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Paleo Diet
Background
Loren Cordain wrote the Paleo Diet based on his research about the probable diet of our human ancestors.
The concept of the Paleo approach to eating is that humans were evolving for millions of years prior to the Neolithic period, which is when agricultural practices changed our diet considerably.
Cordain affirms that grains were not a part of the prehistoric human diet and were only introduced at the time of the agricultural revolution 10000 years ago.
In the past 200 years the industrial revolution has changed our diet to an even greater degree with the introduction of processed and artificial foods as well as an increase in the amount of food that is available to us due to our ability to store foods for a long time.
Cordain claims that these changes have created a detrimental effect on our health and declares that they are responsible for the diseases of modern civilization including obesity, diabetes, heart disease and cancer.
The Paleo Diet Basics
Cordain states that the genetics of humans is best adapted to the diet of our human ancestors prior to the introduction of agriculture. As such the Paleo diet is based on eating foods that would be available to humans in the absence of all technology so as to mimic the diet of hunter-gatherer societies as much as possible.
Eat Like a Caveman
Many foods are restricted on this diet for the reason that that they were not available to our prehistoric ancestors. These include all processed foods, sugar, salt, grains, legumes, dairy products, coffee and alcohol.
Potatoes are also restricted because the varieties available now are genetically and nutritionally altered and are much higher in carbohydrates in comparison to those available in Stone Age period.
While eliminating grains and refined carbohydrates does make this a relatively low carbohydrate diet, it is less restrictive than other diet plans of this nature such as ‘Atkins‘ and ‘Protein Power’ because most fruit and vegetables are allowed in unlimited portions.
Paleo Answer
The Paleo Answer is the latest book by Loren Cordain.
It expands on the principles outlined in Cordain’s earlier books, highlighting the benefits of eating like our caveman ancestors.
Cordain explains that this program is “about adopting a modern healthy diet and lifestyle consistent with our genetic heritage as hunter-gatherers”.
Primarily the book focuses on how to eat like our Stone Age ancestors by consuming the same food groups they did.
Cordain applies the latest research to topics including:
- The Truth About Saturated Fat
- Meal Timing and Intermittent Fasting
- Calorie Restriction
- The Pitfalls of Vegetarianism
- Negative Health Effects of Grains, Legumes, Potatoes and Dairy Products
- The Food-Autoimmune Disease Connection
The Paleo Answer 7-Day Diet Plan
The meal plan includes suggestions for three meals and two snacks daily. Recipes are not provided but readers are referred to “The Paleo Diet Cookbook”.
If you are strict with the diet 85 percent of the time you can realize significant improvements in your health. The other 15 percent – which equates to about three meals a week – can include foods not normally allowed.
Also provided in the seven-day plan are health tips and specific recommendations for exercise and relaxation.
Recommended Foods
Turkey, shrimp, crab, halibut, salmon, lamb, lean beef, omega 3 eggs, pecans, almonds, walnuts, avocado, spinach, tomato, cauliflower, broccoli, lettuce, berries, apples, pineapple, peaches, olive oil, wine, herb tea, mineral water..
Honey, dried fruit and natural oils are permitted in very small portions.
Sample Diet Plan
| Breakfast
Omelet with spinach and mushroom |
| Morning Snack
Fresh berries |
| Lunch
Grilled salmon |
| Afternoon Snack
Guacamole |
| Dinner
Grilled chicken |
| Evening Snack
Baked walnut cinnamon apples |
Look for more high protein recipes here.
Costs and Expenses
The Paleo Diet book retails at $14.95.
Click Here to purchase the book at a discounted price.
The Paleo Answer retails for $25.95
Click here to purchase Cordain’s newest book at a discounted price.
There may be an increase in grocery expenses due to the requirement to purchase more fresh produce, seafood and lean meat.
Loren Cordain Video
Pros
- Higher intakes of protein reduce appetite and increase metabolism. High protein also prevents loss of lean muscle.
- Emphasizes fruit and vegetables.
