Should we revert to eating like our caveman ancestors?
The idea of a Paleolithic, or “Paleo” diet can be traced back to the 1970s, but it was Loren Corden’s 2002 book The Paleo Diet which brought it under more mainstream attention.
The diet essentially involves eating foods which around during the Paleolithic era – i.e. the cavemen days. So meat, fish, eggs, vegetables and nuts are consumed, but not grains, sugars or modern vegetable oils.
The idea is that we didn’t have certain foods back then, so we shouldn’t need them now.
The diet was soon adopted by various celebrities and sportspeople, and it’s been in and out of the news ever since.
The Paleo diet certainly has its devotees who will sing its praises until the sun goes, but it’s also not without more than its fair share of critics.
I try my best to support clients who come to me wishing to take on a certain way of eating (e.g. vegetarianism), and I’m always careful to offer advice as impartial as possible within the realms of my responsibility as a healthcare professional.
With that in mind, here are my views on the Paleo diet.
Advantages of the Paleo diet
It reduces your intake of processed food.
This is a huge benefit of the Paleo diet and very much aligns with my values as a dietitian. Processed foods are high in saturated fats which can increase your risk of heart disease. (That said, I don’t really believe in banning whole food groups – unless you have a medical allergy or food intolerance – from your diet; instead consuming a bit of everything in moderation).
You consume a high amount of dietary fibre from fruit and vegetables.
We all know that fruit and vegetables are an incredibly important source of nutrients and that we should be eating lots of them. So this aspect of the Paleo diet gets a tick from me!
The diet promotes consumption of healthy fats
Food such as avocado, nuts and extra virgin olive oil are all recommended through the Paleo diet. These are fantastic sources of monounsaturated fat, which have the effect for lowering cholesterol.
Disadvantages of the Paleo diet
It excludes breads and cereals, which for most people is an important food group
Unless you have a medical intolerance or allergy to breads and cereals, I don’t advise you to exclude these from your diet. This food group provides a considerable source of energy and essential vitamins for your brain and muscles – not to mention a feeling of “fullness” which will leave you feeling satisfied.
Excluding a whole carbohydrate group can compromise gut health
Wholegrain breads and cereals contain beneficial prebiotics, which give fuel to the “good” bacteria present in your body. Leaving these breads and cereals out of your diet means your body won’t get those essential prebiotics.
The Paleo diet advocates for a high intake of meat
There are of course benefits to having meat in your diet (I consume meat myself), but the particularly high intake of meat that the Paleo diet promotes has been shown in research to be associated with high rates of colon cancer, particularly with fatty and processed meats such as red meat and sausages.
It restricts the consumption of dairy foods.
It’s a personal choice of of course, but my professional advice – again, unless you have an professionally advised intolerance or allergy – is to keep dairy in your diet. Reducing your dairy intake reduces the opportunity for nutrients such as calcium, Vitamin B12 and Vitamin B2 (riboflavin) to work their magic around your body.
Not enough quality research has been done into the benefits of the Paleo diet.
Whereas many niche diets have been subject to much research over the years, the modern Paleo diet has only really been tested over a short period of time and across a relatively small group of people. More clinical research needs to be undertaken across a larger sample size for real “proof” that this is a diet which can benefit many people.
In the words of the Dietitians Association of Australia, “There are simply not enough good quality studies to suggest a Paleo diet would be advantageous.”
My views on the Paleo diet
Put bluntly, I’m not a fan and would not recommend this diet to my clients. I’m all in favour of an emphasis on fruit, vegetables and high-quality foods, but this is something I would recommend to any client.
But cutting out whole food groups is not something I advocate unless it’s medically necessary.
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