Is the paleo diet healthy?

This type of eating plan is based on the idea that our bodies do best when they eat foods that existed in the Paleolithic era, before agriculture appeared about 10,000 years ago. It may not sound like a lot of food, but what you are left with are those packed with nutrients, many of which are excellent sources of fiber, which help keep us feeling full and satisfied.

How does it work?

The essential premise of the paleo diet is simple: You better eat what people ate before the Agricultural Revolution . The best food, according to this philosophy, is simple, unprocessed. Just what a hunter-gatherer would have eaten.

Contrary to what people think, this type of diet focuses on plants. It includes many vegetables, mostly non-starchy, that is, all green, red, orange and yellow, and fruits in moderation. Meat is also consumed, although preferably unprocessed and the wilder the better. In addition, it has eggs, nuts and seeds, insects, shellfish and fish.

The emphasis is on eating as local and seasonal as possible, cooking our own food, and being very physically active. As for drinks, the paleo diet mostly recommends water, some tea or herbal infusions and, occasionally, small amounts of fruit juice or alcohol, avoiding processed foods, cereals, legumes and sugar.

The paleo diet is designed to resemble what hunter-gatherer human ancestors ate thousands of years ago. Although it is impossible to know exactly what human ancestors ate in different parts of the world, researchers believe that their diets consisted of whole foods . By following a whole-food-based diet and leading physically active lives, hunter-gatherers presumably had much lower rates of lifestyle illnesses, such as obesity, diabetes, and heart disease.

Advantages of the paleo diet

This way of eating may seem extreme, but it can be a healthy alternative to a typical diet that is rich in sugary, cereal-based foods loaded with highly processed fats and oils.

Rich in nutrient-dense foods

It is natural that when less nutritious foods are restricted, we turn to healthier options to fill our stomachs. The paleo diet emphasizes many nutrient-dense foods such as:

• Vegetables: provide fiber, vitamins and minerals.
• Fruits – act like a naturally sweet treat and are packed with phytochemicals.
• Nuts: healthy and satisfying fats.
• Seafood: packed with protein and Omega-3 fatty acids.

Lose weight or control weight

The paleo diet can lead to weight loss if there is a general caloric deficit , similar to any other type of diet. Studies have found that paleo dieters actually tended to have higher BMI and obesity rates compared to other common dieters.

For example, taking a quick glance on social media shows endless recipes for brownies, cakes or paleo cookies. Although they are made with nut and honey based flours instead of flour and sugar, this adaptation is not likely to result in weight loss if consumed in excess.

Longer longevity

Studies have compared people whose diets most closely matched the attributes of a Paleo diet with those whose diets least matched. They found a lower risk of all-cause mortality, cancer mortality, and cardiovascular disease mortality.

Keep in mind that this could easily be explained by an overall higher quality of the diet between the groups. If you eat more vegetables and less processed foods you will probably experience better health results, regardless of whether we are on a Paleo diet or not.

Foods allowed on a paleo diet

Try to choose grassy, ​​pasture-raised, and organic foods. That is ideally, although the price is usually higher, so it is only recommended for people who can afford it. Otherwise, we need to make sure we always choose the least processed option. We will base the paleo diet on whole, unprocessed paleo foods such as:

• Meats: beef, lamb, chicken, turkey, pork and others.
• Fish and shellfish : salmon, trout, tuna, prawns, shellfish, etc. If you can, choose wild fish.
• Eggs: Choose free-range, free-range, or Omega-3-enriched eggs.
• Vegetables: broccoli, kale, bell peppers, onions, carrots, tomatoes, etc.
• Fruits: apples, bananas, oranges, pears, avocados, strawberries, blueberries, and more.
• Tubers: potatoes, sweet potatoes, yams, turnips, etc.
• Nuts and seeds : almonds, macadamia nuts, cashews, hazelnuts, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds and more.
• Healthy fats and oils: extra virgin olive oil, avocado oil and others.
• Salt and spices: sea salt, garlic, turmeric, rosemary, etc.

Foods to avoid

We must be aware of all the ingredients and foods that we want to consume if we have a Paleo diet. If we want to avoid them, we must read the ingredient lists, even on foods labeled “healthy foods.” A simple clue is that if it looks like it was made in a factory, it shouldn’t be eaten.

