Five things you need to know before you go paleo (or any other restrictive diet)

It's nearly summer, which means its that time of year when normally sane minded individuals will believe, and try, damn near anything to get that elusive summer body. That usually involves an exponential increase in visits to the gym and more than likely trying out that new eating trend that works for eeeeeveryone (or so it seems). 

But before doing so, read these five tips to make sure you know what you're getting into...

1) Chances are you are not gluten intolerant. Despite, what many will have you believe, gluten is not cyanide hidden in your grain based foods. If you strongly believe you have a gluten intolerance or celiac disease, you should get tested by your doctor before changing your eating lifestyle. (Read more here, here and here.)

2) Any diet that restricts or omits: sugar, processed foods, grains, legumes and dairy is OF COURSE GOING TO HELP YOU LOSE WEIGHT! Your diet just became vegetables, meat, fruit and nuts/seeds. Eating like that under any name will make you feel and look much better.

3) Just because they came from a recipe blog and are labeled healthy, those cinnamon rolls aren't good for you.... I think this one is pretty self explanatory. People will always try to bend the rules laid out by any diet so use your brain. If you make a dessert every night with almond flour, coconut milk, fruit and eggs, the calories still add up. Which leads to the golden rule...

4) ...portion sizes and macros are key. Eat small(er) portions and make sure your body gets the correct ratios of proteins, carbs and fats for your current goal. Elite athletes will obviously have different caloric needs than most people. Remember that next time you try to justify your post-workout gorge with what a 23-year old Michael Phelps was eating in Beijing.

5) Do not crash diet. This can not be emphasized enough. The potential implications of dropping your caloric intake off a cliff can have a very wide impact on every aspect of your life. Depression, metabolic disruptions, internal organ dysfunction and a host of other problems can easily arise. Anything more than a 500 calorie difference in your daily intake should be monitored and prescribed by health professionals. 

Personally, I have nothing against eating Paleo as it does what any good food plan does and that's create structure. Though I would prefer if it were historically correct...