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Paleo is on everyone’s lips. But what do you actually eat for breakfast in Stone Age diets when cereals are taboo? We have a great paleo breakfast recipe for you with just 2 ingredients.

We usually eat sandwiches or toast, porridge or cereal for breakfast. However, as part of a Paleo diet, these foods are taboo. But eating only omelets or scrambled eggs as an alternative is sure to get boring for Paleoans in the long run. With these great “muffins” there is variety on the table and on the menu. The ingenious thing: They consist of only two ingredients, are quick to make, and are 100 percent Paleo.

2-ingredient paleo breakfast

  • 1 medium sweet potato (washed and peeled)
  • 4 large eggs

Paleo breakfast: Here’s how

  1. Preheat the oven to 400°F and grease four wells of a muffin tin with coconut oil.
  2. Using a grater, finely grate the peeled sweet potato into a medium bowl. Then spread between the four muffin tins with your fingers and press down on the edges so that a crust can form.
  3. Bake the sweet potatoes in the oven for 5-8 minutes. Be careful not to turn them black.
  4. Carefully remove the muffin pan from the oven and crack an egg into each cup.
  5. Place the pan back in the oven and bake for another 15-20 minutes, until the egg whites are set.
  6. Allow the paleo muffins to cool before removing them from the pan.

The “Paleo diet” only includes foods that our Stone Age ancestors ate. You can find out here what advantages and disadvantages it has and whether there is also a meatless version.

Paleo diet: Eat like in the Stone Age

Eating like in the Stone Age – according to this resolution followers of the Paleo diet eat. This is not a diet in the traditional sense. After all, you can eat as much as you want and you don’t have to count calories. Rather, the Paleo diet is a nutritional philosophy.

The representatives of this Stone Age diet adhere to the presumed diet of our ancestors – the hunters and gatherers. That is, they feed exclusively on foods that already existed in the Paleolithic period, such as:
fruit and vegetables
meat
Fish
eggs
nuts
Taboo, on the other hand, are foods that we have only been producing and consuming in large quantities since the invention of agriculture:
Grain
sugar
potatoes
Dairy products
legumes
and processed foods

Paleo diet to prevent lifestyle diseases

The basic idea behind this nutritional concept is that humans have spent far more time on this planet as hunters and gatherers than as sedentary farmers. His body therefore had more time to adapt to the diet of the time than to the modern diet.
Civilization diseases like
diabetes
high blood pressure
overweight
have arisen in our “settled time”. From this, proponents of the Paleo diet conclude that the Stone Age diet is more natural and tolerable.

Is the Paleo Diet Healthy?

There are few clinical studies examining the long-term effects of a Paleo diet. Existing studies show that the diet can have a positive effect on the body:

In a study of 70 overweight women, half followed the Paleo diet while the other half followed the Nordic Health Recommendations. Fat mass was reduced to a similar extent in both groups, but the percentage of triglycerides fell more in the Paleo group. A high proportion of triglycerides in the blood can promote arteriosclerosis.
In a study of patients with type II diabetes, the paleo diet also reduced the subjects’ fat mass and also improved their insulin metabolism.
In another study, in which only 20 subjects took part, the paleo diet reduced cholesterol levels.
The Paleo diet appears to have health benefits. However, one review notes that weight loss on the Paleo diet (like other diets) is probably primarily due to reduced calorie intake. The studies also do not show whether the Paleo diet also has positive effects in healthy people. In addition, despite isolated successes, there is no scientific evidence that the diet can alleviate conditions such as autoimmune diseases or allergies.

Is there a vegetarian form of the Paleo diet?

There is also a meatless version of the Paleo diet. Paleo vegetarians call themselves the vegetarian Stone Age eaters. And basically, both diets have something in common – they attach great importance to fresh fruit and vegetables.

However, a paleo-vegetarian diet eliminates meat in addition to grains, dairy, potatoes and legumes. It is therefore important to look for alternative sources of vegetable protein and to pay particular attention to the regular consumption of nuts, healthy vegetable fats and seeds.

It is advisable to consult a doctor or nutritionist beforehand and to carry out regular blood tests.

The pegan diet combines the paleo diet and veganism. We explain to you what constitutes the diet and whether it is healthy.

