While the Paleo diet is extremely difficult in itself, some people take it one step further with the Paleo vegan diet. The Paleo vegan diet has been growing in popularity over the past few years and is even more restrictive than the original Paleo diet.
If you have never heard of the term “vegan”, a vegan is a person who does not consume any food or drink that is made from animal products. In other words, a vegetarian simply does not eat meat, but still may eat seafood and other foods like milk and eggs. A vegan will not eat any of those products.
Typically, the Paleo diet includes leans meats as it is understood that cavemen ate natural, grass-fed meats during the Paleolithic period. This is considered the “hunter” part of the plan. Vegan Paleo diet followers are more concerned with the “gatherer” aspect of the program and think of our ancient ancestors living off of the plentiful plants and fruits of the land.
Under the Paleo diet, a vegan will remove the meat and seafood aspect of the diet. Therefore, most vegans eat three major food groups: vegetables, fruits, and legumes.
As everybody already knows, vegetables are important for everybody. Vegetables will provide the body with a large majority of vitamins and nutrients that are needed to properly function. The best vegetables to eat, in terms of quantity of nutrients include: Broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, asparagus, beans, tomatoes, mushrooms, and spinach, and turnips.
Fruits also play an important role in a vegan Paleo diet. Fruits provide another major source of nutrients including vitamin A, vitamin C, and Vitamin B2, B3, B6, and B12. The top fruits that vegans should eat include: Apples, oranges, pomegranates, blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, grapefruit, mango, honeydew, and watermelon.
Legumes provide vegans with one major nutrient that everybody needs: Protein. Because vegans do not eat anything made from animals, they lose a major source of protein. By consuming legumes, vegans can still manage to consume enough protein to properly maintain their muscles and bones.
Being a Paleo vegan is extremely difficult and is not for the faint of heart in itself. However, the vegan Paleo diet is rigorous and takes the body a large amount of time to get used to the plan. Initially, you can expect to have cravings for unhealthy foods your body may have become very attached to and doesn’t want to go without. Over time, these cravings will go away as you give your body exactly what it needs.
It is not impossible to complete but vegans need to make sure that they receive the proper amount of protein. This is normally the one major downfall of the vegan diet so do not make sure you fall into this trap. Eat peanuts, almonds, and cashews as well as beans. You should also make sure that you have regular doctor visits to make sure you are getting all of the nutrition your body requires.
If you are attempting the Paleo vegan diet, you should have self-discipline, because chances are you will find it difficult but rewarding for those willing to give it a try.