It is advised to avoid these foods and ingredients:

• Sugar and high fructose corn syrup: sodas, fruit juices, table sugar, candy, cakes, ice cream, and many others.
• Grains: breads and pasta, wheat, spelled, rye, barley, etc.
• Legumes: beans, lentils, chickpeas and many more.
• Dairy – Avoid most dairy, especially low-fat dairy (some versions of paleo include whole dairy like butter and cheese).
• Some vegetable oils : soybean, sunflower, cottonseed, corn, grapeseed, safflower oil and others.
• Trans fats : found in margarine and various processed foods. These are generally referred to as “hydrogenated” or “partially hydrogenated” oils.
• Artificial sweeteners : aspartame, sucralose, cyclamates, saccharin, acesulfame potassium. Instead of these, you can use natural sweeteners, such as stevia.
• Ultra-processed foods : Anything labeled “diet” or “low-fat” or with a lot of additives. Artificial meal substitutes are included.

Possible risks of the paleo diet

Details on the animal and plant food ratio of true Paleolithic diets are still unclear. It may also be irrelevant, as the development of the digestive tract and immune system of primates and early humans occurred over a much longer period. The modern Paleo diet has become an opportunity to justify eating meat as a major source of calories. Eating plates full of meat to lose weight or improve health sounds too good to be true. In fact, it is more than unhealthy and promotes disease.

The paleo diet has miracle diet traits in that it promotes the same formula for weight loss: excessive amounts of protein in the form of animal foods such as meat, fish, and eggs. They even have the potential to displace healthier foods like vegetables, fruits, beans, nuts, and seeds, unnecessarily limiting nutritional variety and phytochemical richness.

To end the belief that the long-term Paleo diet is good for your health, here are three reasons why these diets should not be followed:

Increased risk of cancer

Regardless of whether we get the protein from meat, fish, eggs, or dairy, any protein derived from an animal product increases the body’s production of insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1). This is a growth promoting hormone that accelerates the aging process and contributes to the growth, proliferation and spread of cancer cells.

Animal protein intake and insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1) levels have been linked in numerous studies with an increased risk of being diagnosed or dying from cancer.

Risk of iodine deficiency

Although rare, iodine deficiency can cause disturbances in thyroid hormones and can lead to goiter formation. Table salt has been iodized to prevent these problems; However, some proponents of paleo advocate that people use alternatives such as pink Himalayan salt, which contains less of this mineral. The paleo diet also eliminates one of the largest sources of iodine in the diet: dairy products.

Extremely strict paleo followers may be at risk of inadequate intake of this micronutrient, although this can be mitigated by eating a lot of fish, shellfish, and sea vegetables.

Expensive and time consuming

Since this diet eliminates processed foods, we will need to prepare most meals from scratch. While it is a healthy habit, it takes more time. Meal planning and preparation can help with this.

Plus, eliminating low-cost staples like whole grains and legumes means your grocery bill could go up. The same goes for meat and fish, which can be much more expensive than conventional ones. In fact, studies comparing Paleo diets to common nutritional recommendations have found a higher cost to maintain this diet.

Does not contain all foods

By eliminating all foods that were not available before farming, Paleo dieters completely eliminate beans and other legumes (such as lentils and peas).

The consumption of legumes is a common dietary practice among older people in many countries who live longer. These foods are especially rich in resistant starch and fiber, which support the growth of a healthy gut microbiome and help prevent colon cancer. In addition, it is a food with a low glycemic load that helps reduce cholesterol and blood pressure.

Exposure to inflammatory compounds

Eating a small amount of meat, eggs, or dairy – about two servings per week – is unlikely to harm your health. However, eating animal products every day can increase your risk. In addition to animal protein, some meats can contain carcinogens, such as nitrosamines (mainly in processed meats) and heterocyclic amines .

Heme iron in meat is an oxidant that builds up in the body over time, and too much of it can contribute to heart disease and dementia. Carnitine, choline, and arachidonic acid are pro-inflammatory and contribute to cardiovascular disease and cancer. Growth stimulating hormones given to farm animals are present in foods of animal origin, which can cause endocrine disrupting effects in those who eat these products.

A Paleo diet reduces exposure to antioxidants and increases exposure to compounds that promote inflammation . Although these types of diets can be successful in weight loss in the short term, because they eliminate refined grains and sugars along with processed foods, in the long term they are not sustainable or healthy.

Who should not try the paleo diet?

Although science suggests that the paleo diet can help people with type 2 diabetes , a doctor must first be consulted. Any drastic reduction in carbohydrate intake is concerning for this group, especially those who take insulin.

In addition, although studies can be found that claim that the paleo diet helps treat autoimmune conditions, more research is needed before knowing what role it can play in conditions such as multiple sclerosis (MS), inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and Celiac Disease.

Given concerns about insufficient calcium and vitamin D, those who are at risk for osteoporosis (such as lean women over the age of 50) should proceed with caution and work with a doctor to ensure that they maintain adequate levels of these nutrients.

Finally, people with chronic health conditions, such as heart or kidney disease , should also see a doctor first. With certain kidney diseases, an excessive protein intake could actually overload the kidneys, reducing function and potentially leading to failure.