oils (corn oil, canola, margarine, hydrogenated oil); and alcohol. (Photo: Jupiterimages/Getty Images)
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Why This Diet? - It’s believed that a diet that is high in animal protein and low in carbs will allow for us to live longer, have leaner bodies and help us lose weight faster. It’s also believed that our current dependency on processed foods harms our health and is responsible for the obesity epidemic in the U.S. Not to mention, we might not have been built to process all of the grain that we eat now. (Photo: Getty Images)
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Other Health Benefits - Supporters of the Paleo Diet claim that eating like a caveman has all kinds of health benefits. It can decrease inflammation, boost your immune system, reduce your food and environment allergies, help you sleep better, clear your skin, reduce high blood pressure and bad cholesterol levels and help alleviate stress. (Photo: Stuart O'Sullivan/Getty Images)
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The One Thing Critics and Supporters Agree On - Reducing the amount of processed foods that you eat every day is beneficial. Studies have shown that processed foods are high in sodium, calories and fat, which are known to increase your risk for cancers, heart disease, diabetes and other chronic illnesses.(Photo: Udo Weitz/Bloomberg via Getty Images)