The Paleo diet in simple words is quoted as ” Eat like your ancestors and lose weight”. This is one of the most popular diets in the wellness world. Hence this Indian version of paleo diet was designed for our readers. It preaches to eat more of whole and unprocessed foods in the day to day routine. The diet claims that by eating like our ancestors, we will be leaner and less likely to get diabetes and other degenerative diseases such as cancer, heart problem, and various health complications.
So, in this health column, we are going to talk about Paleo diet, it’s pros and cons and most important about the Indian version of Paleo diet.
Indian Version of Paleo Diet
Paleo diet is all about eating like our ancestors. It is all about eating raw and unprocessed food. Meat, Fish, Eggs, chicken, fruits and vegetables,nuts,seeds,healthy fats and oils. While avoiding all Packaged and processed foods, soft drinks, most dairy products,legumes,artificial sweeteners,vegetable oils and trans fats.
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Foods to avoid while following Indian Version of Paleo Diet
- Packaged and Processed foods – Focus on food labeling. Do smart grocery shopping. Everything that is labeled “Fat-free or Low fat” or “Diet food” should be eliminated from the diet as they contain artificial ingredients which are bad for health.
- Vegetable oils – Canola oil, Soybean, Corn oil and other such oils should be avoided.
- Artificial sweeteners – Aspartame, Sucrose, Saccharin, Acesulfame, cyclamates and potassium.
- Trans Fats – Found in various processed foods and margarine.
- Sugary products- soft drinks, packaged juices, candy, pastries, fruit yogurt and much more.
- Grains and legumes – Beans, lentils, breads, pasta, buns etc.
Other products could be dairy products , refined products (as mentioned above), potatoes and much use of salt. If you want to avoid these ingredients, then do check the food label and encourage smart grocery shopping .
Foods To Eat While on Indian version of Paleo Diet
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Plan your Indian Version of Paleo Diet on basis of real and unprocessed food.
- Meats – Turkey, bacon, beef
- Poultry – chicken and Pasteurized and organic eggs
- Sea foods – Fish and other Sea foods
- Healthy Fats – cooking oils such as olive oil, coconut oil etc.
- Vegetables: Always choose seasonal vegetables
- Fruits: Always choose seasonal fruits
- Roots and Tubers: potatoes, yams, turnips etc.
- Nuts and Seeds: Almonds, cashew, walnuts , sunflower , flax seed seed etc.
- Salts and Spices:Himalayan salt, garlic, low sodium salt, turmeric, herbs etc.
Try to include organic, natural food groups if you can afford it, if not , then just make sure to reduce all the junk and process.
Indian Version Of Paleo diet Shopping List
This simple shopping list can give you the idea about paleo foods.
- Meat, beef, lamb, chicken
- Salmon, mackerel
- Eggs
- Fresh vegetables, tomatoes, onions, lettuce, broccoli, bell peppers
- Fruits such as apples, oranges, avocados, pears, pomegranate
- Berries such as strawberries.
- Nuts like almonds, walnuts, cashew
- Olive oil
- Sweet potatoes
- Coconut oil
It is a good idea to eliminate all unhealthy temptations from your homes like ice-creams, chocolates, candies, sodas, pastries, refined products, and breads.
A Sample One week Indian Version of Paleo Diet
This plan contains a balanced amount of paleo foods.You are free to change according to your preferences.
Monday
- Breakfast- Eggs and sauteed vegetables cooked in olive oil, 1 fruit, and 5 soaked almonds.
- Lunch– Chicken salad with handful of nuts.
- Dinner- Steamed /grilled fish with sauteed veggies.
Tuesday
- Breakfast- Scrambled egg with lot of vegetables.
- Lunch– Fish Salad/Chicken salad.
- Dinner– Roasted chicken and vegetables with a bowl of homemade mushroom soup.
Wednesday
- Breakfast-Egg omelet, 1 bowl of watermelon and ½ tsp flax seeds.
- Lunch–Green beans salad with grilled chicken pieces.
- Dinner–Baked fish with 1 bowl of cauliflower soup
Thursday
- Breakfast– Baked egg and broccoli
- Lunch– Fish avocado lettuce wraps
- Dinner– Stir fried meat and vegetables
Friday
- Breakfast: Bell pepper egg omelette
- Lunch: Spicy pepper chicken stir fry
- Dinner: Chicken Chettinad (South Indian dish) with sauteed veggies
Saturday
- Breakfast: Scrambled egg with sweet potato
- Lunch: Citrus and herb chicken
- Dinner: Baked fish with lemon and thyme
Sunday
- Breakfast: Boiled egg with tomatoes and onions
- Lunch: chicken with roasted tomatoes
- Dinner: keema with coconut curry and veggies
Simple Mid-day Snacks to include in your paleo diet
There is no need to stick to three meals a day. You can easily include mid-morning and evening snack depending upon your hunger.Here is some list of snacks which are easy and portable.
- Carrots/cucumbers
- Eggs in boiled form
- Handful of nuts/seeds
- Any seasonal fruit e.g in summers-grab oranges, banana, kiwis, pomegranate, apples
- Home-made soups such as broccoli, mushroom, vegetable soup and clear soup. Avoid using various sauces and creams during its preparation.To make it more healthy and light, you can easily add natural herbs in the soup with less spices.
Recipe of some soups – Mushroom soup , Mix veg soup , Spinach soup , Tomato and peas soup
Visiting a restaurant while on Paleo diet
- Order chicken /grilled fish with a lot of side veggies.
- You can order soup but without any creamy dressing.
- Get extra vegetables instead of breads and rice.
- If possible, ask them to cook food in olive oil.
Does Paleo Diet really work?
Eliminating all the processed foods and grains from diet will definitely give you results in weight management. But on the other hand, it would be tough to take it in long run. As there is a lot of dietary restrictions and limitations.
Is it good for certain medical conditions?
There are many foreign authors who research and quoted this diet to be useful in many medical conditions.They claim that paleo diet lowers the risk of blood pressure, heart problem, acne, inflammation and weight loss. But it is always better to check with your nutritionist/doctor before starting any new diet plan.
Final word on Indian Version of Paleo Diet
If you’re ready to spend money on whole and unprocessed foods, also ready to dedicate time in the kitchen.And more over , you are a non -vegetarian, Then this Indian version of Paleo diet is perfect for your weight management issues.
To fill your nutrition needs, you can add various supplements to your diet only on an advice of your nutritionist. These supplements could be calcium, vitamin D, vitamin B, and folate.
Lastly, if you prefer more flexible approach for weight loss that focuses less on meat intake and offers more variety in plan, then look for another plan. After doing Indian version of paleo diet plan , you can shift to our various other weight loss plans
- Indian version of Ketogenic Diet
- GM diet plan for weight loss for vegetarians
- Indian version of GM diet plan for Non vegetarians
- General 1200 calorie Indian diet plan for weight loss
- How to lose weight effectively
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