One of the most popular dietary trends sweeping the United States is the Paleo Diet. The best part of this diet is the seemingly endless variations possible to adapt to different physical lifestyle choices or allergies/intolerance or preferences. It is a diet that heralds back to the diet of our Paleolithic ancestors. The idea is that by going back to the diets of our hunter/gatherer ancestors, we get back to a more natural way of living and consume foods we are better at naturally digesting rather than the processed food that dominates our current diets. According to ThePaleoDiet.com, the following are guidelines for this diet:
- Higher protein intake-19-35% as opposed to the 15% in modern Western diets
- Lower carbohydrate intake-reduces the glycemic index, should be 35-45% of your diet
- Higher fiber intake-helps in digestion and can be found not in traditional grains
- Higher intake of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, plant phytochemicals
- Higher potassium and lower sodium-this is the ratio of natural, unprocessed fruits and vegetables.
- Moderate to higher fat—be sure they are healthy fats like monounsaturated, polyunsaturated, Omega-3 and Omega-6 and are balanced
This is not the most inclusive list and you should always do your research before starting a new diet/lifestyle health change.
As with any other nutrition diets, there are always adaptations that can be made for the individual. Some people take the Paleo Diet as also grain and gluten free, some just go gluten free, some go for completely unprocessed. However, you decide to incorporate this dietary lifestyle crickets and cricket flour can play an integral role! Besides the environmentally sustainability aspect, cricket flour provides you the increased protein, vitamins, and minerals recommended. There are various cookbooks out there to highlight the importance of crickets in the hunter/gatherer diet both then and now.
The best thing about the cricket flour and baking flour mixtures is the versatility. You can add 100% pure cricket flour to your baked goods to provide a little more nutrition or you can use our different mixtures of baking flour to make it easier. We have a gluten free and non-gluten free mixture. Do what is most convenient and appropriate for you and your diet. As the cricket wave continues to build, remember that incorporating milled crickets into your diet is a safe, sustainable, and easy way to get your nutritional requirements.
Works Referenced:
- Krug, Nora. “If You’re Going to Follow a Paleo Diet, You Ought to Be Eating Bugs.” Washington Post. The Washington Post, 14 Apr. 2014. Web. 09 Nov. 2014.
- Farrah, Adam. “There Are MANY Different “Paleo” Diets…” Adam Farrahs Blog. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Nov. 2014.
- Cordain, Loren, PhD. “The Paleo Diet Premise.” The Paleo Diet. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Nov. 2014.