- Intake of essential fatty acids will be high on this diet.
- May be beneficial for dieters who have difficulty with carbohydrate cravings and blood glucose imbalances.
- Will improve and reduce the risk of developing many diseases and disorders such as diabetes, heart disease and cancer.
- Produces a net alkaline load on the kidneys, which helps to reduce the loss of calcium and preserve bone tissue, which may reduce the risk of osteoporosis.
- Provides six weeks of sample menus.
- Does not require counting or measuring.
Cons
- Highly restrictive and will require a great deal of commitment from the dieter. Eliminates many favorite foods such as pasta, bread, potatoes and desserts.
- May be socially disruptive. Difficult to eat out or at social occasions.
- May be an initial withdrawal period when dieters commence the diet due to eliminating coffee, sugar, alcohol and refined carbohydrates.
- Diet is based on speculation to some degree, as it is impossible to be certain what exactly our Paleolithic ancestors ate.
- Recommends diet soda, which is contradictory to the philosophy of the diet.
- Will require careful planning to ensure that calcium is adequately supplied due to the absence of dairy products.
- Not suitable for vegans or vegetarians.
Conclusions
If dieters commit to The Paleo Diet it or the Paleo Answer can certainly be very effective for weight loss and will reduce the risk of diseases that are associated with obesity and the modern western diet.
However it may be difficult to follow especially in the initial stages and many people will experience unpleasant reactions such as fatigue, headaches and cravings. Usually these disappear after several weeks and from that point on The Paleo Diet is generally very easy for the majority of dieters to adhere to.
See Also
The Paleo Diet for Athletes
Paleo Recipes
Paleoista- A paleo diet designed for the unique needs of women.
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I tried the paleo diet for about a month, attempting to rid the heavy symptoms I get over my period (gaining 15 pounds of water weight) and get into better shape. It doesn’t work for me. I ate a very balanced diet with plenty of protien and fats, but I had no energy. I had to sleep like 12 hours a night and still didn’t want to get up; and before I had the energy to start on my basketball team, but my coach noticed such a change in performance, I got benched. After getting off the paleo and just eating a regular healthy diet I regained all my energy. Though it did help with the water weight it wasn’t worth it.
Just doesn’t work for some people.
Please do not listen to the statement made by Richard Goins. There are many many good things that you can eat on this type of diet. I actually believe that he did not actually research what he should be eating because there are elements missing in his meal examples. If anything I believe he is exaggerating. His lunch and dinner had NO meat protein whatsoever. Lean meat protein is essential for metabolism, energy, and muscle retention. He may have been choosing elements that are within the diets allowed foods, but there is an abundance of good tasting and completely satisfying foods available to us.
Perhaps it was just harder to make choices that were absent of highly addictive grain based foods which he listed. I have seen this with many of the people I have introduced this lifestyle to. They cannot give up certain foods they are use to thus their frustrations. Read, study, learn about the benefits of food that is natural to us, and how processed, unnatural foods, though edible, harm us. That’s the best advice I can give.
I am going to start this diet because it sounds like the most logical and the most healthful one I’ve seen in a long time. Vegetarian diets include wheat and dairy which are both bad for you. Even if you don’t have celiac disease (like myself), not eating wheat can have huge positive changes in how you feel (I know from experience – I’ve been eating gluten free for at least a year now). Once in a while, I admit, I might cheat and have dairy and gluten and I always regret it. My sinuses immediately start acting up. I start feeling extremely sluggish – no energy. I feel irritable and angry for no reason. And after a day or two of getting right back to dairy and gluten free, I start feeling great again and all those previous symptoms disappear. The Paleo diet supports this way of eating. Sounds like the best for me! Also, think about it. You are getting the most important food groups every day with this diet – fruits, vegetables, proteins, good fats. Nothing processed.
