Restrictionist diets like the paleolithic diet can be a great way to quickly change your lifestyle. These diets cut out specific types of food to give your body a whole host of different benefits. The paleo diet has sky-rocketed in popularity over the last few years.
Whether it’s to lose weight, or to cut out some of the more damaging foods of modern life, it’s an incredible opportunity.
But the one thing anyone who has tried an extreme diet before knows is that it can be very hard to stick to it. How can you stop yourself from eating the wrong things?
How can you make sure you don’t accidentally eat the wrong things? One solution to this problem is starting with a 30-day challenge.
This article is going to give you a total overview of what the 30-day paleo challenge is and how you can join in with it. We’ll give you a rundown of what to expect, what to be careful of, and some of the benefits that you might gain.
The Paleo Diet
Before we get into the thirty-day challenge, let’s make sure we’re on the same page as to what the paleo diet is. In short, it’s a new form of diet that includes meats, fish, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and fruit – with a key emphasis on cutting out any form of processed food.
The central idea of the paleo diet is to cut out anything that wouldn’t have been historically, naturally consumed by the human body.
We need to emphasize here that it can be difficult to pin an exact definition to the diet – because there are lots of different versions and people generally can’t agree on what is the exact diet.
There are different variations of the diet depending on climate – for example tropical/Mediterranean, and there is much debate about what foods would have been consumed by humans that far in the past.
But generally, the main foods you’ll want to stick to are whole, natural foods. The Paleo diet cuts out anything with grains – for example, rice, bread, and pasta.
The idea is to minimize carbohydrates as the human body is not accustomed to digesting large amounts. A typical Paleo meal might look like a high percentage of grass-fed beef paired with a lot of vegetables.
The paleo diet also puts a lot more emphasis on natural, healthy fats, as these will help fuel your body in the absence of carbohydrates. In many ways, you can think of the paleo diet as a less restrictive version of the Ketogenic diet.
What Is The 30-Day Paleo Challenge?
So then, how can you start a paleo diet? If you find yourself struggling to start, then this could be a great way to test it out.
Generally, with a diet, you want to take at least a month or so of experimentation before you tell if it’s beneficial for you or not.
More than this, it usually takes an average adult around 21 days to change their habits – and this is why the 30-day challenge exists.
Throughout this month-long period, you’ll be completely cutting out processed foods including refined carbohydrates and sugar.
You will be sticking to the key food groups outlined in a general paleo diet and making sure to stick to them. 30 days might seem like a long time, but challenges like this are a perfect way to start a new habit.
How To Succeed On Your 30-Day Paleo Challenge?
So there are a few ways that you can set yourself up for success. We’re going to give you some tips for you to prepare.
Step 1 – Pick A Date
Picking a date when you begin is very important. This will mean that you will be able to take some time to prepare.
One of the difficulties with a strict diet like paleo is resisting the urge to cheat. This means you’re going to want to plan your meals ahead of time and make sure you have everything in place.
So, pick a date. It doesn’t have to be the first day of a month, but this can be an easy way to keep track of time. Take a look at your calendar and count thirty days from this date.
We would suggest a week or two to prepare and use up any inappropriate food that you may already have in your
Step 2 – Plan Ahead
You’re going to want to remove all food from your pantry that does not suit the paleo diet. Then you’re going to want to plan ahead and have meals in mind.
The paleo diet means that it’s hard to pick up food from restaurants or fast food stalls, so you’re going to want to make sure you have a good meal plan. We would recommend doing this on a weekly basis.
Step 3 – Stick to it!
This will take some willpower, depending on your own personal tastes. Providing you have a good meal plan and can make some delicious food, it should be easier than you think.
You’re going to need to make sure that over the course of the month you don’t find yourself slipping, or else you will undermine the whole point of the challenge!
Step 4 – Review
At the end of your month, you’re going to want to access how well this diet has worked for you. Take some notes – are you noticing any positive benefits? Have you lost weight? Is it the right diet for your own personal goals?
This is going to be something you’ll have to work out for yourself. If you are finding that it’s good for you, maybe consider extending the process for another month!
Conclusion
So there you have it! We hope that this guide has explained and given you some starting tips for your paleo challenge.
It’s a great diet that can be really beneficial to you, and it’s definitely worth trying out. A month isn’t too long, and you could find that it’s a great fit for your body and lifestyle. We wish you the best of luck with your dietary changes and hope that you see some positive results!
