Are you looking for a healthier way to eat?
The paleo diet may be a good option. You’ve likely heard of friends doing the paleo diet to lose weight.
But having a slimmer waistline is only the beginning of paleo diet benefits.
The primarily whole food diet can help improve your health in many areas. You may notice yourself feeling better mentally and physically when you switch to the paleo way of eating.
Check out these seven benefits of the paleo diet outside of weight loss.
1. Clean Diet
The paleo diet emphasizes whole foods with minimal processing. That means your diet is more likely to be clean.
The foods that fit into the diet typically don’t have additives, chemicals, or artificial ingredients. Processed foods often have lots of added sugar and sodium that you eliminate with a whole food diet.
The diet is heavy on fruits, vegetables, lean protein, oils, nuts, and seeds. You’ll cut out a lot of the highly processed food from your diet, which makes it healthier overall.
2. Easy to Follow
Some diets are overly complex. You have to eat very specific foods or make complicated recipes. You might have to buy specific foods or search for difficult-to-find ingredients.
When you choose a paleo diet, you don’t have to count calories. You stick to the food options instead. That makes the diet easier because you don’t have to remember to track everything you eat.
A paleo diet is a straightforward option that relies on readily available whole foods. It uses basic and versatile foods, including meat, fish, eggs, fruits, veggies, fats, seeds, and nuts.
Because it relies on so many whole foods, you have a wide range of meal options. You can keep them simple and straightforward or combine them into creative paleo recipes. This allows you to keep mealtime interesting without making things complicated.
It’s also becoming easier to find a paleo restaurant or dining options that are paleo-friendly. You can easily adapt meals by requesting different sides that fit your paleo diet. This allows you to enjoy meals out with your family and friends while sticking to your eating plan.
Other diets aren’t as easy to accommodate at restaurants. That can leave you with very few options or deciding to break your diet for the meal out.
The paleo diet makes it easy to live your life normally with little disruption while still sticking to the diet plan.
3. Better Satiety
The increased protein and fat consumption that comes with this type of eating can help you feel full for longer. That feeling of satiety can reduce needless snacking between meals.
It also prevents the blood sugar drops that can come with other ways of eating. Your body gets consistent energy, which can fend of feelings of hunger, anger, irritability, and fatigue.
4. Increased Iron Consumption
One big component of the paleo diet is meat. When you increase your red meat consumption, you’re also getting more iron.
This nutrient is important in carrying oxygen throughout your body. If you don’t have enough iron in your body to transport the oxygen, you may feel easily fatigued.
Being tired all the time can interfere with your thought processes. Your immune system could also have a more difficult time fighting off germs, which could result in more sickness and infections.
Iron also plays a role in the health of your nails, hair, and skin. With the increased iron intake, you may notice those things looking healthier and stronger.
5. Potential for Anti-Inflammatory Effects
Following the paleo diet could help reduce inflammation in the body. Fruits and vegetables help with the anti-inflammatory effect. Nuts, seeds, and oils can also help.
Inflammation is a natural reaction in the body, but too much inflammation causes problems. It can create ideal conditions for certain health problems and diseases.
The low-carb, low GI foods and the large amount of omega-3 fatty acids in the paleo diet may help reduce the inflammation in your body.
6. Improved Health Indicators
The whole foods you eat on the paleo diet may help improve all of those health indicators your doctor checks when you go for a physical. You may also notice physical and mental improvements.
Some potential health benefits include:
- Decrease in triglycerides
- Improved blood pressure
- Better gut health
- Improved immune function
- Decreased bloating and gas
- Mental clarity
- Improved mood
- Increased insulin sensitivity
These improved health indicators leave you feeling better overall. They can help you fight off infections and stay healthier. They also support your mental well-being.
The diet may help your heart health. It can support a healthier overall cholesterol level as it decreases triglycerides, which is fat in the blood. When your triglyceride levels are too high, it can increase your chance of heart disease.
Improving your blood pressure can also help support heart health. The combination of lower blood pressure and an improved blood lipid profile can keep your heart healthier.
It could also help cut your risks of developing diabetes. The diet increases your insulin sensitivity, which may help prevent diabetes.
7. Muscle Growth
Weight loss is a benefit of the paleo diet for many people, but you may also notice an increase in your muscle growth. The paleo diet emphasizes exercise in addition to healthy whole foods.
When you build lean muscle, your metabolism gets a boost. That can help you continue losing weight or maintain a healthy weight.
Strong muscles give you a lean, defined silhouette, which is a desired look for many people.
Strong, toned muscles also help support your overall strength and health. They can help keep your bones strong and cut down on the chances of a fracture. Muscles also help you better perform daily activities.
Paleo Diet Benefits
Exploring the paleo diet benefits outside of weight loss helps you decide if it’s right for you. Staying at a healthy weight is always a plus, but the extra benefits to your overall health and well-being can be just as convincing when you choose a diet plan.
Check out our food and beer archives for more eating ideas.
