What the Heck are
Paleos and Vegans?
Recently I had a friend ask me to
do a 30-day Paleo Challenge
with her. We both have been working out hard and she thought it would be a
great way to try a different eating style, incorporate more healthy eating
habits and well, to get rid of those nasty grains. At first I was a little terrified, not
because I didn't want to eat healthy but because lately I have been eating more
of a plant-based diet. I eat a whole lot of legumes, which is totally not
Paleo. And did I mention I am obsessed
with peanut butter! I thought, I am really going to suck at this!
I thought to myself how am I going
to do this? Paleo is certainly different from a plant-based/vegan diet, or so I
thought.
In the past year I have done a lot of research
on how food can really help our bodies and how to live a healthier lifestyle.
I’m not an expert by any means; it’s just what I am really interested in. An article that I came across really got me
thinking about the differences and similarities of a Paleo and Vegan diet. Go
to this link to check out a great article that I really connected with.
The Paleo diet
consists of mostly organic grass-fed meats, fish and seafood, fresh fruits and
veggies, eggs, nuts and seeds and healthy oils such as olive, walnut, flaxseed,
avocado, and coconut. The paleo diet stays away from processed foods, potatoes,
refined sugar, dairy, cereal grains, legumes (including peanuts), salt, and
refined vegetable oils such as soybean, corn, and canola. The main reason people decide to do
this diet is to get back to our Paleolithic ancestors. This is believed to be the diet about 2.5
million years ago. People believe that we are not adapted to eat all of the
highly processed foods we have today and that this is the best diet to a
healthy strong body. Paleos eat as if they were back in time as a “hunter and
gather”.
The Vegan diet
primarily consists of fresh fruits and veggies, all grains, legumes, nuts, seeds and healthy oils such as olive, coconut, vegetable. The Vegan diet avoids all animal products. That means no meat, no dairy,
no eggs, and no honey. Vegans are also against using products like leather,
silk, fur, wool and even some cosmetics.
What I have learned while doing research, is that the Paleo
diet and the Vegan diet are more similar than you think.
What Paleos and Vegans both agree on:
Organic fruits and Veggies are great.
Nuts are good.
Dairy is not good.
Fast food is gross.
Whole foods and food close to its natural state are the
best.
Avoid processed foods.
The conventional meat industry needs a lot of changes.
Fuel your body with natural, clean foods!
Now I think the point of all this
is that everyone should eat foods that are whole, natural, clean, and organic,
when possible. Who can argue with that? The food we eat fuels and helps our
bodies do everyday stuff; go to work, do laundry, work out at the gym, fill the
car with gas, go to the grocery store, or cook for our families.
I am not saying that everyone needs
to choose to be a Paleo or a Vegan. I think that all of us could take some
advice from these lifestyles and incorporate more whole and natural foods into
our daily meals. Let’s give our bodies the real food they need. Let’s get rid
of the standard American way of eating! Don’t drive to a drive-thru, instead
drive to a park or the beach and bring your own goodies! Let’s get out and
move, and eat good food for our beautiful lives and bodies!
Awesome Megan!! This was really great and helpful to read!!! :D
ReplyDeleteThanks Chantel!
ReplyDeleteGreat blog!
ReplyDelete