Essentially, it’s eating as Paleolithic (Stone Age) people would have eaten. They were hunter-gatherers, so the diet is hunter-gatherer fare: meat and fish as well as vegetables, plus nuts and seeds.
The diet ensures you get rid of industrially prepared, over refined foods, including bread, sugar, diary and pasta. A recent study also claims eating the Paleo way can also dramatically reduce your chances of a heart attack in just eight weeks.
The biggest complaint I hear about eating Paleo is that people don’t know where to start in terms of recipes.
So prepare yourself for great health and a flat tummy with these five delicious meal ideas.
1. Steak Topped with Sautéed Mushrooms and Onions
Grilling is a Paleo chef’s best friend. When stumped for what to make for dinner, just grab some fresh grill-friendly veggies like zucchini, eggplant or corn and a nice slab of grass-fed meat. If you don’t have a grill, no worries! Check out this post to learn how to cook steak perfectly whether it’s in the oven, stovetop or grill.
I like to dress up my steak with a nice sauce. When cooking your steak on the stove, you can use some lamb broth on the pan with the leftover bits of steak and fat to make a nice sauce. Through in some onion and mushrooms for added nutrition (and deliciousness). Then, place the steak, mushrooms and onions on a bed of cauliflower mashed potatoes. This is a hit for late summer barbecues.
Mexican cooking-influenced burrito bowls are the epitome of simplicity — combine your favorites in a bowl with guacamole or sliced avocado, and you’re all set. Choose from ground chicken or turkey with homemade Mexican seasoning, black beans with Paleo-friendly salsa, tomatoes and corn. This meal is also excellent served with a side of marinated kale or greens.
3. Zoodle and Chicken Recipe with a Paleo-Approved Teriyaki
Paleo meals are highly creative in combining vegetable-based pastas with meat and sauce. A prime example is this recipe, which combines zoodles (zucchini noodles), chicken and a few additional veggies. My favourite part about stir-frys like this is that it’s customisable.
If you don’t like mushrooms, swap it out for carrots. Just make sure all ingredients you use are Paleo-friendly! Click here to get started.
4. Roasted Shrimp and Black Bean Pasta
One of the pleasures of the Paleo diet is enjoying the amazing variety of fish and seafood available. For this meal, lightly toss fresh shrimp in olive oil or coconut oil. Add crushed garlic cloves, basil, salt and pepper, and either roast or grill.
Black bean pasta is a Paleo diet staple. It’s delicious and doesn’t have any gluten or refined carbohydrates. It makes a terrific bed for the roast shrimp, and it’s delectable served with fresh corn from a farmer’s market. Lightly coat everything with a fresh squeeze of lemon or lemon olive oil.
Some hard core Paleo peeps would frown upon this but I include sweet potatoes in my meal plan, which most consider too sugary for the diet but it has never affected our weight loss before. Of course, (as my motto goes) everything in moderation.
For this recipe, hamburger ‘buns’ are made out of sweet potatoes rather than flour!
Typically, we eat the Paleo way for two weeks with our binge day on Sunday. Having a binge day to eat whatever you want (my moderation rule still applies) will make your body pick up its metabolism so when you go back to eating Paleo the next week your body cuts down on even more fat.
Lastly, eating healthy and working out go hand-in-hand. So don’t forget to exercise for at least one hour a day, five days a week, whether it’s just walking or hitting the gym to lift some weights.
About the author:
Ali Lawrence is a tea-sipping blogger who focuses on healthy and sustainable living via her family blog Homey Improvements. When she’s not blogging or on some crazy adventure, she enjoys yoga, watching old sci-fi and visiting flea markets. Follow her on twitter @DIYfolks.
The opinions expressed here by The Carousel columnist are her own, not those of The Carousel.com.
This post was last modified on 16/03/2017 9:06 am