The Paleolithic Diet is an approach to nutrition that is sometimes called the Caveman Diet, the Hunter Gatherer Diet or the Stone Age Diet and is based on the eating habits of humans over 10,000 years ago, prior to the beginning of the Neolithic or new Stone Age. Popularized by nutritionist and gastroenterologist Walter L. Voegtlin in his 1975 book "The Stone Age Diet," a great number of other dietary experts have studied and written about what is often referred to as the Paleo Diet.
Background
Followers of the Paleolithic Diet eat foods that were commonly available to our hunter gatherer ancestors. Modern foods---within the last 10,000 years---such as grains and grain products, sugar and dairy products are avoided; instead, followers eat meat, eggs, seasonal vegetables, fish, nuts, seeds, organ meats and seasonal fruits. The Paleolithic Diet is not a raw food diet and food can be freely cooked, but consumption of raw vegetables and fruit is encouraged. Proponents of the Paleo Diet recommend that, where possible, fruits and vegetables should be organic and meat should come from grass-fed free-ranging animals.
Why Go Paleo?
According to Paleo nutrition expert and author Mark Sisson, many of the diseases that affect modern society such as coronary heart disease, diabetes, obesity and food allergies e.g. gluten and lactose, can be attributed to the consumption of too much Neolithic foods such as refined dairy and grain based products and sugar. These foods, in evolutionary terms, are recent additions to our diet which, says Sisson, we are not equipped to process. Eliminating these "modern" foods and returning to a diet more in keeping with our evolutionary history is the key to preventing these common medical conditions.
Benefits---Blood Glucose
One of the main benefits of the Paleolithic approach to nutrition is blood glucose control. When you eat carbohydrates, your blood glucose levels rise and your body produces insulin. Insulin transports the glucose into your cells and your blood glucose levels fall. The modern diet includes a lot of carbohydrate---as much as 60 percent and often in the form of sugar---so blood glucose levels rise and fall frequently. This, states Loren Cordain in her book "The Paleo Diet," results in an ideal environment for fat storage, peaks and troughs in energy throughout the day, hunger pangs and also an increased risk of developing diabetes and coronary heart disease. The Paleo Diet is low in carbohydrate but high in protein and fat, which keeps blood glucose levels more stable than a refined carbohydrate based diet.
Benefits---Increased Nutrient Intake
The Paleo Diet is based on natural whole foods or, as Sisson says, foods that you could pick or hunt or scavenge yourself. This means that processed foods such as candy, mechanically reclaimed meats, high sugar foods, ready-made TV dinners and food containing artificial ingredients are effectively eliminated from the diet. The food consumed in the Paleo Diet is nutritionally dense and contain lots of vitamins, minerals and fiber, which are very beneficial and contribute to overall health and well being.
Opposition
Those opposed to the Paleo approach to nutrition suggest that the diet is too restrictive---possibly dangerously so. The lack of dairy allows for a calcium deficiency, and the reliance on meats means that the diet can be very high in fat, although some Paleo experts suggest trying to minimize the consumption of saturated fats by choosing lean cuts of meat. Other critics believe that the diet is not balanced, too low in carbohydrates, is not sustainable for long periods and is expensive to follow.
References
- "The Stone Age Diet: Based on In-depth Studies of Human ecology and The Diet of Man"; Walter L. Voegtlin; 1975
- "The Primal Blueprint: Reprogram your genes for effortless weight loss, vibrant health, and boundless energy"; Mark Sisson; 2009
- "The Paleo Diet: Lose Weight and Get Healthy by Eating the Food You Were Designed to Eat"; Loren Cordain; 2002
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