Our family has been working on switching to the Paleo diet this past year. We’ve had our struggles doing it—issues such as travel and living far from suitable markets, as well as more embarrassing items such as the occasional lack of discipline and/or will power. All things considered, however, we find the Paleo diet highly favorable and look forward to getting back “on the wagon” as soon as we’re done traveling.
Here are the benefits we have witnessed so far. In addition to the benefits of weight loss and having more energy during the day, we found that the following symptoms practically disappeared for us while on Paleo:
- High blood pressure.
- Sleep apnea.
- Snoring.
- Restless leg syndrome.
- Frequent waking during the night.
- Trips to the bathroom during the night.
- Tossing and turning in bed.
- Waking up feeling tired in the morning.
- Various aches and pains.
- Heartburn.
- Acid reflux.
- Flatulence.
- Bowel irregularity.
- Wheat belly.
- Bad breath.
- Pimples.
- Rosacea.
- Insatiable appetite.
- Craving for certain foods.
- Guilt of not eating right.
I’ve been wanting to build this list for quite some time, and now that I’ve actually put it in print, it makes me think that anybody would be foolish to return to these symptoms voluntarily! Interestingly, some of these improvements, we did not notice until they returned after being off the wagon for a bit!
I’m no expert on this and similar diets, but thankfully, many others have ventured to write on such topics. Here’s a web page with a good list of links to get you started.
Hurdles
Here’s a quick list of the hurdles we have encountered in switching to the Paleo Diet. You have to get a grip on the fact that this is simply not a mass market diet, so don’t expect the marketplace to cater to your Paleo needs. You’ll be swimming against the current of the society in which you live.
- Change of habits.
- You can pretty much forget eating out…..with rare exception.
- If you’re traveling, you’re going to have to bring your food with you, already prepared.
- Paleo foods (which are natural, organic, unprocessed, grown without pesticides, hormones, etc.) cost considerably more than mass market food.
- You won’t find a great selection in most grocery stores.
- Preparation time takes longer than lazy mass market meals take. As a general rule, if it comes in a box, you won’t be eating it anymore. This is not a diet designed around convenience.
Alternate Titles for this Article:
Why should I switch to the Paleo Diet?
How will the Paleo diet help me?
Benefits of the Paleo diet