You know what I like about this diet is how simple you can make it. It gives you more energy because in my case it takes less energy to prepare. I do it these two ways, one big pan with all my veggies in, and one to grill the meat. Or alternatively I put the veggies on a baking sheet with parchement paper, roast them and add the meat or fish at the approximate time. Get a chef to teach you knife skills and it will not take long to prepare. No machines with their two-thousand micro parts. Stuff to wash-up one or two pots, a knife, a fork, and a plate. Vegetable peelings in the garbage or a composter, or if you are creative you can freeze them and use them for a vegetable stock. Preparation time 30 minutes less than that celebrity chef recipe with his prep staff and dishwasher. Go Paleo, leaves a single guy like me more time for a-hunting….
I am 27 and I have never dieted in my life. I have always had the good luck to be skinny no matter what I ate. Until recently, my daily diet consisted of french fries, mac and cheese, pizza and cheese on bread. And that is not an exaggeration! The thought of giving these foods up was horrifying to me, but my boyfriend really wanted to try it as he is trying to sleep better, get more energy and lose weight. He tried it for a week while I continued on with my eating habits and being the only one doing it was super hard for him. Soooo, much to my dismay, I agreed to try it with him for 2 weeks.
It has been a week so far and it is so much easier than I anticipated! What is interesting about this diet, is that if you can force yourself to cut out dairy and grains (my life’s purpose for the last 27 years) for only a few days, your cravings for them really do go down! It’s amazing, I never would have believed it if I hadn’t experienced it myself. Plus, no one has mentioned that you are allowed 2-3 open meals per week. That’s a huge point! You don’t have to cut everything out forever. So I can still have mac and cheese, or eat off a regular menu when I’m out for girl’s night. I just have to limit the open meals to 2-3 per week, instead of 2-3 per day.
Although I wasn’t trying to lose weight, I have lost 4 pounds in one week. From 121 to 117. MEanwhile, my energy has DEFINTITELY increased. I never realized how sluggish I was until I started eating better. I guess when you’re young, you can get away with putting junk in your body, but once you get older, you need good food to keep healthy and energized.
The best thing for me about this diet though, is that I’m not hungry ALL THE TIME. I used to eat and eat and eat all day long and still be constantly thinking about food (while feeling totally overstuffed most of the time) Now, I eat lunch and find I don’t think about food for the next 4 or 5 hours. It’s pretty cool.
Anyway, I recommend this to anyone. If it seems impossible (like it did for me) just commit to it for one week. And keep in mind that in that first week, you can have three open meals where you can eat anything (this doesn’t mean pig out, but enjoy something you like) You’re allowed to use a little salt in the beginning to ease your way in, but just try not using as much. And having a drink here or there is also allowed for you fellow wine drinkers! Just give it a shot. It is not as hard as it sounds! Take it from a junk food-aholic. If it works for you like it did for me, you’ll realize how much better you feel and want to keep going.
I recommend getting the book so you have better guidelines and can read about why the diet works. He also gives you recipes in there. The food will probably taste bland at first. If you’re like me, you put gobs of salt on everything. But your taste buds adjust to less salt soooo fast. Just try it and you’ll see!!!
My household has eaten this way for quite some time. My youngest daughter had bloody stool as an infant while nursing and I had to stop consuming dairy and soy. At age 1 she was diagnosed with celiac disease on top of her dairy intolerance. My youngest is 2 now and is old enough to know if our entire household is eating something different for dinner than she. We decided to be a gluten/dairy free family. Probably the only exception to this ‘diet’ is that we do eat sweet potatoes and quinoa from time to time or we’ll have some rice crackers with homemade hummus. I will also add here that my husband and I are known to imbibe from time to time and have a bourbon or glass of wine. We aren’t SO strict in the sense that we never ever stray from the paleo way of eating, but we eat this way 99% of the time.
Our family lives in very rural MT and we make sure to have our freezer stocked with deer, elk, and buffalo that we hunt. I honestly can’t remember the last time we purchased meat from a store. We also raise chickens for eggs. There is a place about an hour from us that gets fresh seafood from Alaska weekly, so we get our seafood from there. I DO take a vitamin supplement of D3.
