The Paleo Diet has gained a lot of traction in the last few years as Americans have begun to yearn for the simpler lifestyle once lead by the caveman. It's an easy leap: processed foods and carb-obsessed eating patterns weren't things that the cave dwellers had access to. Paleo Diet-enthusiasts say we should get back to our roots; if a caveman didn't eat it, you shouldn't either. No more refined sugar, dairy, legumes, or grains; your entire plate should be filled with meat, fish, poultry, fruits, and vegetables.

The diet hasn't been deeply researched, it's extremely restrictive, and health experts generally discourage eating so much red meat. Though there's no set exercise plan, Paleo dieters are encouraged to move as much as their hunter-gatherer ancestors.

A gland and an organ that makes enzymes to help the body break down and use nutrients in food. The pancreas also produces the hormone insulin and releases it into the bloodstream to help the body control blood sugar levels.

See Vitamin B5.

Term sometimes used to describe people who eat fish but no meat.

See Essential Amino Acids.

See Phosphorus.

Phosphorus is an essential mineral that is usually found in nature combined with oxygen as phosphate. Most phosphate in the human body is in bone, but phosphate-containing molecules (phospholipids) are also important components of cell membranes and lipoprotein particles, such as good (HDL) and bad (LDL) cholesterol. Small amounts of phosphate are engaged in biochemical reactions throughout the body.

See Vitamin K.

Any form of exercise or movement. Physical activity may include planned activities such as walking, running, strength training, basketball, or other sports. Physical activity may also include daily activities such as mowing the lawn, washing the car, taking the stairs instead of the elevator, and walking the dog. Federal guidelines on physical activity recommend that adults get at least 150 minutes (30 minutes a day, 5 days a week) of moderate-intensity physical activity for general health benefits. Adults who wish to lose weight or maintain weight loss may need more physical activity, such as 300 minutes (60 minutes a day, 5 days a week). Children should get at least 60 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity daily.

The ability to carry out daily tasks with vigor and alertness, without undue fatigue, and with ample energy to enjoy leisure-time pursuits and respond to emergencies. Physical fitness includes a number of components consisting of cardiorespiratory endurance (aerobic power), skeletal muscle endurance, skeletal muscle strength, skeletal muscle power, flexibility, balance, speed of movement, reaction time, and body composition.

Plant chemicals that have a similar structure to that of the human hormone oestrogen and which behave like weak oestrogens in the body.? They are found in a variety of foods including soy drinks, soy yoghurt, soy flour, soybeans, roasted soy nuts, lentils, tofu, tempeh, miso, textured vegetable protein (TVP), chickpeas, broad beans and linseed meal.

See Vitamin K.

Phytosterol is any plant-derived sterol. (See Sterol.)

These plant membrane components resemble the chemical structure of animal cholesterol and appear naturally in fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, cereals, legumes, and vegetable oils. Plant sterols can reduce bad cholesterol, according to the 'International Food Information Council' and are added to packaged foods for heart-health benefits.

This antioxidant is present in berries, acai, oranges, dry legumes, chocolate, and plant derived beverages, including tea, pomegranate juice, and red wine. Polyphenols, the most abundant antioxidant in our diets, may help prevent cardiovascular diseases, cancers, osteoporosis, neurodegenerative diseases, and diabetes mellitus, reports the 'American Journal of Clinical Nutrition'.