What is the Paleo diet? Paleo is short for Paleolithic. It’s the era when man was a hunter-gatherer before farming. Some call the Paleolithic diet the caveman diet, but the two are synonymous. There’s controversy around the diet. Some people swear by it and say it’s healthier and contains the food our bodies can healthily digest, while others say the opposite. Anthropologists even disagree if it was the diet of early man. One point many nutritionists disagree with is the nutritional factors. The diet may not contain all the essential minerals and vitamins our bodies need. It doesn’t have all the nutrients that a healthy modern diet contains. So, is it bad or good for you?
The biggest benefits come from eliminating sugar and highly processed food.
The Paleo diet allows fruit, vegetables, lean meat, fish, seeds, and nuts. It doesn’t include legumes, grains, dairy, added sugar, salt, processed food, or vegetable oil. Anthropologists say early man may have eaten some of those things. Of course, Paleolithic man never ate a Twinkie, Ding-Dong, or Little Debbie, but he may have eaten grains, dairy, or legumes. These foods contain beneficial nutrients our bodies need. Early man’s diet was omnivarian, but the primary focus was vegetables and fruit. Today’s Paleo diets lean far too much toward the carnivorous side and contain far too much red meat. It may deprive the brain of necessary carbohydrates to function properly by excluding grains.
Cutting out grains and dairy may deprive the body of vital nutrients.
Grains contain essential B vitamins. Thiamin is plentiful in grains. Your body requires it to convert the calories you consume into energy. Grain products are often fortified with folate, which is necessary for growth. Cutting out dairy can also diminish the B vitamin riboflavin that helps build red blood cells. Dairy is high in calcium, which builds strong bones and teeth. Eliminating dairy and grain also leads to selenium, magnesium, iron, and fiber deficiency.
Cavemen missed the benefits of legumes.
Peas, beans, and lentils are legumes. They’re a good source of protein and loaded with nutrients. They contain an abundance of fiber. The minerals they contain vary. Chickpeas are high in copper, manganese, folate, and iron. Lentils are high in folate, iron, copper, and zinc. Kidney beans contain thiamine, folate, copper, iron, and manganese. All legumes are powerhouses of minerals. A cup of pinto beans provides 42% of your daily copper requirement. A cup of soybeans offers 62% of the daily required manganese.
- Many diets are just as healthy as the Paleolithic and don’t have the potential for mineral deficiencies. The Mediterranean diet works just as well and is easier to follow without deficiency potentials.
- While short-term studies show that the Paleo diet helps control blood pressure, lowers triglyceride levels, aids in weight loss, and improves appetite control, long-term use may lead to nutritional deficiencies.
- Staying on the Paleo diet is difficult due to the restrictions. It’s harder to get all the necessary vitamins and minerals.
- The elimination of dairy makes it harder to get adequate calcium. Magnesium and iron may also need supplementation. One of the most vital missing nutrients, especially for women of childbearing age, is folate.
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