Paleo diet: characteristics and benefits

Surely you have already heard of the Paleo diet: it is not exactly a diet, but rather an eating regimen. It is based on scientific grounds: it promises, and manages, to keep us healthy, or to regain health, should the need arise. Here is my direct experience.

My direct experience

I had the great good fortune to have come into contact with this regimen and all the invaluable info about it, due to some autoimmune health issues. The disease in my case has been an opportunity to open me up to new knowledge and a healthy lifestyle that manages to make me feel really good. In fact, the Paleo regimen seemed to be the only diet that could restore antibodies to reasonable levels and counteract side effects such as chronic fatigue and weakness that had been affecting me for more than a couple of years. After years of trying, finding, and figuring out what might have been the right path for me and my issues, I immediately began to reconsider all my habits. Although they were certainly healthier than the norm, I realized they were still not right for me and my pathology. I began to spend hours and hours researching and reading everything there was to know about the Paleo regimen and all the benefits directly related to thyroid and autoimmune issues. With curiosity and dedication, I tried to understand as much as I could, investing time and energy. And it was worth it. I thank life every day for bringing me down this path, with increasing awareness. And still, the benefits far outweigh the sacrifices. And let’s face it, these are just not giving up, choosing differently and correctly: uprooting old, wrong, and harmful habits to be able to build new, healthy ones, and thus achieving real all-around well-being. For sure, the Paleo regimen therefore has an edge to it: what does it consist of?

Paleo: what is it?

The name even says so, the Paleo regimen is inspired by human nutrition during the Paleolithic period. At that time, the diet was based on hunting, fishing, and gathering wild fruits and vegetables. Our ancestors were hunter-gatherers and enjoyed a healthy lifestyle in harmony with nature.
With the development of agriculture and breeding, the sources of nourishment changed dramatically, but our DNA proves that the genetics of the human race have not changed since Paleolithic times.
What does this mean?
We have not evolved enough to digest and metabolize grains, legumes, dairy products, and refined sugars. Yet these products are present daily and in abundance on our tables – on yours, on mine no more!
Here, then, is why the Paleo regimen advocates eating “real food” and not food subjected to industrial processing.
It prioritizes grass-fed meat, free-range poultry, caught fish, and preferably organic vegetables and fruits. This is easy to say, but very difficult to put into practice. Why?
Because over the years we have ingrained in our culture wrong habits that go against what our bodies need to be well and stay healthy. Paradoxically, we perceive a regimen of healthy foods as a diet: choosing wholesome foods and the exclusion of sweets, sugary drinks, and junk food are a renunciation for us. In reality, as soon as our bodies get used to healthy eating, we no longer experience deprivation; on the contrary, we feel a great sense of freedom. One finally feels free from the conditioning of food, which, these days, is comparable to a drug.

What to eat

Protein from grass, and hay-fed meats, rich in omega-3s
game or venison: pheasant, partridge, wild boar, deer
meat from “prized pigs” that live free and naturally feed only on acorns such as Patanegra and Mangaliza
poultry: preferably free-range, free-living
fish: preferably caught and small, seafood
offal: liver, heart, brain, tongue, kidney, tripe, bone marrow
egg yolk from chicken, quail, duck, goose, ostrich
seasonal fruits and vegetables, preferably organic
edible mushrooms
tubers: sweet potatoes, Jerusalem artichokes
healthy fats from nuts, seeds, avocados, extra virgin olive oil, avocado oil, beef tallow
fresh and dried herbs
spices

What to avoid

Cereals: all of them, including whole grain and organic cereals
Pseudo grains: quinoa, amaranth, buckwheat, chia seeds
Legumes, including soybeans, peanuts, tamarind and carobs
Sugars, including those in soft drinks
Dairy products
Hydrogenated fats, margarine, seed oil, corn oil, sunflower oil, rice oil, canola oil, safflower oil

So, is the Paleo regimen a high-protein diet? Nothing could be more wrong! Because the proportions of a meal are crucial. True, each meal contains protein, but these must be accompanied by two-thirds or more of plant foods (raw or cooked vegetables, or both).
So, don’t worry, you won’t strain your kidneys and you won’t have any side effects! Ideally, however, having a doctor or nutritionist follow you would be crucial, especially in the phase of approaching this new regimen. It sounds simple but it isn’t, so relying on a competent figure can help you get off on the right foot, and everything else will follow.

Autoimmune Protocol

Autoimmune diseases are caused by the alteration of the immune system, which is abnormally activated against certain components of our body, damaging them. Do you also find yourself with an autoimmune disease? Know that you are in good company! Never has there been such an exponential increase in these diseases as in recent decades. And I assure you because I am experiencing it on my skin, that, with the Paleo diet, you will be able to notice some improvements already after the first two months.
It takes strictness and discipline, the road is uphill and I would be a hypocrite if I told you that it is a piece of cake, but at least you can see the top of the hill. Reaching it with this awareness is certainly more inspiring and heartening.

Autoimmune protocol
Foods to be banned for an initial period ranging from 3 to 6 months are:

Eggs
Ghee
All nuts: almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts, pecans, cashews, pine nuts, Macadamia nuts, Brazil nuts, pistachios
All Oilseeds: pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, poppy seeds, flax seeds
Chestnuts and chestnut flour
Solanaceae: tomatoes, eggplants, peppers, potatoes, goji berries
Spices: chili peppers, paprika, curry, anise, cumin, coriander seeds, fennel seeds, nutmeg, mustard seeds, fenugreek
Spices to be used with caution and eliminated initially: star anise, cardamom, caraway, pepper, pink pepper, juniper berries, vanilla
Sweeteners such as stevia and xylitol
Coffee, decaffeinated coffee, cocoa, chocolate
Alcoholic beverages, including wine

Why do we eliminate these foods?

Because they are known to cause intestinal permeability, thus irritating the intestines, and resulting in inflammation. This is a deleterious detail if you suffer from autoimmune diseases. I am trying, it is not always easy to say no to almonds and so on: the elimination of all these irritating foods was not – at least for me – immediate. But with a little good willpower, you can do it: I started by eliminating eggs, even though they were the basis of my breakfast, which I loved, by the way. And then wine: instead of drinking a glass every night at dinner, I opt for half a glass just one night a week.
The next step will be to eliminate even that half a glass. What do you say, shall we catch up in a month?
I will retake the tests and be happy to share my successes with you!

Two months later…

After two months, I repeated the tests, and the antibodies halved! In the meantime, I have also eliminated half a glass of wine a week, and I have found no difficulty in choosing different foods for holiday lunches and dinners. I know that the road to recovery is still a long one, and that, when in the presence of an autoimmune disease, one cannot speak of true recovery, ever. However, if nothing else, I know that what I am on is the correct path, and I highly recommend that those with autoimmune issues at least try. After all, it doesn’t hurt to try.
And remember, finding the right therapist who can follow you all the way through is the first step toward recovery.
Then it takes goodwill and determination: the fact remains that relying on someone you trust is already an achievement, as well as a great opportunity.

Nine months later…

Antibodies are almost at zero. The mood is great and vitality unmeasurable: from 1 to 10, 100!
Of course, on my part, I invested everything in it: time, passion, dedication, and determination. I have fallen several times, and gotten back up stronger and stronger.
Now this lifestyle is the basis of my eating strategy, with a keto connotation, and is based on consciously choosing what foods are the most functional for my health.
Everything else is boredom 😉

Happy paleo, and good health to all!