The Paleo Diet: What Is It and How to Get Started

What Is The Paleo Diet?

The term “paleo” comes from the Paleolithic period in human history. First coined in 1865 by archaeologist John Lubbock, which comes from the Greek words palaios (meaning “old”) and lithos (meaning “stone”) and literally means “old age of the stone”.

This is why the Paleolithic period is best characterized by the development of the earliest known stone tools some 3.3 million years ago. During the Paleolithic age, humans hunted, gathered, foraged, and scavenged for food.

As a diet, it’s simply a throwback — a way of eating that tries to mimic the foods and eating habits of our ancestors. The idea is we evolved to eat this way and many of today’s common health issues can be attributed to nutrition and food choices. In effect, the straying away from this “traditional” diet.

Getting Started — Paleo Diet Basics

Beginners on the paleo diet need to first understand what the paleo diet is and isn’t. Once you have this knowledge, it’s time to hone in on the foods you should start eating (and those you should stop eating).

Since the paleo diet is a restrictive diet, meaning you are to avoid certain foods, then you need to make sure you are both avoiding the right foods as well as eating the right foods. You would do well to pay attention to these articles first.

• Paleo 101: The Ultimate Guide to the Paleolithic Diet
• Paleo Diet for Beginners
• Paleo Diet Food List
• 5 Steps to Success with the Paleo Diet
• Paleo Meal Planning

Best Paleo Diet Books

• The Paleo Diet by Dr. Loren Cordain
• The Paleo Answer by Dr. Loren Cordain
• The Paleo Solution by Robb Wolf

Paleo Diet Check-In

People often think they know the paleo diet well, but I can tell you first hand that many paleo recipes are supporting foods that are definitely not paleo. Things like sweet potatoes, for example, are an extremely healthy food but unfortunately are not paleo.

Are you making these common paleo diet mistakes? Lucky for you I wrote an article that helps clear up these [frequent paleo food errors and misconceptions][4].

All Paleo Diet Articles

• Paleo 101: The Ultimate Guide to the Paleolithic Diet
• 5 Steps to Success with the Paleo Diet
• Paleo Diet for Beginners
• The Paleo Diet for Weight Loss: Can It Be An Effective Tool?
• Paleo Diet Food List
• Paleo Meal Planning
• The 10 Biggest Paleo Food Mistakes
• Paleo vs Keto Diet: Which Diet Should You Choose?
• Paleo vs Vegan Diet: Which Diet is Healthier?
• Best Paleo Carb Sources
• Best Paleo Protein Powder
• Is Rice Paleo?

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