Veganism and Paleo seem mutually exclusive at first glance:

While you do without all animal products on a vegan diet, meat, fish and eggs play an important role in the Paleo diet.
Whole grains and legumes are important sources of nutrients in a vegan diet. In Paleo, on the other hand, they are taboo.
However, the American doctor Mark Hyman combined the two diets into the pegan diet. This largely corresponds to the Paleo diet, only the proportion of animal products is greatly reduced – fish, meat and eggs are still allowed. The pegan diet is not vegan.

These foods are suitable for a pegan diet:

Fresh vegetables should be the most important part of your meals, combined with plenty of fruit.
Nuts, seeds and avocados as well as olives, olive oil and coconut oil serve as sources of fat.
According to the Paleo philosophy, fish, meat and eggs should come from species-appropriate and natural animal husbandry or wild-caught where possible and play a minor role in your meals.
On the other hand, you should use these foods sparingly in a pegan diet or avoid them altogether:

Grains containing gluten do not belong on your menu. Gluten-free grains and legumes are allowed in small amounts.
You should avoid dairy products and consume them very sparingly.
Refined sugar is taboo. Instead, you can use small amounts of coconut blossom sugar, syrups or concentrated juices to sweeten.
Most oils and fats are considered over-processed and therefore not pegan. Excluded are the fat sources mentioned above.
Processed foods should be avoided as much as possible.
Ultimately, you can decide for yourself how strictly you want to interpret the guidelines. A vegan pegan diet is also possible.

How healthy is the pegan diet?

The pegan diet is very similar to the paleo diet. Experts are discussing how healthy this is.

The DGE gives a positive assessment of the high proportion of vegetables and fruit and the absence of processed products. According to the DGE, studies also show that you can reduce fat mass, improve your insulin metabolism and possibly lower your cholesterol level with a paleo diet.
The DGE is critical of the fact that people who eat paleo eat a lot of animal products. The problem is less with the pegan diet. However, the DGE also criticizes that not eating dairy products, legumes and whole grains can promote nutrient deficiencies – this can also happen with the pegan diet. Finally, the scientific basis of the Paleo diet is also questionable. It is based on the assumption that our bodies are still adapted to the Stone Age diet and cannot handle agricultural products such as milk or grain. However, there is no evidence that our genetic makeup has not changed since the Paleolithic period. In addition, people at that time also had very different diets depending on the region.
If you follow the pegan diet strictly (vegan), you should have your blood values ​​checked regularly to avoid nutrient deficiencies (e.g. certain B vitamins, zinc, iodine, iron or calcium). Get some advice or consult your nutritionist before beginning a strict pegan diet.

The Paleo diet (or Paleo nutrition) has attracted more and more interest in recent years, not only in the USA but also here. Athletes, stars, and even doctors swear by the so-called “Stone Age diet” for a slim and healthy life. We took a closer look at what is actually behind the Paleo nutrition trend.

How does the paleo diet work?

To put it simply, the Paleo diet is the so-called Stone Age diet. So the species-appropriate nutrition for humans. Basically, it consists of high-quality meat and fish, nuts, seeds, and vegetables. The Paleo diet is modeled after the eating habits of our hunter-gatherer ancestors. It’s not about imitating life in the Stone Age. Rather, advocates of the Paleo diet assume that with this principle you are eating exactly what human beings have been prepared for by hundreds of thousands of years of evolution. Accordingly, the Paleo diet aims to become particularly slim, powerful, and healthier.

Criticisms of the Paleo Diet

One weakness of Paleo is the genetic changes that humans have undergone since the Stone Age. In addition, the sometimes quite high meat consumption in the context of the Paleo diet is viewed critically.

The basic rules of the Paleo diet

Give up sugar

With Paleo, you should avoid sugar as much as possible. Sugar is often “hidden” in finished products and beverages in particular.

Avoid grain

In addition, white flour products should be avoided. Rice and corn should also not be on the menu, as they contain a lot of carbohydrates.

Leave out finished products

Finished products, such as packet soups, should not be eaten on the Paleo diet. Because they often contain flavor enhancers and other additives.

No dairy products

After a short familiarization phase, you can then take the next step. And this consists of avoiding milk and milk products, such as yogurt and cheese.