Advantages and disadvantages of the Paleo diet

Are you fighting a war against obesity? While low-calorie, low-fat diets tend to be the most popular varieties, recently low-carb diets have gained popularity. That includes the Caveman Diet or Paleolithic Diet. This diet first appeared in the 1970s and basically argues that cavemen ate healthier than modern humans. The essence of the Paleolithic diet is the belief that the hunting and gathering lifestyle of prehistoric humans was more adaptable to our genetic makeup than modern diets.

Advantage

1. Strictly hunted and gathered food

One of the main benefits of the diet is that it only included foods that humans could hunt and gather. Therefore, foods such as grains and most starches are not included in the Paleo Diet. Although it does not include all natural foods available, it only includes natural foods. Cavemen didn’t spend their days searching for frozen pepperoni pizzas or collecting Twinkies.

2. Lack of food by-products

Additionally, by-products from various food sources, such as sugar from sugar cane, would not be allowed on a Paleo Diet. Many of these byproducts are unhealthy and can create various undesirable results. This is particularly true of modern pre-packaged and processed foods, which often contain a Frankensteinian list of man-made ingredients.

3. Weight loss

Those who maintain a Paleo Diet may experience some benefits related to weight loss. Carbohydrates, which are prohibited on the Paleo diet, include foods such as fruits, vegetables, grains, bread, pasta, and rice. By reducing the amount of insulin in your body, your body’s blood sugar level decreases. That allows your body to break down fat, rather than store it. On a Paleo diet, you essentially replace carbohydrates with protein.

Disadvantages

1. Unbalanced diet

One of the main criticisms of the Paleo Diet is that it includes a small sampling of food varieties. That means that people following the diet have a dietary deficiency of foods such as dietary fiber and carbohydrates. Clinical studies show that including grains and unsaturated oils in the diet tend to produce better overall results than the Paleo diet.

2. High consumption of saturated fats

Another drawback of the Paleo Diet is that it is usually high in saturated fat. That’s because of the high amount of protein these diets contain. This would actually be to the advantage of cavemen, who spend most of their day searching for food. But it can create a major problem in modern times as we normally spend most of the day sitting. In today’s world, we spend more time searching for information than searching for food.

3. Totally new eating habits.

While many of us have eaten healthy foods, most of us have not exclusively eaten caveman foods. Therefore, adapting to the Paleo Diet can be somewhat challenging for many people.

The Paleo Diet idolizes the diet of prehistoric humans, while undermining the value of a “well-balanced” modern diet. While some health experts fully support this diet, others believe that it is simply a new fad diet with an ancient history.