Paleo Diet
Updated Nov. 25th, 2022
The Paleo Diet has become another major “fad diet” in our society today, and unfortunately it is often misconstrued as the next weight loss diet. This diet is actually not targeted at weight loss at all, although it can be a side effect of the other changes involved. The Paleo Diet is based on the idea that human beings evolved as hunter-gatherer societies for several million years on Earth.
This means that the diet consisted primarily of lean meats from hunted game, and fresh fruits and vegetables gathered in the wild. The Agricultural Revolution began around 10,000 years ago (~333 reproductive generations), which is a very small relative amount of time in the evolutionary sense, and potentially not long enough for significant changes to our DNA to have occurred. In some cultures (like the Inuit), this shift to an agricultural diet only occurred in the last 6 generations or so. This means that our genes are still programmed to require and to process the foods that we ate in Paleolithic times. Thus the prevalence of heart disease, obesity, and other modern health concerns could possibly be attributed to our deviation from this original diet, and our genetic inability to compensate for the change.
What does a Paleo Diet look like?
There are a few simple rules that can allow you to quickly convert your diet to a Paleo Diet. Here is what you can aim to eat:
- All lean meats, fish, and seafood
- All fruits and non-starchy vegetables
- No cereals or grains
- No legumes
- No dairy products
- No processed foods
It is easy to see how this diet can quickly create an improvement in health, and in most people can even cause dramatic weight loss. Even if all of the founding tenets are wrong, it is easy to see how these changes can improve health and reduce the risk of many metabolic diseases.
Dietary Differences
How different are our diets today from those of our Paleolithic ancestors? A simple answer is: very. The current standard diet in North America (“standard American diet” = S.A.D.) is based on grains, dairy, refined sugars, fatty (grain fed) meat, and salty processed foods. The ancient Paleolithic diet contained no dairy, no added salt, no refined sugar (except honey when they could find it, and fight it away from the bees), and very few grains. Most of their carbohydrates came from non-starchy wild fruits and vegetables. The Paleo Diet is also naturally high in fibre, lower-carb (although not actually low-carb), and rich in fruits and vegetables. It focuses on real food instead of artificial and processed foods.
Nutritional Information
| diet | protein | carbohydrate | fat |
|---|---|---|---|
| paleo diet | 19-35% | 22-40% | 28-47% |
| typical sad diet | 15.5% | 49% | 34% |
| low-carb diets | 18-23% | 4-26% | 51-78% |
What difference does it make?
It is believed that divergence from this natural diet is the underlying reason for many of the health problems seen in our societies today. This is particularly true for the obesity epidemic in North America. Other concerning health problems include the leading cause of death today: Cardiovascular disease (Arteriosclerosis), as well as conditions like Diabetes and High Cholesterol. The dietary changes created by the Paleo Diet have been shown to help reduce the risk of developing Metabolic Syndrome, and can naturally produce healthy weight loss.
Meat Protein Differences
While the Paleo diet focuses a lot on meat and fresh fruits and vegetables, it goes beyond just eating more meat. The type of meat matters! Grain fed, feedlot meat is completely different than wild game in its chemical composition. The muscles of the animal become marbled with fat and have much higher amounts of saturated fat, and omega 6 fatty acids. In fact this type of meat is often up to 75% fat, whereas game meats and grass-fed beef contain about 20% fat, much of which is actually omega 3, and other unsaturated fatty acids, making them a far healthier choice.
Weight Loss Diet?
When compared to the typical SAD diet, the Paleo Diet can produce significant weight loss results, although that is not usually the reason for adapting to this dietary regimen. Unlike many fad weight loss diets, Paleo is a lifestyle change that will be followed on an ongoing basis, and it can be modified in whatever way you need to allow that to be possible. It does not restrict portion sizes, calories or fat, but instead shifts the focus of the diet from unhealthy and “unnatural” foods to those more in line with what our ancestors would have eaten. The idea is not necessarily to lose weight, but to gain health.