I have to say that our entire family is incredibly healthy. My husband and I are both personal trainers, although he has active clients while I stay at home with the kids.
I don’t see why this way of eating gets such a bad wrap. Lean meat, seafood, veggies, fruit and nuts….what’s so bad about that??? Sure, there are times when ‘relax’ with it (date night at a nice restaurant without the kids), but we eat this way out of necessity due to our 2 year old’s dietary needs as opposed to weight loss.
I think the people that are critical need to read the book instead of making judgment based off of an online extremely condensed version. If it’s not for you after that, so be it.
This diet sounds like Atkins. I used to get leg cramps with Atkins, this seems very similar, so had anyone had any issues with cramps?
I have been on this diet for several weeks now. My personal trainer recommended it to me. I love it! I have tried all kinds of diets in the last 10 years and this is the only one that I have been able to stick to! I sleep better, have more energy, and just generally feel better.
I tried Paleo for a month, and got a big kick out of the high protein breakfast the first day. The diet is simple but you have to be really organised for lunch Eat fruit, vegetables, and game meat with an emphasis on seafood (no grains, no beans, no nightshades, no dairy), which basically describes the three meals I ended up with after modifying the diet to suit the food combining / sequential eating routine I have been on for years. For me Paleo simply meant replacing the starch at lunchtime with root vegetables, which I now do some weeks. On Paleo my body wants to go to sleep when the sun goes down and during the day it wants to run through the forest and hunt. For me it resets the clock as far as any physical issues are concerned
I find this diet amazing. Since the Paleo man had a life span of about 30 years, I wish you all good luck. Two hundred years ago, physicians through all kinds of illnesses into generic descriptions including dying of old age. Today, we understand each disease and what causes them. Most of these that we have labeled are not from poor diet. Reduce your caloric intake from 3000 to 1200 calories per day and you will lose weight, whether you eat at McDonalds or at home, especially is you stay active. The internet seems to be the modern means of selling snake oil from town to town and moving on before you are discovered to be a fraud. Use common sense, control your intake and exercise and you will live a happier life. And that’s not snake oil.
can you eat sushi on this diet?
I started this diet after my personal trainer suggested it. I have an autoimmune disease and I also have bad gas around 3:00 everyday, which is not good because i’m a teacher- I feel like Walter the Farting Dog most days. I had been on weight watchers previously and was successful losing weight. I ate a bowl of oatmeal and egg, a can of soup with whole wheat bread, and a fairly healthy dinner well balanced dinner, but I was always craving sweets throughout the day and often times it was torture!
So far I love the Paleo diet. I am not hungry or crave sugar during the day, which I did before on the ww diet. Sometimes I feel a little sick after I eat, but I think it’s because I’m not used to eating such high fat foods, especially for breakfast, as I was used to eating oatmeal. So far, NO GAS! I have not lost any weight, but I feel better during the day, more energy and I am sweating more in my day to day activities, so I think my metabolism is moving faster. I have not noticed any difference in my “flare ups” regarding my autoimmune disease, but I am also working out a harder than normal. The diet is more expensive, but I am also eating a lot of leftovers for lunch or breakfast. I am also still drinking coffee, and eating some sweets at night. I made a flourless cake because a girl still needs her chocolate… It’s worth a try and yummy too! I don’t feel like i’m dieting, at least not like I felt on WW.
Don’t let the diet fool you, you can eat great tasting things, just instead of adding a bottle of this flavor, you have to make it. There are many great sites and cook books for this. Keep in mind that spices and herbs are still usable, just watch ingredients in mixed spices, ie salt.
Once you get used to the diet it’s great, you have alot of energy, but keep in mind that you will be eating alot of food, unlike other diets, you eat until you feel satisfied. By cutting the grains, you cut the excessive carb intake, so no more 10/2 energy crash.. Good luck, and stick it out for about 6 weeks to really see the difference. 1 belt notch already.
