The Paleo Diet
The paleo diet is also called "Stone Age Diet" and "Caveman Diet".
It is the plan that imitate the diet of human hunter-gatherer ancestors during the Paleolithic era, which is approximately 2.5 million to 10,000 years ago.
What is the belief of Paleo Diet?
The purpose of the paleo diet is to return to the eating habit that what early human ate. The reasoning of the diet is that human body is genetically mismatched to the modern diet. The mismatch of the modern diet, such as grain and legumes, is believed to be a contributing factor to the prevalence of obesity, diabetes and heart disease.
People who adopt the paleo diet may also aimed to lose weight or maintain a healthy weight.
What should I eat?
There is no "correct" way to eat as the recommendations are vary depending on what is available at the time and where do they live.
Generally, people who adopt paleo diet will eat from the food sources that is obtained by hunting and gathering in the past, including:
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Fruits
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Vegetables
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Nuts and seeds
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Meat
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Fish
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Eggs
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Herbs
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Oils from fruits and nuts
On the other hand, people who adopt paleo diet will avoid processed and farming products, including:
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Grains
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Legumes
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Dairy products
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Sugar
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Salt
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Vegetable oils
How it benefits to our body?
Reducing the consumption of processed food is believed to have positive impacts of our health. There are evidences showed that paleo diet can provide benefits with short-termly in:
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Weight loss
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Improved glucose tolerance
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Improved blood pressure control
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Decreased in fat in the body
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Better appetite management
Although it seems to have many positive health impacts, the long-term effect, overall benefits and potential risks of the paleo diet are still needed to study.
One-day sample paleo menu
The following is a one-day sample menu that people may have in the paleo diet.
Breakfast
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Eggs and salmon fired in olive oil
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Half piece of avocado
Lunch
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Chicken salad (cucumber, tomatoes, romaine lettuce, and lemon juice dressing
Dinner
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Beef sirloin tip roast
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Salad (mixed greens, tomatoes, second half avocado in the morning, almonds, lemon juice dressing)
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Fruits for dessert (strawberries and mixed berries)
Other concerns?
Financially
The food sources from the diet are not only considered as healthy but also more affordable than others. The food such as wild game, grass-fed animals and nuts are usually higher in price than processed and farming products.
Nutrition
The paleo diet avoid the consumption of whole grains and legumes, which are considered as good sources of fibre, vitamins and minerals.
Also, dairy products, such as milk and cheese, are absent from the diet, which are considered as good sources of protein and calcium.
Thus, people should aware of the above concerns before adopting the paleo diet.
References:
1. Mayo Clinic Staff (2020). Paleo diet: What is it and why is it so popular? Mayo Clinic.
2. Gunnars, Kris (2018). The Paleo Diet - A Beginner's Guide Plus Meal Plan. Healthline.
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/paleo-diet-meal-plan-and-menu
3. Tomlin, A. C. (2002). The Paleo Diet. Library Journal, 127(1), 142.
https://www.proquest.com/docview/196779366/fulltextPDF/8DBD8B02A77B458DPQ/1?accountid=11441