Need A Diet To Help You Get Shredded? Try the Paleo Diet

Go Paleo!

There are tons of trendy diets on the market right now, but the one I?ve experimented with that can get you ripped when used in conjunction with a solid workout plan is the Paleo Diet. Also called the Paleolithic Diet, Hunter-Gatherer Diet, or the Caveman Diet, Paleo has exploded in the last five years because of its attachment to CrossFit. Paleo Diet is the diet of choice for CrossFitters and it?s marketed in every CrossFit gym in the world. Paleo proponents say the diet reduces inflammation of your internal organs and has cancer fighting properties.

So what exactly is the Paleo Diet? Here?s a quick primer.

Should Nots: Modern cavemen and cavewomen avoid all grains, starches, and legumes. That means no bread, no pasta, no potatoes, no beans, no cereal, no rice. It also excludes dairy products, processed salts, processed sugars, and processed oils. Soda, candy, and dessert food is totally out. It cuts out a lot of the crap of regular diets. Most Paleo dieters eat more proteins and consume lower levels of carbs.

Should: Lean meats, fish, vegetables, fruits, roots, and nuts. Paleo folks use olive oil because of its healthful benefits, honey and agave for sweetening, and eat almonds. Paleo chefs make ?breads? and other carbohydrate-like foods from almond flour. The drawback is that almond flour is much more expensive than regular flour. Some people use almond milk to replace regular milk.

Paleo enthusiasts will also tend towards grass-fed meats and avoid anything with additives. Look at the labels of what you’re buying at the grocery store and avoid anything that contains a weird-sounding chemical. If it’s a pork product, you want the label to say pork and that’s basically it.

Other Takeaways: As you may have guessed by now, the Paleo Diet is not easy to follow because it?s such a departure from standard American fare. Imagine going to an Olive Garden and trying to eat Paleo. Next to impossible. Paleo is also more expensive to maintain and you have to commit yourself to cooking and prepping almost all of your meals.

Booze is a no-no because most alcohol is grain and potato based. Dry red wine and tequila is generally acceptable.

On the other hand, most Paleo followers will take a cheat day or two per week and eat and drink whatever they want. This makes it manageable and you’ll hear about some dieters who call themselves “80%” Paleo, that is to say they eat Paleo 80% of the week, which is still effective.

The good news is if you?re looking for a diet that will help you get shredded, Paleo works. Try it in conjunction with a good workout program and you?ll see results in as little as 30 days. Many Paleo newbies report losing huge amounts of fat weight when they first start and most Paleo followers also swear by the extra energy and better sleep it provides. If you’re interested in learning, check out The Paleo Diet website for Dr. Loren Cordain.