Beans (including peanuts) should not be eaten on this diet, for the same reason that grains should not be. Beans and grains in their raw form are inedible. They contain toxins that, even when cooked, are not fully removed. If going with this diet, best to really go with it.
I have been strictly following this diet for a week, and have been doing quite a bit of research.
It is recommended to consume a ratio of 4:1 in fats to combined protein and carbs (the carbs you should only be getting from fruits and non-starchy vegetables).
It is unusual to think that a high fat, low-zero carb diet is the key to weight loss, but visit this site and read in this article about the effects of these kinds of carbs on our metabolism and the impact of them on our insulin. :
Good luck!
This summary of the diet was inaccurate. Dr. Cordain does not recommend diet soda. That is a false statement. Also, about the calcium… do take note that countries that do not consume as many dairy products have less incidence of osteoporosis. Dairy does have a lot of calcium, yes. The problem is that it causes calcium to be leeched out as well. Dr. Cordain had an excellent update on this issue. From a biochemical standpoint, I can assure you this makes perfect sense.
You guys, about the beans…. beans have other antinutrient properties. Our ancestors might have eaten one, yes, but it would not have been eaten the way beans are eaten now. You will find more information about this in his updates.
And about fatigue and headache, this happens if you are going through withdrawal from caffeine, or alcohol. Heroin addicts go through these withdrawals too. This is a good thing.
The ONLY pitfall of this diet is that people have to be more creative with the way they cook, so that you can eat this food at a social situation. That’s it.
I will admit that I haven’t been on the diet that long, but so far I loathe it.
First of all, it’s extremely expensive. We normally spend about $80/wk to feed my family of three. That’s buying pastas, sauces, cereals, a couple of chicken & rice dinners, a few deserts, etc. We bought a Paleo cookbook & planned out our meals for the week. When we when shopping, the cost was $180!!! That’s outrageous! No one mentioned that cavemen must’ve been rich.
Second, the food is horrible. Granted, breakfasts are okay because it’s pretty tough to mess up scrambled eggs with veggies or an omelette. Lunch & dinner, however, have been some of the worst things I’ve EVER eaten.
For lunch we had Flaxseed Focaccia with sundried tomatoes & black olives topping. Ugh. This was, by far, one of the worst things I’ve ever eaten.
For dinner we tonight we had Roasted Eggplant & Capsicum Salad. This is a “salad” with just baked eggplant & a green pepper. Are you serious? That’s not meal. Yeah, we got to put a little olive oil & lemon juice on it, but ugh!
I would not recommend this diet for anyone, not even my dog. If I were a caveman I’d probably be a carnivore (grilling a steak isn’t bad) or I’d starve to death.
I am going to eat only raw meat.
Not sure I nderstand why this diet is only possible with industrial production of animal products. In fact the diet highly recommends you only eat locally produced organic grass fed meat – which is about as sustainable as you can get. Just becuase this diet will not sustain a human population of 9 billion does not make it wrong – its the 9 billion bit that is wrong and that is a political issue to which agriculture is part of the problem not the answer.
it is easy to eat vegs, some fruit, seeds and nuts, some legumes, but meat is the problem – everywhere they say grass-fed, free-range animals but all we get is meat or products from chemically loaded, grain-fed animals, even larger and larger part of the fish is farmed, fed god knows what. and this is noway close to what paleo people ate. i stopped all animal products (i do not even mention all processed garbage, sugar, coffee etc, it is no brainer) to avoid blood pressure pills for life some 6 years ago. result was no pills and the rest pretty much ok since i had no other problems. then 2 years ago i got rid of all grains but brown rice and introduced eggs (as free as possible but it is quite impossible) and wild oily fish (only viable choice – mackerel). now i limit the rice to the point of elimination but keep legumes. i blend my vegs. you can even gain weight with small amounts of food. one sure result is that mentally you really change for the better – much more positive and relax attitude. things you eat can influence your mental state as well.
but this paleo diet is only possible if you rely on industrial production of animal products with its bad sides and with population to be 9 billions by 2040 – no way. you can push it all you like but it is not the solution, sadly.
