Could the Paleo Diet Save Your Life?

I hear a lot of people ragging on the Paleo Diet, and I'm definitely not a fan. Any diet that restricts me to only "wild" and "raw" foods is one that I know I'm going to have a hard time with, and it may not be the healthiest choice for all. But could it save your life? For food blogger Russ Crandall, it really did!

How the Paleo Diet Saved a Life

Russ Crandall - also known as The Domestic Man - was a 24-year old in pretty average health. He ate well, did as much exercise as any other blogger, and took care of himself. What a shock it was when he suffered a stroke - the result of a very rare autoimmune disorder. The disorder - known as Takayasu's Arteritis - causes inflammation in the blood vessels, which can lead to damage in the heart, narrowed or blocked arteries, chest pain, and high blood pressure. Ultimately, in Crandall, it led to a stroke. He underwent a risky, potentially life-threatening surgery - which did nothing to fix the problem. After three years of medication and pretty much every treatment he could find, there was no hope in sight. Then he found the Paleo Diet - or, as it's more commonly called, the Caveman Diet

The diet is designed to help in just such cases, dealing with problems like celiac disorder, diabetes, and autoimmune disorders. The Caveman Diet appealed to the food blogger, who tried it and found that it wasn't as hard to keep up as he thought. Within three weeks of trying this diet, he felt a whole lot better. He slept more, got tired less frequently, and was even able to stop taking most of his drugs eventually - he's down from 15 pills daily to just 1. Doctors, of course, consider his improvement to be "spontaneous" - preferring to believe that "it just happened" rather than it being the result of the Paleo Diet.

His day is filled with a whole lot of protein, veggies, and fruits. Breakfast consists of a hard-boiled egg, smoked salmon or sardines, and plenty of fruit. Lunch is leftovers from dinner the previous night. Dinner is something like chicken, rice,  and vegetables (steamed, in a broth, etc.). Simple, yet satisfying!

Should You Try the Paleo Diet?

As an NFPT-certified fitness trainer, I've learned that a healthy diet is one that is balanced. Eating properly means getting the right amount of carbs, fats, and protein. The Paleo Diet totally throws your diet off balance - you get about 20% carbs instead of the recommended 40 to 50%.

However, the truth is that the Paleo Diet does have its merits. The idea behind the Paleo Diet is to get back to the roots of where food comes from, promoting consciousness of the food you eat. The goal is that you see what is in your food, thereby ensuring that you're eating healthy, natural foods - the stuff that's actually good for you. What does the Paleo Diet entail? Basically, you can eat all of the following foods:

• Meat
• Eggs
• Poultry
• Wild Game
• Vegetables
• Fruits
• Oils (the very strict Paleo Dieters do not consider oil as natural)
• Nuts
• Tubers (also a no-no among strict Paleo eaters)
•  Fish
• Wild Grains

If it's not in this category, it's not on the menu.

The diet is: 100% natural -- No processed foods, of course. 100% healthy -- The focus is placed on knowing what's in your food. It's not perfectly balanced, but for those looking for a new diet, it could be the key to eating healthy!  

For those trying to achieve a healthy diet, but not necessarily looking to follow the paleo rules, check out our nutrition guide.

 Click here to check out our 14-Day Nutrition Guide and get your results up to 80% faster. 

  Source:

http://www.kitchendaily.com/read/paleo-diet-helps-auto-immune-disease?icid=maing-grid7%7Cmain5%7Cdl13%7Csec1_lnk3%26pLid%3D396699