Cutting Dairy
It is not natural for human beings to consume milk and dairy products. That sentence may strike you as odd at first, but really think about it: catching and milking a new mother cow in the wild will give you the visual of how odd it would be in Paleolithic times. Cow’s milk is a mother’s breast milk designed by nature to turn a small calf into a full-grown cow in short order. That is a glut of calories, and fat for us to consume on a regular basis. Also, the dairy produced today is from cows in stalls hooked to machines, and is filled with antibiotics, hormones and other chemicals for processing. Removing dairy from the diet can help allow the body to return to a more natural balance.
Food Sensitivities
Interestingly, the Paleo Diet seems to inadvertently avoid some of the most common food sensitivities in the general population. These are: dairy, wheat/gluten, soy, and corn. The physical effects of food sensitivities include: fatigue, rashes, mood disturbance, dark circles under the eyes, and poor digestion. In this way alone the Paleo Diet may be a beneficial change for many people. For more information on food sensitivities, please see our article on Leaky Gut.
More information please!
If you are interested in trying out the Paleo Diet, there are a number of great resources out there! This article was based on the following:
1. Cordain, L. (2011). The Paleo Diet: Revised Edition. New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
2. Gedgaudas, N.T. (2011). Primal Body, Primal Mind. Toronto: Healing Arts Press.
3. Dr. Cordain’s website: https://thepaleodiet.com/
Thank you for a great article that captures the main points of a Paleo Lifestyle. After researching several sources, including Cordain and Gedgaudas, I came to the conclusion that trying the Paleo Lifestyle was the best strategy to regain my health and vitality. That was in January 2014, and I have never looked back at bread, pasta and the like. I feel years younger with more energy and it seems like all my supplements work that much better.
This is a fantastic article for anyone who wants to go the route of a low carb diet. I do keto and Paleo has many similarities mainly a lower carb intake. It has helped me on many fronts plus gives me discipline on the food choices I make. Mind you, you have a choice of how many carbs you want to ingest and putting a limit helps make it more doable. Thank you N N for a great article.
I have been hearing about the Paleo Diet for a new years now but I never really fully understood what that meant, for example I thought it was only really meats that you ate and I had no idea that you would cut our all processed foods which is actually a really great thing to avoid as it is! The dairy aspect makes a lot of sense too, if you think about it. This article was very informative and explained this topic very well, thank you for sharing!
Hello Health Nut,
Thank you for sharing, we're happy our article could help you better understand, today it is more well known as the keto-diet, check out this article to learn more on Keto:
https://www.nationalnutrition.ca/articles/supplements/keto-a-beginners-guide/
Have a healthy day.
Paleo dieting is really a way of eating as it becomes part of one's lifestyle. For most people, not eating refined carbs is not possible but that is not the correct way of thinking if one is interested in a healthy lifestyle. Eliminating foods that are not allowed in Paleo will do you a world of good in the long run. I assure you will not miss much.
Hello Al,
Paleo is indeed helpful for many and can help lessen inflammation for those that eat a lot of refined carbs. It can be adjusted as an overall lifestyle or can be used as a way of eating a few days a week to lessen refined carb intake. Thank you for sharing your experience.
Stay healthy & well.
The Paleo diet has really helped me reduce weight and reduce depression. Carbs, especially refined carbs as in pasta, rice, cakes, cookies etc are eliminated in this diet which results in better gut health and reduction in weight. I eat a lot of fish, meat, good fats, nuts and seeds and stay away from refined junk food. Of course, I do have my cheat days, haha! Great article, thank you for providing all of this wonderful information.
Hello Roger,
Indeed, this diet is beneficial to some and can help reduce weight and balance blood sugar. Some can utilize this diet for short term goals or implement it long term if they have difficulties digesting complex carbohydrates, although some are beneficial for cognitive health from time to time. Glad you've found what works for you & your health.
Stay well!