Last week we covered the gluten-free approach. We were able to look at its efficacy when it comes to weight-loss as well as the true reason to go gluten-free. This week, we will look at the Paleolithic Diet.
What is the Paleolithic Diet?
Paleo, as it is called, is a fad diet enjoyed by many around the world and even pushed heavily within certain fitness communities (such as the CrossFit and other cross-training communities). The ultimate goal is to eat more like prehistoric (paleolithic) humans who are assumed to have eaten meat primarily(1).
What we think it does:
The idea is that we were healthy thousands of years ago and the introduction of grains, legumes and processed foods lead to many of our current health problems like heart disease and cancer. Thus, paleo practitioners are attempting to lose weight and regain their health by adopting this diet(2).
What it actually does:
First of all, yes, it does aid in weight loss. It does so by effectively reducing your caloric intake (foods that digest slower — proteins, for e.g. — would cause you to feel hungry less often so that you end up eating less) and increasing your caloric output (foods that are harder to digest — proteins again — would require more energy to digest). Thus, you are, in effect, creating a caloric deficit. Additionally, it has shown to give immediate improvements against diabetic markers (insulin sensitivity, for e.g.) and some other health issues(3). However, a diet as restrictive as this doesn’t usually lead to lasting weight loss as many people are unable to keep up with it. Also, in removing grains, legumes, dairy, and other things, we may rob ourselves of valuable micronutrients such as calcium. Additionally, the increase in meats and other sources of fats may, in the long-term, increase our lipid intake beyond safe levels, increasing the risk of cardiovascular diseases and other lifestyle diseases(4).
How to safely go Paleo:
Don’t consider paleo to be a lifelong nutritional method. Instead, use it to jump-start your weightloss goals and then slowly reintroduce foods in a controlled manner so as to ensure that you do not increase your caloric intake. Other than that, you can supplement for the micronutrients(5) and track your lipid intake daily to ensure that you don’t go over the daily recommended amount. Also, ensure that you don’t lose focus on your vegetable intake (which is, actually, a part of the paleo diet) as this will aid in adding fibre and maintaining the levels of certain micronutrients lost by cutting carbs.Do you think that this approach will work for you? Go talk to a doctor and give it a try if you want. Just make sure to do as much research as possible! Next week, we look at the Ketogenic Diet.
1. Sally Robertson, B.Sc, Dr. Catherine Shaffer, Ph.D. (2018). Paleo Diet Evidence
https://www.news-medical.net/health/Paleo-Diet-Evidence.aspx
2. Matt McMillen (2020). The Paleo Diet
https://www.webmd.com/diet/a-z/paleo-diet
3. Sofianos Andrikopoulos (2016). The Paleo diet and diabetes
https://www.mja.com.au/journal/2016/205/4/paleo-diet-and-diabetes
4. (2015). Is the paleo diet safe for your health?
https://health.ucdavis.edu/welcome/features/2014-2015/06/20150603_paleo-diet.html
5. J Diabetes Sci Technol. (2009). The Beneficial Effects of a Paleolithic Diet on Type 2 Diabetes and Other Risk Factors for Cardiovascular Disease
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2787021/#__sec2title