Before there were packaged goods, processed foods, GMOs and an ongoing debate between organic or not, there was dirt, seeds, water and roaming animals. It may be hard to consider now, but the dawn of man produced hunters and gatherers and humans had to get their own food – not by heading to the supermarket.

There were no sprays to kill insects, no chemicals or genes added or modified. No extra-large tomatoes or vibrant yellow bananas. Food was simple. It was either found, picked or hunted. And although there weren’t doctors or research scientists to confirm the benefits of such eating, it seems that when it comes to dietary habits, eating like our ancestors has some merit.

Diets come and diets go, but one in particular seems to have staying power and for good reasons as well. It’s based on eating similar to that of prehistoric man and it’s being touted as one of the best way to eat. It’s called the Paleo diet.

What is the Paleo diet?
The Paleo diet was created by Loren Cordain, a now-famous author, speaker and professor of health and exercise science at Colorado State University, who specializes in disease and diet. The Paleo diet itself reflects food items and methods of eating similar to our Stone Age ancestors – that’s right, this diet is framed around eating like cavemen. Through scientific research and peer-reviewed studies, Cordain has uncovered many health benefits to eating the Stone Age way.

There are seven premise on which the Paleo diet guidelines are based:

High protein
Low carbohydrates and low glycemic index
High fiber
Moderate to high fat intake – monosaturated and polysaturated fats with omega-3s and 6s

High potassium, low sodium
Net dietary alkaline balances dietary acid – some foods produce acid (meat) and others are alkaline (fruits and vegetables). Eating a balance of both alkaline and acid foods can have positive health effects.

High intake of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and plant phytochemicals.

To say the least, the kind of food that such establishments provide can really be fattening. And they can not provide the kind of balanced nourishment required by growing teens. But sad to say, in this generation of convenience and busier lifestyle, fast food chains have become an ideal choice especially for the parents who might not find the time to prepare meals for their children.When you realize that your teen is getting fatter and putting up more and more weight, you have to act early in order to prevent it from getting worse. An overweight teen can easily acquire a number of life threatening conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes and increased risk of strokes. Early action would usually help in preventing such conditions from developing in your child as he or she grows. There are a number of solutions available to help your lose that excess weight.You can put your overweight teen on a diet to help him or her get rid of that excess weight. A healthy diet combined with regular exercise is essential to a healthy way of losing weight. You can also give him or her weight loss supplements that will further help in maintaining a healthy means of getting rid of that excess weight. One of the supplements that your teen can possibly take is calcium. Most people are not aware that weight loss diets may sometimes affect the amount of nutrients that the body gets. Some diets may promise quick weight loss but may not be giving the body with the essential nutrients that it needs, especially the bones. Calcium and other nutrients are sometimes in low supply during periods of dieting which may lead to increased chances of developing conditions such as osteoporosis. Parents should be aware that dieting may lead to a low supply in calcium in their teens. They should be able to provide their children with a variety of calcium and other supplements so that the dieting teens would still be getting all the essential nutrients they need to grow and develop. And not only that, essential nutrients such as calcium may even aid your teenager in losing excess weight. There have been numerous studies that show that calcium may help in reducing body fat.The reason for this is because calcium is a known fat burner. Diets with a healthy amount of calcium seem to favor burning rather than storing fat in the body. Calcium in the body is stored in fat cells and this plays an important role in fat storage and breakdown. Calcium may be able to change the efficiency of losing weight. Further studies have shown that dieters with the highest overall calcium intake experience losing more weight, and the people with the lowest calcium intake had the highest percentage of body fat. When overall calorie consumption is taken into consideration, it not only helps keep a person’s weight in check, but it can also be associated specifically with substantial decreases in body fat. A low daily calcium intake is associated with greater tendency to gain weight, particularly in adolescent girls and adult women.

For those who don’t know if there is a relationship between your acne condition and the foods you eat, let me tell you that there is. You might have heard that oily foods cause acne, but this isn’t entirely true. Oily foods have caused internal changes including high cholesterol levels, but they don’t really have a huge impact on the skin condition. When does oil affect skin conditions such as acne? The only time oil would affect your acne condition, is when you use cosmetic products that have animal fats, oils and additives. Most of the makeup products and skin care products on the market today have oils added to them.

One thing you should begin doing is purchase herbal skin care products that contain no oils or preservative chemicals. These additional chemicals and oils will only cause harm to your skin condition. For those who have acne, it is never a good idea to use tons of makeup. Makeup may seem like a great way to hide your acne, but it surely does not make things any better. The types of food you eat will affect your overall acne condition. The following are some of the foods you should and shouldn’t limit on a daily basis, if you intend on controlling your acne.

The calcium rich fluid we all love drinking could be bad for your acne condition. Milk has been a great addition to any breakfast meal, but it could lead to your acne getting worse than it already is. Since milk originally comes from cows, there is a significant amount of fat and hormones which could cause an imbalance in your acne condition. I am not saying that you should stop drinking milk, but it would help if you could limit your daily intake. If you are someone who drinks milk several times a day, it could be a problem for your acne.

The one type of oil that is considered to be a helper in your acne condition is Omega 3 fat oils. All types of fishes have this fish oil in them, and they have been known to prevent acne and keep skin looking fresh. Whether you are cooking the fish or simply having some sushi, it is considered to be great for your skin and overall health. Apart from the acne benefits of fish, you would also be taking in some much needed proteins.

Oranges and berries are two amazing types of fruits you should eat at least once a day. When I say berries, I mean all sorts of berries; whether it is strawberries, blueberries, raspberries or blackberries. Berries and oranges have high antioxidant content along with nutrients that help with skin development and acne prevention. By eating such fruits, you’ll be able to get rid of the bad skin cells, which allows for new skin development. During skin development, one thing you should do is drink lots of fluids. Water and concentrated juices are the best, as they give your body the hydration, vitamins and energy.

I hope this you can incorporate parts of this acne diet into your everyday meals, so that you can get rid of all the acne and live a young and healthy life.