The Caveman Diet, also called the Paleolithic (or Paleo), is a plan based on eating plants and wild animals similar to what cavemen are presumed to have eaten around 10,000 years ago. Why turn back the hands of time and eat that way? The premise is that our bodies are genetically programmed to eat like our Paleolithic ancestors. Proponents claim it’s the biologically appropriate diet that suits us best, with the proper balance of nutrients to promote health and reduce the incidence of chronic diseases.

Clinical trials have shown that the Paleo Diet is the optimum diet that can lower the risk of cardiovascular disease, blood pressure, markers of inflammation, help with weight loss, reduce acne, promote optimum health and athletic performance.Supporters of this nutritional approach have published papers and books, and created web sites, to promote it. They argue that today’s typical Western diet is responsible for the epidemic levels of obesity, heart disease, diabetes and more.

The diet is based on the foods that could be hunted, fished, and gathered during the Paleolithic era like meat, fish, shellfish, eggs, tree nuts, vegetables, roots, fruits, and berries. But a true paleolithic diet is impossible to mimic because wild game is not readily available, most modern plant food is cultivated rather than wild, and meats are domesticated.

At best, you can eat a modified version of the original diet that’s gluten-free and includes lean meat, organ meats, fish, poultry, eggs, vegetables, fruit, and nuts. It’s a wide variety of foods. You won’t find any dairy, grains, sugar, legumes, potatoes, processed oils, and any foods that were grown after agriculture started. Supporters suggest eating organic plant foods, wild-caught fish, and grass-fed meats because they’re closer to the nutritional quality of the foods of our ancestors.

This is an example of a Paleo Meal I would serve for dinner

Grilled Pork Chop, Asparagus, Roasted Pepper Salsa.. Paleo Diet