Occasionally someone will ask
me, “Does the Paleo diet work?” And my answer is usually the same
answer I give to any question of this nature: It depends on the person and
the way the diet is implemented. I have several clients whose current
approach to eating appears to come very close to what would be considered a
Paleo or Paleo-type diet. So, I decided to try the diet out for myself, for a
trial run, and share a review of my experience.
What Exactly Is the
Paleo diet?
I guess there are two answers to that question. There is the
concept of the diet, where you basically match your eating habits to that of
someone who would have lived in Paleolithic times. Then, there is the diet
itself from a nutrition science point of view.
Eat like a Paleolithic person? Like, chomp down on big wooly
mammoth legs wearing a leopard skin smock? Well, yes, but
not exactly. The idea is that our bodies are actually genetically designed to
eat a diet that comes directly from the earth, not cultivated. In his
bestselling book The Paleo
Diet, Dr. Loren Cordain, Ph.D. points out that, “the
agricultural revolution began 10,000 years ago– just a drop in the bucket
compared to the 2.5 million years that human beings have lived on
earth.” In other words, Dr. Cordain believes that our bodies are simply
not designed to use any of the foods that started appearing on our plates as
a result of the agricultural revolution. So that would include grains,
processed flours, processed foods, manufactured foods, and it extends to
dairy products as well. That basically leaves anything that you could
“hunt and gather” as a Paleolithic person would. So the ideal Paleo
diet would consist of fairly large amounts of meat, poultry, and fish, along
with an abundance of fresh, unprocessed fruits and vegetables, and a sprinkle
of tree nuts and seeds here and there.
From a nutrition standpoint, you could almost call this a low-carb
diet, where you lower your supply of carbs to your body so it will turn
to burning fat as energy, like other low-carb, high fat diets. But Dr.
Cordain devotes an entire chapter in his book pointing out that the Paleo
diet is not like any of the other “low-carb fad diets.” With
the Paleo diet, you are actually just consolidating your sources of
carbohydrates to primarily fruits and vegetables, by eliminating grains,
legumes, and refined sugars and other processed simple carbohydrates. He says
that this still gives you plenty of carbs, from sources that are also
more nutrient dense, and what your body is naturally craving from a
couple million years of genetic programming. Dr. Cordain references a
range in macronutrient ratios on a Paleo diet: 19-35% protein, 22-40%
carbohydrate, and 28-58% fat. And overall, he emphasizes the importance of
following a diet that is based on millions of years of nutritional
facts.
Oh Boy! I Get to Eat All That Meat!
Not so fast! If you recently witnessed a friend on Facebook
posting a plate full of bacon and bragging about their Paleo lifestyle, you
may want to send them this blog article. Although the Paleo diet would be
considered high in protein compared to the typical U.S. diet, and it does
encourage eating an abundance of animal protein, there are specific, pretty
strict guidelines as to the kind of protein you should eat. The meat has to
be clean, basically organically raised, and fed the same foods that fish and
mammals ate in Paleolithic times. So, you basically want your beef,
poultry, fish, and game to also be on a Paleo diet! That leaves out
conveniently going for a bacon cheeseburger at the nearby fast food joint,
even if you order it “protein style.”
The other caveat to all the meat is that you must eat more than
the average U.S. diet of fresh, whole fruits and vegetables. If you approach
the diet as just a happy carnivore who has finally found a valid excuse to
nom-nom down on steak and lobster, but you leave out the fruit and
vegetables in the proper ratios, the diet won’t work, and it could have
adverse affects on your health.
How Does the Paleo Diet Work? The 7 Keys of the Paleo
Diet
To explain the basics just a bit further, Dr. Cordain uses seven
key elements when presenting the Paleo diet:
- Eat a relatively high amount of animal protein.
- Eat fewer carbohydrates that most modern diets, and make sure
they are good carbs, from fruits and vegetables, not from grains, starchy
tubers, and refined sugars. - Eat a large amount of fiber from non starchy fruits and
vegetables. - Eat a moderate amount of fat, with more good fats than bad fats,
and a proper ratio of omega 3 to omega 6 fats. - Eat foods that are high in potassium and low in
sodium. - Eat a diet with a net alkaline load.
