The TRUTH about Paleo (a closer look at Paleolithic, Caveman or Stone Age Diet)
What is all the recent hype about the paleolithic diet? What should you know before you considering this diet? Pros and Cons? Healthy or Harmful? Here’s what you should know before considering this FAD diet…….
BACKGROUND:
The Paleo diet is based on research done by Dr. Loren Cordain indicating that we should eat like our hunter-gatherer ancestors who are considered to have existed between 2.6 million to 10,000 years ago (1).
THEORY:
The research claims that these hunter-gatherer ancestors were free of the many chronic diseases that plague today’s society so by eating like them we too can be free of chronic disease (1).
BASICS:
“A quick and pithy definition of the Paleo diet is—if the cavemen didn't eat it then you shouldn't either," says Academy Spokesperson Jim White, RDN, ACSM/HFS (2).
The diet is based on food groups that mimic our pre-agricultural, hunter-gatherer ancestors. The foods you can eat on this diet range from meats (grass-produced or free-ranging beef, port, lamb, poultry and game meat), fish, seafood, fresh fruits and vegetables, seeds, nuts, to some oils(olive, coconut, avocado, macadamia, walnut, and flaxseed) (1).
They exclude dairy products, cereal grains, legumes, refined sugars and processed foods which they believe were added to our diet after the dawn of the agricultural age occurring somewhere between 5,500 and 10,000 years ago. These excluded foods were supposedly added much later and so they conclude that our bodies haven’t completely adapted or evolved to fully benefit from them (1).
INFORMATION:
This is a low carbohydrate diet similar to Atkins and Eco-Atkins (3).
WEIGHT LOSS:
On the paleo diet you may be able to achieve a calorie deficit and lose excess weight (3).
DIETARY GUIDELINES ADHEREANCE: (taken from sources 1 and 3)
All listed percentages represent the amount of calories in the diet received from the listed source out of the total amount of calories in the diet. Also, the units of ug refer to micrograms, or one one-thousandth of a milligram, just as a milligram is one one-thousandth of a gram.
PROS and CONS (taken from sources 1 and 3)
PRO: Chronic Disease Prevention:
You are eating more fruits and vegetables, cutting out sugar and sodium, while choosing leaner meats. All of this aligns with the 2010 dietary guidelines for Americans. Many of these health benefitting choices have been shown to help prevent many chronic diseases.
CON: Difficult to follow:
This diet eliminates dairy, grains, and processed & refined foods. This is a strict diet and hard for many to stay strictly on. Constant changes to a person's diet as well as frequent weight fluctuation can slow their metabolism, making the goal of overall health harder to reach. The dietary guidelines promote permanent changes partially for this reason, or in other words things that can be done for a lifetime. Can you imagine going to a party and never being able to eat birthday cake and ice cream again?
PRO: Information and Resources:
There are a lot books, food blogs, helps and interesting studies that have been done on this diet.
CON: Pricey and not readily available:
Foods that are organic or grass-raised can be very expensive and sometimes hard to find. Also, the meat in today’s society, even the wild game, doesn’t have nearly the same make up as the meat during our ancestors' time.
PRO: The feeling of fullness. Fiber and protein will probably satisfy your hunger which is important.
CON: Exceeds Dietary Guidelines for daily fat and protein intake. Doesn’t provide enough carbohydrate.
PRO: Encourages exercise.
CONS: Excludes whole grains, dairy, legumes which can deprive you of needed nutrients such as calcium and vitamin D. This may put you at risk for nutrient deficiencies. Whole grains have many beneficial components including fiber and vitamins and minerals, many studies suggest they play a roll in weight loss. In there research they do agree that dairy products, cereal grains, legumes, refined sugars and processed foods can be included in diets of most people without noticeable deleterious health effects. They admit that the harmful effect takes place when we consume grains in excess resulting in many chronic diseases that are becoming epidemics today.
DIETITIANS PERSPECTIVE:
My belief is that the Paleolithic diet has many good principles that should be taken into consideration. Adjusting our diets to incoporate some of these principles may be a major benefit to our western society diets. However, sticking strictly to this diet could be extremely hard and may cause nutrient deficiencies.
PALEO MODIFIED:
I have developed a modified Paleolithic diet that incorporates some of the healthy ideas but allows the individual more flexibility. The Paleo modified adds in whole grains, legumes, and dairy products in moderate amounts. Contact me for more information.
SOURCES:
1)The Paleo Diet. 2010-2013.
http://thepaleodiet.com/getting-started-with-the-paleo-diet/ and 2)http://thepaleodiet.com/the-paleo-diet-premise/
2)Innocenzi L. The Paleo Diet, Should We Eat Like Our Caveman Ancestors. Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Reviewed: April 2013. http://www.eatright.org/Public/content.aspx?id=6442471551
3)Hiatt K. The Paleo Diet. World Report US News. Updated January 02, 2013. http://health.usnews.com/best-diet/paleo-diet.
For Paleo Research Articles: http://thepaleodiet.com/published-research-about-the-paleo-diet/
BACKGROUND:
The Paleo diet is based on research done by Dr. Loren Cordain indicating that we should eat like our hunter-gatherer ancestors who are considered to have existed between 2.6 million to 10,000 years ago (1).
THEORY:
The research claims that these hunter-gatherer ancestors were free of the many chronic diseases that plague today’s society so by eating like them we too can be free of chronic disease (1).
BASICS:
“A quick and pithy definition of the Paleo diet is—if the cavemen didn't eat it then you shouldn't either," says Academy Spokesperson Jim White, RDN, ACSM/HFS (2).
The diet is based on food groups that mimic our pre-agricultural, hunter-gatherer ancestors. The foods you can eat on this diet range from meats (grass-produced or free-ranging beef, port, lamb, poultry and game meat), fish, seafood, fresh fruits and vegetables, seeds, nuts, to some oils(olive, coconut, avocado, macadamia, walnut, and flaxseed) (1).
They exclude dairy products, cereal grains, legumes, refined sugars and processed foods which they believe were added to our diet after the dawn of the agricultural age occurring somewhere between 5,500 and 10,000 years ago. These excluded foods were supposedly added much later and so they conclude that our bodies haven’t completely adapted or evolved to fully benefit from them (1).
INFORMATION:
This is a low carbohydrate diet similar to Atkins and Eco-Atkins (3).
WEIGHT LOSS:
On the paleo diet you may be able to achieve a calorie deficit and lose excess weight (3).
DIETARY GUIDELINES ADHEREANCE: (taken from sources 1 and 3)
All listed percentages represent the amount of calories in the diet received from the listed source out of the total amount of calories in the diet. Also, the units of ug refer to micrograms, or one one-thousandth of a milligram, just as a milligram is one one-thousandth of a gram.
- Fat - Dietary Guidelines: 25-35%. Paleo: 39%. Both promote zero trans-fats and limiting saturated fats. The Paleo diet suggests that only the type of fat, not necessarily the quantity of fat, leads to chronic disease. While it is proven that the type of fat intake does affect the possibility of chronic disease, the assumption that the overall quantity of fat does not affect the possibility of chronic disease is unproven.
- Protein - Dietary Guidelines: 10-35%. Paleo: 38%. Western Diet (the typical diet of the U.S.): 15%.
- Carbohydrates - Dietary Guidelines 45-65%. Paleo 23%. The Paleo diet has a lower carbohydrate intake and lower glycemic index due to non-starchy fresh fruits and vegetables which have lower glycemic indexes. Foods with a low glycemic index don't spike blood sugars as quickly, and are digested more slowly.
- Salt - Dietary Guidelines: 1,500-2,300 mg. Paleo: virtually sodium free. While fresh fruits and vegetables as well as fish, meats, and poultry can contain low levels of naturally occurring sodium, the amount in the Paleo diet would be significantly less than the recommended amount. A deficiency in sodium can cause muscle cramps.
- Fiber - Dietary Guidelines: 22-24 g. Paleo: undetermined, but definitely exceeds recommended value. The Paleo has a high fiber intake due to a high amount of non-starchy fruits and vegetables. While high amounts of fiber may cause diarrhea and gas until the body gets accustomed to the amount, there are no serious adverse effects of exceeding the dietary guideline for fiber that have been proven.
- Potassium - Dietary Guidelines: 4,700 mg. Paleo: almost double the recommendation. Potassium is recommended in order to decrease both blood pressure and bone loss. The higher potassium in the Paleo is from fresh fruits. Today, Americans consume about twice as much sodium as potassium, despite the guideline being the other way around.
