Paleo diet

Here is Dr. Jon Barron's take on the Paleo diet from one of his Daily Health Tips


Diet fads come and go, and it seems like many times the newest diets seem to directly contradict the old ones. Recently, the Paleo Diet has been gaining popularity, with several books being published about it and more and more people wanting to know if it's a worthwhile endeavor.

While Jon doesn't necessarily agree with every tenant of the Paleo Diet, it doesn't mean that there's nothing positive to take away from it. With that in mind, here are Jon's recommendations on what parts of the Paleo Diet to incorporate into your personal habits:

Cut way back or eliminate all grains. And if you eat grains, opt for hypoallergenic grains that have been soaked, sprouted, or well cooked.
Eliminate all high omega-6 store bought oils from your diet. For low temperature cooking, use olive oil and coconut oil. For high temperature cooking, use avocado oil, grape seed oil, or rice bran oil. Supplement with omega-3 fatty acids.
Eliminate all added sugars.
When eating fruit, lean more towards berries than tree fruit; they're higher in antioxidants. But there's no need to be afraid of eating tree fruit, which tends to be higher in soluble fiber.
Cut back or eliminate all beans, and if you eat them, make sure you soak them before cooking, and then cook them well before eating.
Nuts are fine if you're not allergic. Use whole fresh nuts that have been soaked/sprouted. Do not use pasteurized or "roasted" nuts -- especially those roasted in oil.
Cut way back on white potatoes, but yams and sweet potatoes are okay in moderation.
Eliminate all commercial dairy from your diet. And if you do opt for some dairy, choose raw dairy despite what the government says -- or at the very least opt for organic, grass-fed dairy.
If you eat meat, use only organic, grass-fed meat. And keep consumption to less than 4 oz a day. And don't overcook it. (And here you're faced with another conundrum if you eat commercial meat. If you undercook it, you face the risk of bacterial infection. If you overcook it, you face the risk of cancer. If you want to eat medium rare meat, you're going to have to buy organic, grass-fed meat from a supplier you trust.)

For a full breakdown of Jon's thoughts on the Paleo Diet, click here.