The Paleo Diet (22 page)

The Paleo Diet is humanity’s
normal
diet. The abnormal diet, the odd diet, the out-of-the-ordinary diet is actually the grain-, dairy-, and processed food-based diet that currently pervades the Western world. It’s time for a change.

The Paleo Diet is a lifelong way of eating that will gradually restore your normal body weight, health, and well-being. If you follow the dietary guidelines and principles I have laid out, you will reap all the benefits that humanity’s original diet has to offer. Your health will immediately improve, and you will definitely begin to lose weight.

In this chapter, you’ll find three two-week meal plans. Any of them will work for you; the only difference is in the number of Open Meals. Level I allows you three Open Meals per week, Level II allows two per week, and Level III allows one. Just use the appropriate number of Open Meals for your level of the diet, and you’re set. Use these guidelines and the recipes in chapter 10 to help you embrace the diet that nature designed for us all.

If you are a beginner, you may want to adhere to Level I for two to four weeks before you move to Levels II and III—or, if you’re happy there, you may want to stay at this level of the diet. Note: You should try to include no more than one Open Meal on any given day, and do not try to make up for lost time with your meal choices. Use them as a safety net as you get used to humanity’s
real
foods: fresh, lean meats, seafood, and fruits and vegetables.

Should you definitely plan to move up to Levels II and III? Not necessarily. Depending on your nutritional and weight-loss goals, you may be happy with the results you achieve at Level I, particularly if you limit your consumption of the non-Paleo foods while consuming your Open Meals.

If you decide to jump into the Paleo Diet more rapidly by advancing to Level II, then you may substitute two Open Meals a week for any of the meals in the meal plans.

If you are one of those people who can make long-term behavioral changes abruptly and want to go cold turkey to the Stone Age, or if it is absolutely essential that you maximize the weight-loss and health benefits of this program, then you should adopt Level III. On Level III you should substitute one Open Meal a week for any of the meal plans.

However, most people do quite well at Level II, and this is the level I recommend for maintenance, except for dieters with chronic diseases, who may do better with long-term adherence to Level III.

When our ancient ancestors were out foraging for food, they often snacked on some of the food they gathered, or they took portions of a previous meal along their journey. The snacks on the Paleo Diet—like those of our Paleo ancestors—are healthy, wholesome, and made of real food. Most of them are easily portable, so you may want to bring some of them along on your own daily journeys. You may eat snacks between meals whenever you become hungry.

The key to Level I is the 85-15 rule, and here’s how it works: Most people eat about twenty meals a week, plus snacks. On this beginning level, three of your meals—15 percent of the meals you eat all week—can be “open.” This way, you don’t have to give up your favorite foods. Again, the flexibility of the Paleo Diet allows you to cheat occasionally without losing the overall benefits of the diet. The three Open Meals provide a good opportunity to taste some of the foods you may miss the most.

There is great potential for abuse here, and you should do your best to avoid it. Do not consider these Open Meals as your chance to pig out on forbidden foods. For example, having two pints of Ben & Jerry’s Chunky Monkey ice cream for lunch would be a bad move and self-defeating. But if you’re invited to a party or go out to eat with friends, the Open Meal is your chance to indulge a bit. A single scoop of Chunky Monkey won’t hurt, particularly if you’ve been on the diet all week. Or eat a slice of toast with your breakfast or have some potatoes with your dinner entrée. But again, don’t eat six slices of toast or a pound of mashed potatoes. The basic idea is to ease the feeling of deprivation that generally accompanies the start of any change in diet. If you handle these Open Meals wisely—treating yourself, but not to excess—you’ll soon find that you don’t need to cheat at all.

At first, many people find it difficult to give up bread, cereals, and dairy products. But when you cut down on these foods gradually, you’ll eventually be able to replace them with more healthful fruits and vegetables. With Level I, you may want to use some “transitional” condiments. These contain sugar and salt but are low in fat. As you become accustomed to your new eating plan, you’ll want to reduce or eliminate them. Transitional condiments include:

If you are a coffee, beer, or wine drinker, you may continue to enjoy these non-Paleo beverages in moderation, working toward cutting back on them as you become accustomed to the Paleo Diet. Transitional beverages include: