What is the Paleo Diet and why is everybody talking about it?
Well, today I’m going to dive right into the Paleo world, explain the history and the benefits of this popular diet along with my opinion about it.
The Paleo diet is focused on foods the human body is biologically adapted to eat. It excludes foods that are more recent in the human diet, and some of these exclusions may shock you. The Paleo diet is also referred to as The Caveman diet, because it can be traced back to caveman or “hunter-gatherer” tribes.
The Paleo diet includes foods like meat, eggs, shellfish, vegetables, fruits, some nuts & seeds, and traditional fats & oils. See here for a complete list of foods in the Paleo Diet.
The Paleo diet excludes foods like dairy, grains, & beans.
The History of the Paleo Diet
Those who eat a Paleolithic diet believe that this was the sustaining diet for thousands of years. Then, about 10,000 years ago, humans went from “hunter-gatherers” to “agriculturists” and started to grow & harvest grain as well as raise animals for dairy. Although 10,000 years seems like a long time, according to some experts on the subject, 10,000 years isn’t very long on the timeline of evolution.
Because dairy and grains weren’t included in the human diet until 10,000 years ago, the argument for the Paleo Diet is that we simply haven’t had enough time to adapt to the inclusion of these foods in our human bodies. I’ll tell you what I think about that below.
The Health Benefits of the Paleo Diet
The Paleo diet emphasizes foods that are anti-inflammatory, promote gut integrity, normalize hormonal function and balance energy levels. Many Paleo friends of mine don’t focus on the history of the Paleo diet as much, but rather, the health benefits for their bodies. Many people have noticed other health benefits like:
- Increased and more stable energy levels
- Improved sleep
- Clearer skin and healthier looking hair
- Mental clarity
- Improved mood and attitude
- Improvements in those suffering depression or anxieties
- Less or no bloating, decreased gas
- Sustained weight loss
- Muscle growth; increased fitness
- Lowered risk of heart disease, diabetes and cancer
- Higher immune function and a general feeling of well being
- Improved glucose tolerance; decreased insulin secretion and increased insulin sensitivity
- Improved lipid profiles
- Healthier gut flora
- Better absorption of nutrients from food
- Reduced allergies
- Paleo diet is anti-inflammatory, most people experience reduction of pain associated with inflammation
- Improvements in those with respiratory problems such as asthma
Are there any Negative Effects of the Paleo Diet?
Robb Wolf, author of The Paleo Solution, answers this question in this video below…
The Myths of the Paleo Diet
Myth #1 – It’s another low-carb diet fad.
Truth #1 – The Paleo diet excludes processed, high-glycemic carbohydrates, but includes high amounts of other carbohydrates in the form of fruits & vegetables.
Myth #2 – It’s expensive and hard to follow.
Truth #2 – Actually, the Paleo diet can be eaten on a budget, just check out this article here called How to Eat Paleo on a Budget.
Myth #3 – It seems like too much cholesterol
Truth #3 – Cholesterol is actually a very important part of a healthy diet. Just check out this article here debunking cholesterol myths.
Does my family eat Paleo?
Because we choose to eat grains, beans, & dairy so we don’t consider our diet Paleo. I’m not opposed to the diet, I just feel that we do well with our home-raised goats milk, and properly prepared grains & beans. We do, however, eat a low-grain diet, which means we try to avoid centering our plate of food on grains & beans and just try to find the balance that’s right for us.
I may in the future do a Paleo diet, possibly for a cleanse, but I don’t think I’ll ever completely exclude grains, beans, or dairy. I’ve spent years restricting my diet, and I feel great about including all foods in my family’s diet right now. I love to learn and keep my mind open and learn from friends and fellow authors, but for now, I feel comfortable where I’m at food-wise.
My Recommended Paleo Resources
Favorite Paleo Blogs:
Favorite Paleo Books:
- The Real Food. Real Good. Cookbook by Steph Gaudreau
- Your Personal Paleo Code by Chris Kresser
- The Paleo Slow Cooker by Arsy Vartanian
- The Paleo Solution by Robb Wolf
So, what do YOU think? Have you ever eaten Paleo? Are you thinking of trying it?
I was paleo for the past two years and followed a mostly Whole30 protocol. It was great in that it encouraged me to consume more veggies and not to be afraid of fat anymore. But after the honeymoon phase (crazy energy, sound sleep, level mood) I developed chronic diarrhea and severe anxiety and depression, not to mention basically a phobia of all non-paleo foods, especially grains. It wasn’t worth it for my sanity or bowels, so I recently added raw dairy and traditionally prepared sourdough bread and I feel better than I have in years! Nutrition is definitely not one size fits all and I’ve found that some high quality grains and dairy suit me, but I am grateful for the health lessons I learned from paleo.
Interesting Alison! After my Whole30 my bowels weren’t happy either. My body always does better with grains:)
I tried the Paleo Diet by forcing myself to stop being vegetarian. But it was too hard as I disliked any kind of meat that is not chicken, therefore it was hard to comply with the high amount of protein you are supposed to have daily. I also started undereating while trying to follow it and gained weight everytime I would cheat to have a sugary snack. I ended up developing high blood glucose so I gave it up.
I tried the paleo diet and although it was great learning to eat whole foods, I suffered a severe driving phobia and anxiety and some depression as well (including digestive and thyroid problems). And I was eating plenty of fruit and vegetables, not only meat. Since I’ve introduced grains, I feel much happier and more at peace and am full of energy. The fear of driving has miraculously almost totally disappeared. At the moment, I’m eating lots of grains because I felt deprived for so long and my body is just craving them but I should calm down after a while. I can’t wait to try out your soaked bread recipe. It’s soaking at the moment all ready for tomorrow to bake my first loaves.
Thank you for giving me some link love DaNelle <3
You’re welcome, fellow goat lover!
I think the reason they claim it reduces heart disease is because in recent years and studies they have found that heart disease is caused by inflammation, and then cholesterol goes to repair the damage caused by inflammation and essentially clogs arteries. I think their argument is to avoid the inflammatory foods first because it’s been shown that a reduction in cholesterol isn’t effective in reducing blood cholesterol levels. The liver will still make cholesterol.
I would beg to differ on the part that the Paleo diet reduces heart disease. My mother’s family heart history is full of heart disease. The only way people in their family can control their heart disease is by cutting out the meat. This is common with a lot of people with heart disease. I wish those researching the Paleo diet would not give that hope to those who have heart disease.
I tried doing the Primal Diet (paleo + raw dairy) along with every other type of diet. The problem I always have is I feel deprived when ANY food group is excluded. I am grateful that the Primal Diet opened my eyes about the need to stop eating processed foods. I am still working on that. I’m hoping that changing to a traditional whole foods plan will heal me inside and the few lbs. I have to lose will occur as a byproduct. DaNelle, thank you so much for your blog and wonderful book. It has been a godsend!
Thank you! I agree, I tend to feel deprived when I completely exclude any food group. I do think it’s possible to be healthy and still eat {properly prepared} grains.
A good watch about the paleo diet! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BMOjVYgYaG8
Great reminder. I watched is ages ago and had forgotten about it.
I think the entire paleo philosophy should be used only as a tool to help guide a person into heightened nutritional awareness — find what works best for YOU! I have discovered that an individual’s biochemistry is as unique to that person as is his/her fingerprint. There is no “one-size” fits all food philosophy that works the same for every human being. Paleo eating works best for me in my individual context — it makes nutritional sense to me. However, I do realize that many would disagree!
I tried going Primal (Mark Sisson’s version of Paleo that includes wine, coffee, and some dairy). Problem was my digestion slowed so much it almost stopped! Trust me, you don’t want the gory details. Including limited grains helps my body. Like the post said, it’s not grains all day. I limit myself to once a day and do my best for properly prepared, but cut some slack now and then–I do love mochi and bean-thread noodles, neither of which are soaked ahead . . . then again neither is wheat or contains gluten.