If beans and grains are so terrible for us, how does the author explain the people in the Blue Zones? These people have a diet low in fat, but high in grains (high fiber, non-processed grains) and legumes. I think any diet that cuts out an entire food group is shady.
I do agree that we eat too much wheat and refined carbs, but I think whole grain foods like quinoa, barley, bulgur, oats, etc. can fit into a healthy food plan.
Yeah I love this diet..It’s essentially a raw food diet with meat added in, which works for me because I tried going all raw and had a really difficult time of it..this is much easier to maintain and I feel sated and energized..the first three weeks or so are pretty brutal though, so plan for that..cutting grains and dairy puts your entire chemistry into a bit of a tailspin at first..I was extremely irritable and low on energy..had a tough time sticking to it..then around the one month mark I hit my stride and felt great..there’s a reason so many people have allergies/intolerances to wheat and dairy..I truly believe humans are not meant to consume those poisons..I’m not really a fan of eggs either but hey, whatever works for you..good luck to all!
“… based on speculation to some degree, as it is impossible to be certain what exactly our Paleolithic ancestors ate”?
Well they certainly did not eat fast food loaded with salt, trans-fats, HFCS and other highly processed/refined grains. A diet of fresh meat and produce is much closer to what our human bodies are designed to eat than the corporate crap provided to us by McDonalds, Kraft,Nabisco, and the ilk.
I have been on this diet for around a month now. I am 20 years old and have been overweight all my life even as a child. Going into my junior year of college and being 6′ 3” and weighing over 300 lbs was not fun. So I saw this diet and went along with it and added exercise a couple days a week. Well, in the past 30 days I have lost 23 lbs and continue to lose weight nearly everyday. granted with this diet I try to stay around 1200 calories a day. But This diet is amazing!! I have wrestled, played football and this diet has lost me more wieght in one month then those sports did all season. If you are overweight or obese, go on this diet. You will not regret it!!
This diet is amazing, you will lose weight and feel fantastic. Plus, if you go off the diet you will realize how bad other foods are for you.
It might be tough to get started on but it will change your life.
I have been following (roughly) this diet for a few weeks now and I have to agree with Steph. I feel better and less bloated. Many of my symptoms have disappeared and I feel more energetic. I also sleep better and have no restless leg issues. Better food guidelines I have seen yet.
i did this diet for a week, my digestion improved, my body became leaner, realy just from a week. then i decided to try grains and stuff again and i felt sluggish and had poor digestion lke it just seems to take all day for grains to leave your stomach. I also feel bloated with grains, just extra pudgy. I am going to go back on this ‘diet’ realy i think just the way we are ment to eat, and see if i can lose my pudge for summer:)
Actually really easy to follow. It essentially mimics the specific carbohydrate diet that was designed to heal gut disorders. I have celiacs disease, allergies and ADD and following this paleolithic diet remarkably eliminates all symptoms. I have more energy and stamina and require about two hours less sleep. This is without changing exercise schedules. I do focus on veg and limit fruit intake though. Definitely worth a shot, and it doesn’t cost more than your average western diet with all it’s value added products. The key is to satiate with good fats.
Sounds like th perfect diet(except the diet soda???)! The person writing the critiques needs to get up to speed on healtful diets as dairy/ milk products are not suitable for human consumption and actually inhibit the absorption of calcium. Green leafy veggies are the way to go. Also, modern day fruit is higher in sugars and lower in fiber than our ancestors had. I agree with Dewayne about the beans.
I believe that one thing the diet leaves out is that beans should be allowed even in such a diet because they are low in carbs and in addition; they provide a great deal of fiber and have the same slow burning effect as most veggies. Furthermore, their philosophy should include beans because they grew from the earth and were probably snacked on back then.
I’m going to try it, but with a twist.
I’m going to eat raw uncooked foods during the day and for dinner i’ll have some cooked meat and steamed veggies.