Another perspective on the Vegetarian Paleo Diet.

Jethro Batts in Fitness, General 02/06/2013

Following up on the Vegetarian Paleo Diet article we put out earlier, here is another look at the diet.

If you haven’t heard of the Paleo diet, you haven’t been living under a rock the last couple of millennia. But just in case you don’t know what a Paleo diet is, I’m going to tell you, and I’m also going to tell you the vegetarian version of one of the oldest diets around.

The Basic Paleo Diet

The concept behind the Paleo diet is simple. By eating like how our cavemen ancestors eat it can help keep you healthy and slim. During prehistoric times, there were no processed foods; but there were healthy, wholesome foods and plenty of exercise. The result? Cavepeople were lean, athletic, healthy, and in awesome shape. The Paleo diet therefore, is a diet where you eat like cavepeople. That means no processed foods, no grains, and no sugar (except from fruit). Basically, no foods that traditional cavemen wouldn’t eat. Instead, there’s a lot of fruits, vegetables, nuts, meat, and other foods that aren’t processed.

What is the Vegetarian Paleo Diet?

The vegetarian version of the Paleo diet is exactly the same as the original version, but with one distinction. No meat. So what can you eat? Vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds. Ovo-vegetarians also supplement their diet with organic eggs.

I’ll be honest. The vegetarian Paleo diet is tricky to keep up with, but once you overcome the initial struggle you will find that this diet will make you feel more energetic than you’ve felt for a long time, and you’ll watch your body go through an amazing transformation. The trick is sticking with the discipline.

Getting Your Nutrients on a Vegetarian Paleo Diet

The reality is that you can survive just fine on a vegetarian Paleo diet. If you’re into your hacks, here are a few:

Allow yourself to eat certain grain-like seeds in order to get your protein. Some examples of these seeds include quinoa, hemp, amaranth, and buckwheat.
Beans are typically not allowed on the Paleo diet, because they cannot be eaten raw. However, beans and legumes are an excellent source of protein for a vegetarian, so you can be less uptight about the rules and eat sprouted or soaked beans/legumes. Sprouting and soaking these removes most of the antinutrients that beans have.
If you are not vegan, don’t be stingy with the organic eggs. Eggs are an excellent source of protein and add some variety to the vegetarian Paleo diet.
For the hardcore paleo’s taking supplements in addition is controversial. However, the purpose of any diet it to improve your health. Consider allow some supplements into your diet such as vitamin B12, omega-3, zinc, iron, and vitamin D.

By making these adjustments to the Paleo diet and also making sure you practice the methods of being healthy as a normal vegetarian, you’ll do just fine on a vegetarian Paleo diet.

Benefits of the Vegetarian Paleo Diet

The benefits of a vegetarian Paleo diet are many, and include (but it ain’t limited to):

You’ll break your addiction to processed foods over time.
You’ll have more energy, and have fewer energy crashes.
You’ll learn to eat clean.
You’ll realize that you don’t have to go hungry to be healthy.
You’ll be more creative since you have to learn to change up your diet with the limited foods you eat.
You’ll learn that you don’t need large amounts of grains and sugar to get enough carbs.

So, if you are keen to try a new diet, try the vegetarian Paleo diet. Give it a try at least for a couple of weeks and let me know your thoughts. By eating clean Paleo-style, you’ll be surprised at the changes your body goes through because of it.