What about the Paleo diet?

The paleo diet is, basically (as the author says) meat, fish, nuts, fruit and vegetables.

Thought to be what humans ate in prehistoric times (think hunter gatherers, cavemen, nomads) the author, Loren Cordain, claims these are the foods our bodies were designed to eat. The diet was written with the aim of reducing modern diseases associated with a diet high in refined foods and salt, fat and sugar (eg diabetes, heart disease, kidney problems). It wasn’t written as a weight loss diet, though it has been adopted as such by lots of celebrities and with some success.

When following this diet you can eat vegetables, fruit, eggs, fish and seafood, meat, nuts and seeds, some oils (eg walnut, olive, coconut). A small amount of honey and wine is ok. The diet rules out grains, potatoes, legumes (eg peanuts, beans), dairy, refined sugar, salt, processed foods and refined vegetable oils

Is it the same as hunter gatherer diets?

No.

The 21^st century food availability does not allow us to eat in the same way as hunter-gatherers did. There are some significant differences:

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        Meat is farmed, not wild (so meat uses a lot of energy to produce and not a lot to eat – compared to catching a wild animal and eating it straight away as was done in history).

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      Now grains are cheap and in plentiful supply thanks to agriculture (for hunter gatherers grains were not available and berries and nuts took a lot of energy and time to gather)

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      Fruit and vegetables are not as seasonal as they were – we can pretty much buy any food whenever we want, so the combination of foods we eat in a day is not reflective of seasonal challenges experienced in history

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      We don’t fast and gorge- hunter gatherers would have eaten a whole animal as they caught it then fasted until the next one was caught. In the 21^st century we have smaller meals 3 or more times a day so the fasting patterns are lost.

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      Organic wine is permitted (by some paleo followers) in small quantities because it is gluten free and high in antioxidants. Beer is out.

Never the less it does a good job of promoting more fruit and vegetables and cutting out high sugar, salt and fat processed foods.

Points of caution

Calcium – by removing dairy (and fortified alternatives from grains such as soy / oat milk) it’s pretty hard to get enough calcium. If you follow this diet make sure you include plenty of fish with bones, stocks made from bones, almonds and green vegetables. Green vegetables and nuts still do not have a lot of calcium, but can help you reach your needs.

Carbohydrates – you’ll be able to get enough carbohydrate through the fruit allowed and I would also recommend included sweet potato (on the allowed list in small quantities). You can also add a small amount of honey to your foods.

Expense – meat and fish are expensive while the ruled out grains and potatoes our cheaper foods. Make sure you have the funds to follow this diet.

Red meat – it is easy to consume too much red meat on this diet. Red meat is linked to cancer risk and should be limited to 100g three times per week. Try to have more fish and eggs for protein.

Says it’s suitable for pregnant women and children – Be very cautious about this. Children need a lot of carbohydrates as they are very active. They also need more calcium than adults do. Pregnant women also have higher nutrient requirements than other adults. If you are paleo and pregnant or thinking about this diet for your children make sure you visit a dietitian to help you meet your nutrient requirements.

Pros:

Less packaging: all the foods on the paleo way of living are available from small nutrients without packaging (you’ll have to take a container for meat or fish) benefiting the environment. (perhaps this is outweighed by the high consumption of meat and fish)

Can still follow it at a restaurant (not sure how you’d navigate this at a friend’s house for dinner unless it’s help yourself) so you can keep your social life

Have a bad day – you can just restart fresh the next day

No labour intensive smoothies, soaked legumes or slow cooked fruits which is great for busy households

Would I recommend it? 

Nutritionally it can provide a balanced diet. Fruit provides a source of carbohydrate and the small amount of sweet potato allowed can top this up. Protein foods are satiating (fill you up without eating large quantities) so smaller meal sizes will be possible (for those wanting to lose weight).

I, personally, would most miss my daily yoghurt though this could be swapped for a small handful of almonds and fruit (less calcium).

Unfortunately at the high cost end of diets it is not accessible to all.

Overall: it’s a great way of removing junk food from your diet and if you can afford it and are looking for a diet to follow it may be a good option for you, though it would be better with a serving of whole grains and some dairy.