What is the Paleolithic Diet?
The Paleolithic Diet is based on the premise that the food people ate during the Paleolithic era, which ended 10,000 years ago with the advent of agriculture, is much healthier than the food we eat today. The idea is that the human diet evolved during the two and a half million years of the Paleolithic period, resulting in a diet well suited to humans’ genetic makeup. Agriculture and other changes of the Neolithic period (which followed the Paleolithic) are blamed for making the human diet less healthful, resulting in a huge increase in chronic diseases.
Advocates of the Paleolithic Diet believe that because people of the Paleolithic diet were lean, fit, and healthy and did not suffer from heart disease or cancer, their diet will make 21st century people healthier and fitter.
The Paleolithic Diet has a number of aliases. You may hear it called the Caveman Diet, the Paleodiet, the Stone Age Diet, or the Nuter-Gater Diet.
With limited carbohydrates and saturated fats, the Paleolithic Diet includes lots of protein. In fact, 20-35 percent of the Paleolithic Diet is protein. Recognizing that the wild plants and animals of 10,000 or more years ago are largely unavailable today, the Paleolithic Diet approximates what people of that time ate.
What You Eat on the Paleolithic Diet
The major foods of the Paleolithic Diet are:
- Beef;
- Organ meats (liver and kidney);
- Chicken;
- Fish;
- Vegetables, especially root vegetables such as parsnips, rutabagas, and carrots;
- Fruit, especially berries.
- Nuts, especially Brazil nuts, walnuts, almonds, and macadamia nuts;
- Eggs;
- Olive, nut, and flax seed oil; and
- Unsweetened almond milk and coconut milk as substitutes for dairy.
Meats, fish, chicken, and eggs are the mainstay of the Paleolithic Diet. Ideally they should come from animals that have been raised in conditions that are as close as possible to their natural lives. That is, free-range chickens, grass-fed and pasture raised beef, wild fish, etc. Organic and locally raised fruits and vegetables are preferred.
Banned in the Paleolithic Diet are:
- Grains, including bread and pasta;
- Cashews;
- Legumes, including string beans, dry beans, lentils, pea, peanuts;
- Potatoes, sweet potatoes, and other starchy vegetables;
- Dairy;
- Sugar;
- Salt; and
- Processed foods.
It is worth noting that different practitioners eat different foods on the Paleolithic Diet. While the lists presented above have the foods that are most typically allowed and prohibited, some lists of Paleo foods include starchy vegetables, butter, heavy cream, yogurt, and/or lots of saturated fats.
How the Paleolithic Diet Works
It’s very easy to follow the Paleolithic Diet: you eat from the food lists. There is no counting, measuring, or portion control. Some Paleo Diet enthusiasts say they spend about $100 a week for food.
For breakfast you might have scrambled eggs and bacon. Lunch could be a green salad topped with grilled fish or chicken and topped with almonds. Dinner might be lamb chops or roast with broccoli and carrots. For snacks you could have hard-boiled eggs, nuts, seeds, celery and carrot sticks, avocados, fruit, or cold cuts.
People of the Paleolithic era got lots of physical activity, and so will you if you follow this diet. It probably helps that Loren Cordain, who wrote The Paleo Diet is an exercise scientist. You may not find yourself foraging for your food, or building your own shelter, but you might be doing intense cardio and strengthening activities like running and jumping. Some Paleo Diet enthusiasts do what they call ‘evolutionary fitness workouts.’ Instead of heading to the gym they run barefoot in the hills, lift heavy rocks, and ambulate on all fours.
If you want to go beyond the basics of diet, the Paleo Diet advocates living in harmony with nature and with our sources of food.
Benefits of the Paleolithic Diet
The Paleolithic Diet is low glycemic and low sodium and high potassium—all of which are good for heart health. The diet is very nutritious; it exceeds the minimum daily requirements for vitamins and minerals. Plus, there are no processed foods.
It is possible, but not yet conclusively known, that the Paleolithic Diet could be effective in the prevention and/or treatment of high blood pressure, high blood sugar, and high fat and cholesterol levels.
Because it is gluten and casein it could be a good diet for people with gluten intolerance.
Most people will probably lose weight on this diet.
The Paleo Diet includes exercise and lifestyle changes, both of which are valuable complements to a healthy diet.
Concerns about the Paleolithic Diet
Because the Paleolithic Diet is extremely low in carbohydrates, many people will have a difficult time making the adjustment from their regular diets.
The diet includes lots of omega 6′s and not a lot of omega 3′s—an imbalance that can lead to inflammation.
Depending on the type of proteins you choose to eat, you could be taking in a lot of saturated fats on this diet. There’s a big difference between the hearty-healthiness of well-marbled beef and lard, on the one hand, and skinless chicken breast and fish on the other.
If you go the extra mile and eat grass fed meats and free-range chickens, you may wind up spending a lot more than you are used to for food. Plus, depending on where you live, meat from animals that have been raised naturally and organic vegetables and fruits may be difficult to find.
The intense physical workouts practiced by many Paleo Diet practitioners are not safe for everyone.
Is the Paleolithic Diet Right for You?
It’s a good idea to see your doctor before your start the Paleolithic Diet, as is the case with all new diet and exercise regimes. Your doctor can assess the benefits and risks of the Paleolithic Diet for your specific needs. And if you have any questions or concerns about your health while you are on the diet, consult with your doctor.