The New Trend in Healthy Living: The Paleo Diet

The "paleo diet," adapted from the Paleolithic Age to modern times, has been making headlines recently.

The paleo diet takes its name from the Paleolithic Age, a period dating back approximately 2.5 million to 10,000 years ago. This plan aims to present a healthy and balanced therapeutic approach by combining foods consumed by hunter-gatherer humans with modern life.

Since the Paleolithic Age was a period when agriculture had not yet been discovered and humans lived closely with nature, the paleo diet focuses on foods consumed during this era.

What Should You Eat and What Should You Avoid?

So which foods should you consume on a paleo diet and which should you avoid? Dietician Zehra Elban from Acıbadem LifeClub Healthy Living Services explained:

"The fundamental structure of this diet is to completely eliminate processed foods, processed meat products (salami, soudjouk, sausage, smoked turkey, for example), artificial sweeteners, unhealthy fat sources (margarine, butter, for example), products containing additives and preservatives from your diet. In the paleo diet, products containing gluten and high carbohydrates, refined sugars, legumes and dairy products are also prohibited. Instead, natural and unprocessed foods should be consumed. The paleo diet prioritizes food sources such as seafood, fruits, vegetables, unprocessed meat products and healthy fats, while being based on limiting the consumption of processed foods, sugar and salt. Additionally, as with any diet, it is recommended to avoid acidic beverages, sweets, chocolate, biscuits, packaged foods such as crisps, ready-made fruit juices and alcohol consumption. This approach creates a more natural and regular eating pattern."

How to Follow a 3-Day Paleo Diet?

Zehra Elban, one of the LifeClub dieticians who prepared a 3-day sample program to better understand the nutritional content of the paleo diet and to understand how the diet can be implemented, said: "The portions in this menu may vary according to your personal nutritional needs, age, gender and activity level. Therefore, while the following sample menu demonstrates the feasibility and variety of the paleo diet, it may require personalization to suit your specific needs," and explained the program as follows:

Day 1

Breakfast: Scrambled eggs with vegetables.

Lunch: Salad made with lettuce, carrot, cucumber, tomato, avocado, walnuts and lemon juice dressing.

Dinner: Lean beef tenderloin; steamed broccoli; salad made with mixed greens, tomato, avocado, onion, almonds and lemon juice dressing.

Snacks: Orange, carrot sticks or celery sticks.

Day 2

Breakfast: Sautéed eggs and spinach; one sliced apple.

Lunch: Grilled chicken breast; salad made with mixed greens, bell pepper, cucumber, olives and olive oil-lemon juice dressing.

Dinner: Baked sea bass; sautéed mushrooms and zucchini; salad made with arugula, tomato, avocado and walnuts.

Snacks: A handful of hazelnuts or fresh fruit (for example; apple slices).

Day 3

Breakfast: Vegetable omelet and avocado.

Lunch: Grilled lamb chops; salad made with lettuce, carrot, cucumber, bell pepper and olive oil-lemon juice dressing.

Dinner: Baked salmon; steamed cauliflower; salad made with fresh greens, tomato, avocado, onion and almonds.

Snacks: A handful of walnuts or carrot sticks.