- Eat food rich in plant phytochemicals, vitamins, minerals, and
antioxidants, or in other words, nutrient dense foods.
What Are the
Benefits?
Dr. Cordain and other Paleo enthusiasts like Robb Wolf, author of
The Paleo
Solution, the Original Human Diet present a well
studied, evidence-based explanation of the benefits of the Paleo Diet,
including, but not limited to: weight loss, healing leaky gut, helping to
reverse autoimmune disorders, lowering insulin resistance to help fight
diabetes, supporting heart health (even in spite of all the meat), and
supporting healthier metabolism. You would need to read the book or hire a
nutritionist to get an in-depth explanation of how this all works, but
it seems like the diet has laid a good foundation in modern nutrition and the
list of resources and products that support a Paleo lifestyle continues to
grow.
If you see Paleo products making the shelves at supermarkets, that
is a good indication that the diet has been around long enough, and is proven
enough for food manufacturers to invest in bringing products to market. The
irony about that is ,once you start running to “Paleo-friendly”
processed foods at the store, you are defeating the original purpose of the
diet. In that vain, I believe someone could reasonably expect some benefits
as long as they follow the diet’s core principles.
So, Does the Paleo Diet Work? Here is My
Review…
I am already in good health for the most part. So whenever I
test a diet I know I can’t expect dramatic results, but I am always open to
seeing how I can improve on the ways I fuel my body. In general, I advocate
for getting a lot of plant-based nutrition, but I am not a vegan. There is a
difference between “keeping things more vegan” and “being a
vegan.” I followed the Paleo diet to the letter, with exception to
a protein shake in the morning that has some sprouted grains and
fermented rice protein. In spite of this, my macronutrient ratios stayed
in line with what is presented as a good Paleo ratio.
Yes It’s A Lot of Meat: I tend
to keep more vegan, and do consume specific kinds of meats, fish, and poultry
on a very moderate basis, compared to a typical U.S. diet. So, my first big
adjustment was adding so many creatures to my weekly trip to the market. As a
chef, I delighted in the idea of cooking with grass fed bison and wild caught
coho salmon, but the more practical, sustainability-minded side of me felt
awkward and a little uncomfortable purchasing so much animal protein. It did
seem like a lot.
Cost: It is expensive buying grass fed
beef, organic poultry, and wild caught fish. But my grocery bill came
out about the same because I was cutting back on a lot of other ingredients
that are not allowed on the diet.
Implementation and Time Commitment: I
found that in a pinch, if I just followed the guidelines in my shopping, by
purchasing only specific kinds of meats, and whole, fresh, organic fruits and
vegetables, that then preparation was extremely easy. It boils down to just
some meat and some vegetables on a plate at many meals. Most nights it was as
simple as throwing a piece of something on the grill or into a pan, and
steaming some vegetables with a drizzle of healthy fats. By eliminating the
extra steps required to prepare rice, pasta, or some other side dish that is
perceived to be necessary, dinner making becomes profoundly simplified. So I
really loved that, and I look forward to demonstrating to my clients this
positive spin on the diet.
Satiety-Deprivation Ratio: I
believe it is very important to never feel deprived on a diet or nutrition
lifestyle commitment, ever, unless you are doing a cleanse for a
limited time with an end date in sight. The Paleo diet, with its high level
of protein, did leave me more satiated in between meals. Did I miss my brown
rice, quinoa, toast in the morning, and rice cakes? Well, actually, not
really. I can credit this to the fact that I was prepared at all times with
Paleo-approved foods, so I didn’t ever find myself facing hunger with only
the wrong foods as an option. Having said that, there were a couple mild
incidents where I was sitting at a business lunch looking at the cheeseburger
and fries sitting in front of the person next to me. But again these were
mild distractions, and I wouldn’t call them feelings of deprivation. So,
overall, I give this diet high marks on leaving you satiated and not feeling
deprived. And, Dr. Cordain recommends having a few flexible meals a week so
you don’t actually have to miss out on the foods you love that wouldn’t
otherwise be allowed on the Paleo diet.
