The Paleo Diet - Why it's GREAT! Why it's BAD!
Unfortunately, the paleo diet has been slammed by the media of late. Everyone seems to have an opinion about it, whether it’s positive, negative or a blend of both.
However, if this particular diet is supposed to be so good for us, ‘why’ the negative spin to it? Well first of all, lets explore exactly what is involved with living the ‘paleo way’.
Foods included:
- Animal meat (don’t hold back on eating all parts of the animal either).
- Animal based products (e.g. eggs, honey)
- Nuts and seeds
- A variety of fruits and vegetables
- A variety of fats (coconut oil, avocado etc).
Foods to avoid:
- Legumes (lentils, beans)
- Grains (oats, rice)
- Dairy (cows milk, cheese, yoghurt)
Okay cool – They are the foods and basic structure you need to follow to eat like a caveman. Now let’s take a look at why it is that people are choosing the ‘paleo way’:
- Healthy brain
- Weight Loss
- Increased energy
- Better digestion
- Get all your vitamins and minerals
- Reduced risk of disease
(http://www.paleodietevolved.com).
Right! So in a nutshell, people choose to follow the paleo diet because not only do they experience weight loss and increased energy, but they ‘feel’ better inside and out! They have learned to cut out all that processed food and are now sticking to healthy wholesome foods. What’s not to love about that?
However, I now ask this – What did you learn from following the paleo diet in regards to nutrition? How has your mindset changed? How do you now view foods such as rolled oats, legumes, rice and dairy? Do you find yourself turning your nose up at those foods and perhaps thinking ‘oh no I’m not eating them! I don’t believe we as an animal species need to eat grains and dairy’. So…. You just completely cut out two of the five food groups!
Let’s take a look a the two food groups that are a ‘NO GO ZONE’ for paleo eaters:
Grains & Legumes:
Rolled oats
Lentils
Kidney beans
Chickpeas
Black beans
Rice
Nutritional Benefits of this group:
Whole grains are low in fat and are important sources of protein, dietary fibre (lignans, beta-glucan and soluble pentosans), vitamins (especially B-group vitamins and antioxidant Vitamin E), minerals (iron, zinc, magnesium and selenium) and many bioactive phytochemicals. These phytochemicals are have cholesterol-lowering properties and anti-oxidant functions (http://www.glnc.org.au).
Legumes also pose many health benefits including:
- High in protein, low in fat and sodium, low GI, high in B-group vitamins and fibre, rich in phytonutrients and gluten free (http://www.glnc.org.au).
Grains and legumes (particularly your brown, less processed kind) are an excellent source of low GI carbohydrates for energy. This means that foods such as lentils, brown rice and rolled oats provide energy to the body that is released ‘slowly’. This then gives us long lasting energy throughout the day, without experiencing ‘that sugar crash’.
Both groups are also an excellent source of fibre, which is essential for digestive health. They act like an ‘internal scrubbing brush’ to clean out our digestive tract.
Rolled oats in particular are also fantastic to help lower blood cholesterol levels caused from a high fat diet. The paleo diet can be very high in fat (especially if you over-consume that delicious organic grain fed butter), and so including foods such as rolled oats can help slightly combat this issue.
Now lets take a look at the food group ‘Dairy:’
Dairy:
Cow’s milk
Cheese (of all kinds: Cheddar, Mozarella, Cottage, Ricotta)
Yoghurt
Nutritional Benefits of this group:
This is a HUGE deal to be eliminating this group completely from a diet. The mineral that is the main source here is ‘Calcium’. Calcium is the essential nutrient the body utilizes to build our nice strong bones. Consuming enough calcium is particularly important for growing children, adolescents and the elderly, as they require larger amounts to sustain adequate growth and repair of bone.
Dairy sources such as yoghurt, particularly ‘acidophilus’ is chocka block full of live bacterial cultures which are best known to aid in digestive and bowel health and.
Nutritional deficiencies can cause:
Nutritional deficiencies in calcium can cause a wide range of chronic conditions. These include:
- Weak brittle nails
- White marks on the nails and teeth
- Weak and brittle bones (particularly in the elderly) which can lead to easy breaks with falls or collisions (in sport) and osteoporosis.
So, to summarise; Grains & Legumes (Fibre, low GI) and Dairy (Calcium) are but a few of the essentials the body is being ‘starved’ from when explicitly following the paleo diet.
Therefore, what can we do to ensure that we are getting EVERYTHING our body needs, but still following a healthy lifestyle? It all comes back to the basics – Follow the ‘5 food groups’. There is absolutely no need to cut out entire food sources (unless you have some sort of a medical allergy or intolerance). Variety is the key for optimal health and balance in life, so consuming all the colours of the rainbow is a great indication as to whether you are getting in what you need. Following a healthy lifestyle is all about forming a regime or ‘habit’ that is realistic (and financially affordable) and can be sustained rather effortlessly for life.
So, back to the paleo diet. Essentially, this type of lifestyle choice is the ideal stepping-stone or guide for people to initially follow, to learn about various healthy wholesome foods and cut out the ‘processed cr#p’. This diet will help people lose weight and feel fantastic inside and out! However, at the end of the day it is important to ensure you are mindful of your own health and your own needs. Learn about different types of foods and their sources and why they can be good for your health. Everyone has the capability to make their own decisions and do what is right and what works for them. We are all different and unique – So, Paleo or no Paleo, do what works for you!
