The Many Benefits of Paleo Diet (and the BEST Banana Bread)!

This week we talk about going Paleo to improve digestive, autoimmune, and neurological health issues. Many people think eating like a cavemen is boring, but my friend George from Civilized Caveman Cooking guest stars to bust that myth with the tastiest, easiest Paleo banana bread recipe. Check it out!

‍

‍

Should We Eat Like Cavemen?

Today’s Food as Medicine we are talking about eating like a caveman and we have a special guest; George Bryant from the award winning food blog civilizedcavemancooking.com.  We are going to explain the Paleo diet, how it can help you lose weight while getting you healthy at the same time and we have George’s delicious Paleo banana bread recipe.

What it is Paleo diet and how it can help us?

Paleo is short for Paleolithic.  Paleo is a grain free diet and is based on the idea that our ancestors didn't suffer from the chronic disease that we are suffering from today because they didn't eat all the processed refined foods and oils we eat today.  In my practice, if I have clients struggling with autoimmunity or thyroid issues I use the Paleo diet as a healing diet to help people get healthier.  Paleo has now become mainstream and is being touted for helping reverse progressive MS, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.

George Bryant creator of the award winning food blog civilizedcavemancooking.com has been blogging about the Paleo diet for years.  He is a former Marine who was medically separated from the Marine’s after 13 years.  He used the Paleo diet to overcome some eating disorders and weight issues that he had the majority of his life.

On George’s his 21st birthday his legs exploded in Somalia.  He had multiple surgeries, spent 12 months in a wheelchair and ballooned up to 257 pounds.  He always chased the perfect health trying to optimize his work out with food which was an arduous journey for him.  Eventually he stumbled across the paleo diet and it became effortless.  All the health issues he had struggled with at the time like migraines and allergies disappeared effortlessly.  A lot of people associate the Paleo diet with boring.  George and his Civilized Caveman Cooking prove to you that it is not boring!  For more information and recipes from George go to civilizedcavemancooking.com.

What is the best way to transition to Paleo?

Any transition depends on what you're ready for, but for Paleo cold turkey is best.  The first couple of days you might go through some detox symptoms and some cravings, but you should regulate within a week or so.

How can people with food sensitivities benefit from Paleo?

So many people are struggling with food sensitivities that we never heard about 20 or 30 years ago.  We have changed our food supply so much in the last 50 years; from how we grow foods to foods being genetically modifying.  Our bodies do not recognizing what we are eating.  Also, with industrial farming animals aren't eating what they used to eat in nature.  Because Paleo diet is grain free, dairy free and all about pasture-raised animals is great for people with food sensitivities who can't handle grains, legumes, dairy or gluten.  No matter where you are with your digestion it is going to improve your digestion and your immune health.

Paleo Banana Bread Recipe by George Bryant civilizedcavemancooking.com

Prep time:  10 mins

Cook time: 60 mins

Total time: 1 hour 10 mins

Serves: 8

Ingredients

• 4 bananas, 2 1/2 cups mashed (they can be yellow bananas)
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 cup almond butter (or coconut, sunflower seed, macadamia nut, etc butter)
• 4 tablespoons grass-fed butter, melted (can substitute coconut oil)
• 1/2 cup coconut flour (or almond flour, macadamia nut meal, etc)
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder (gluten free or homemade)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• pinch of sea salt

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees
2. Combine your bananas, eggs, and nut butter, and grass-fed butter in a blender, food processor, or mixing bowl and mix well (if using a mixing bowl you need a good hand-mixer)
3. Once all of your ingredients are blended, add in your coconut flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, vanilla, and sea salt and mix well
4. Grease a 9×5 glass (see notes) loaf pan with a fat of your choice (I used grass-fed butter). If you use a metal pan it will probably bake in 35-40 minutes so start checking at 35 to ensure the middle stays moist
5. Pour in your batter and spread it evenly throughout
6. Place in your preheated oven and bake for 55-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean
7. Remove from oven and flip your bread out onto a cooling rack
8. Slice and serve

Variations

1. Cranberry Orange – Only use 3 tablespoons of butter. Add zest of one whole orange diced, juice of one whole orange, and1 cup dried cranberries or fresh if you want
2. Chocolate Blueberry – Add 1 cup of fresh blueberries and 1/2 cup of cocoa powder
3. Pumpkin Pecan – Reduce the almond butter to 1/4 cup and add 1/2 cup of pumpkin puree and 1 cup of roughly chopped pecan pieces

Notes

If you want to make these into muffins, use the same recipe and for mini muffins bake approximately 25 mins and normal size muffins 30-35 minutes.

‍