My Personal Results: I did the
diet for three weeks. It was a very busy time for me with desk projects, and
client appointments, and besides my occasional bicycle commute to a client or
my nutrition office, I didn’t get a lot of exercise during my Paleo Diet
trial. I did manage to lose 3 pounds over the 3 week period. Not dramatic, but
positive, when you factor in everything about me, my body, and my activity
level.
The most notable change I noticed was increased clarity of mind,
and also an increase in energy. I attribute this to a more vibrant metabolism
from the diet, and also possibly less “grain brain” from the
absence of grains in my diet. But that is just my guess.
Another notable change was my tolerance of sugar, or lack thereof.
I completely lost any cravings for sugars, or even carbohydrates while doing
the Paleo diet. And, when I did put a little raw honey or jaggery in my tea
or coffee, I really noticed how less tolerant I was to the sweetness. I found
this quite exciting when you consider how hard it is for many people to
overcome their sugar cravings and addictions.
Many people asked if I was going to get constipated from all the
meat. But due to eating an abundance of fruits and vegetables on the Paleo
diet, my digestion worked like a charm. I didn’t encounter any digestive
issues, and if anything, I would have to say the Paleo diet improved my
digestion, or at least made a healthy contribution to my body’s digestive
process.
And, this is more an observation than a result, but I loved the
way the Paleo diet fit into my already existing philosophy of eating whole,
minimally processed, clean foods. The only thing that didn’t fit my existing
diet was that I tend to eat a lot more plant based foods. But it was an easy
adjustment for me personally.
The Bottom Line
I think the Paleo Diet makes a lot of sense in many ways, but I am
not personally convinced that it is necessary to eat all that meat, unless
you have a particular directive from your doctor, specialist, or an RD, that
would require you to do so. For example, there are autoimmune protocols that
use a Paleo approach and rely on specific nutrients, healthy fats, and
protein from animals to help address the issue. Having said that, if you
can see yourself eating meat, fish, or poultry at just about every meal, even
snacks in some cases, you can probably have some success with the Paleo diet
if you do it right. Yet, I would be inclined to get some information
from the pro-plant doctors, to gain a well balanced perspective, before
devoting an entire lifestyle to the Paleo diet.
As a matter of fact, this brilliant RD, Brenda Davis did a
nutritional anthropology study on the Paleolithic people, to see what their
actual dietary nutrient makeup looked like. Based on her findings, a plant
based or vegan diet actually comes closer to achieving a true paleo
nutritional profile. Apparently the real cavemen ate more than 80g of fiber
daily. In the modern Paleo diet, one wouldn’t even come close to that. The
comparison is quite interesting.
Check out her blog.
I think when looking at whether to take on any diet, it is
important to consider the individual person, their needs, their life, and the
actual nutrition facts surrounding a diet, and whether that diet is going to
deliver what the body needs nutritionally, without hurting the body at the
same time.
What I did get from the Paleo Diet that I would definitely pass on
to my clients, is the importance of eating more natural, whole, minimally
processed, and organic foods, that includes lots of fruits and vegetables! No
matter what diet I am studying the biggest common denominator always comes
down to more vegetables and many times also more fruit! Funny how that
works!
If you are thinking of trying the Paleo diet, be sure to get
informed. Get help with your meal planning, recipes, and logistics out
in your daily life, where it matters most! Proper implementation of a
good diet can pay off with years of good, sustainable, balanced
health and lifestyle choices, so be sure to invest in the proper
implementation of your diet. If you have enjoyed reading my review of the
Paleo diet, perhaps I can help you do it right, with meal planning ideas,
tools, and coaching, customized to fit the right Paleo approach to your
personal needs and schedule.
I’d be happy to provide you with a complimentary
phone consultation to strategize the best plan of action for you. I
look forward to being helpful!