Steps to Start the Paleo Diet

The Five Steps to Take to Implement the BeginnerPaleo Diet

Step 1: Eliminate all Food and Drinks that Contain Added Sugar and Refined Carbohydrate

Paleo Sugar Intake It is a well accepted fact that our Paleo ancestors consumed virtually zero added sugar.  On occasion, they would find a “wild source” of sugar in seasonal fruit or honey.  Sugar consumption in any form was definitely the exception and n...

Step 2: Eliminate all Foods Containing Grains and Processed Products

The History of the Mighty Grain . Consumption of grains on a large scale dates back to approximately 10,000 years ago.  The earth’s population was increasing rapidly.  With more people populating the continent, our ancestors needed a w...

Step 3: Focus on Proteins and Fats Derived from Animal Sources

Paleo Consumption of Meat Up to this point, we have focused on the first two steps of the Beginner Paleo diet – eliminating sugar and eliminate grains from your diet .  Now we get to the fun part – focusing on the foods that you shou...

Step 4: Focus on Vegetables and Fruits

Step 5: Eliminate Most (or all) Dairy

Introduction to Dairy on the Paleo Diet Paleo Dairy Intake The next step in your journey to eating the Beginner Paleo way is to eliminate all dairy and dairy based products from your diet, with the exceptions of butter and a few other...

Outlined above are the 5 steps to take to start the Beginner Paleo diet.  You can take each step one at a time or “go cold turkey” and implement all five at the same time.  The choice is yours.  However, if you choose to take each step one at a time, don’t proceed to the next step until you have mastered and implemented the one before.  It usually takes about a week or two before you can say that you have “mastered” a step in implementing the Beginner Paleo diet.

If you had to sum up the essence of the BeginnerPaleo diet it is this:

We have been misguided for decades to believe that if we want to lose weight, we should primarily focus on the amount of food we consume.  There are complex reasons for this focus on quantity rather than quality that are beyond the scope of this book.  However, by following the 5 steps, you can reverse your path to being unhealthy and return to the level of health and wellness that is your birthright.

If you want a complete list of foods that you can eat and can’t eat on the Paleo Diet, refer to this list.  There are three categories.  Green light foods are those that you can eat in an unlimited amount until you feel full or satisfied.  Be aware that it generally takes 20 minutes after eating before your body will register that you have eaten and sends the signal to your brain that you are full.  Yellow light foods are those that can be eaten in moderation.  Red light foods should be avoided at all costs.

If you have more than 10 pounds to lose, I have added a column to the tables below labeled “Weight Loss Paleo.”  For those individuals that need to lose more than 10 pounds, you should limit some of the types of food that are common on the Regular Paleo Diet.  Once you reach your goal weight, you can eat all of the foods that are listed under the Regular Paleo Diet column.