- Calcium - Dietary Guidelines: 1000-1300 mg. Paleo: only 700 mg. Calcium is necessary for bone strength, normal blood clotting, as well as to make muscles function correctly. A deficiency in calcium can cause weak bones leading to higher risk of fracture. Just as with sodium, a calcium deficiency can also cause muscle cramps.
- Vitamin D - Dietary Guidelines: 15 ug. Paleo: little to none. Major sources of vitamin D are sun exposure and vitamin-D-fortified milk. Adequate vitamin D is important for bone health. A deficiency in vitamin D can cause rickets (softening of the bone) and is also linked to depression, mental instability, and many other chronic diseases.
- Other Vitamins and Minerals - The Paleo diet meets or exceeds the dietary guidelines for most other vitamins and minerals.
- Supplementation - The Paleo diet recommends Vitamin D supplements if you don’t see the sun. Some recommend a calcium supplement and fish oil capsule if you don’t like fish or seafood. While supplementation isn't a terrible thing, nutrients in their natural form are generally more bio-available (more likely to be absorbed by the body), so the natural sources are usually recommended over supplementation.
PROS and CONS (taken from sources 1 and 3)
PRO: Chronic Disease Prevention:
You are eating more fruits and vegetables, cutting out sugar and sodium, while choosing leaner meats. All of this aligns with the 2010 dietary guidelines for Americans. Many of these health benefitting choices have been shown to help prevent many chronic diseases.
CON: Difficult to follow:
This diet eliminates dairy, grains, and processed & refined foods. This is a strict diet and hard for many to stay strictly on. Constant changes to a person's diet as well as frequent weight fluctuation can slow their metabolism, making the goal of overall health harder to reach. The dietary guidelines promote permanent changes partially for this reason, or in other words things that can be done for a lifetime. Can you imagine going to a party and never being able to eat birthday cake and ice cream again?
PRO: Information and Resources:
There are a lot books, food blogs, helps and interesting studies that have been done on this diet.
CON: Pricey and not readily available:
Foods that are organic or grass-raised can be very expensive and sometimes hard to find. Also, the meat in today’s society, even the wild game, doesn’t have nearly the same make up as the meat during our ancestors' time.
PRO: The feeling of fullness. Fiber and protein will probably satisfy your hunger which is important.
CON: Exceeds Dietary Guidelines for daily fat and protein intake. Doesn’t provide enough carbohydrate.
PRO: Encourages exercise.
CONS: Excludes whole grains, dairy, legumes which can deprive you of needed nutrients such as calcium and vitamin D. This may put you at risk for nutrient deficiencies. Whole grains have many beneficial components including fiber and vitamins and minerals, many studies suggest they play a roll in weight loss. In there research they do agree that dairy products, cereal grains, legumes, refined sugars and processed foods can be included in diets of most people without noticeable deleterious health effects. They admit that the harmful effect takes place when we consume grains in excess resulting in many chronic diseases that are becoming epidemics today.
DIETITIANS PERSPECTIVE:
My belief is that the Paleolithic diet has many good principles that should be taken into consideration. Adjusting our diets to incoporate some of these principles may be a major benefit to our western society diets. However, sticking strictly to this diet could be extremely hard and may cause nutrient deficiencies.
PALEO MODIFIED:
I have developed a modified Paleolithic diet that incorporates some of the healthy ideas but allows the individual more flexibility. The Paleo modified adds in whole grains, legumes, and dairy products in moderate amounts. Contact me for more information.
SOURCES:
1)The Paleo Diet. 2010-2013.
http://thepaleodiet.com/getting-started-with-the-paleo-diet/ and 2)http://thepaleodiet.com/the-paleo-diet-premise/
2)Innocenzi L. The Paleo Diet, Should We Eat Like Our Caveman Ancestors. Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Reviewed: April 2013. http://www.eatright.org/Public/content.aspx?id=6442471551
3)Hiatt K. The Paleo Diet. World Report US News. Updated January 02, 2013. http://health.usnews.com/best-diet/paleo-diet.
For Paleo Research Articles: http://thepaleodiet.com/published-research-about-the-paleo-diet/