The Paleolithic Diet and Weight Loss
August 11th, 2009
The Paleolithic diet, also known as the hunter-gatherer, caveman and Stone Age diet, is based on the wild plant and animal ancient diet that was consumed during the Paleolithic, a period that ended about 10,000 years ago with the advent of agricultural development. The diet was first introduced in the ‘70s by gastroenterologist Walter Voegtlin.
The Paleolithic diet consists of foods that can be hunted and gathered including meat, fish, vegetables, fruit, eggs, roots, and nuts. Foods rarely consumed before the development of agriculture are excluded from the diet, such as dairy products, refined sugar, salt, grains, legumes, and processed oils, although oils with low omega-6/omega-3 ratios (olive oil and canola oil) are considered healthy. The diet permits water and tea but restricts alcoholic and fermented beverages.
Based on the premise that human genetics have not significantly changed since the advent of agriculture, the Paleolithic diet has various therapeutic nutritional characteristics.
Paleolithic diet proponents claim that the majority of individuals who subsist on diets similar to those of Paleolithic hunter-gatherers are free of Western diseases of affluence, such as cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, obesity, type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis, and autoimmune diseases, among others.
Practitioners are advised to derive 56-65 percent of their diet from animal foods and 36-45 percent from plant foods. Eating a wide variety of plant foods is recommended. High in protein and low in carbohydrates, the diet has a fat intake similar to that found in Western diets. Unlike raw food diets, all foods may be cooked, as cooking is believed to have been practiced during the Middle Paleolithic period.
Proponents of the diet claim that foods introduced into the human diet after the advent of agriculture, such as large amounts of dairy products, beans, refined cereals, salt, refined sugars, refined vegetable oils, and fattier domestic meats have contributed to the development of chronic illnesses.
These foods have also altered nutritional characteristics in the human diet, such as fatty acid composition, fiber content, glycemic load, macronutrient composition, and micronutrient density.
The Paleolithic diet has proven health benefits. Practitioners who exercise regularly and eat a variety of fruits and vegetables and avoid saturated fats are often healthier.
For information about the Paleolithic diet for health and wellness call Dr. Richard Browne, Acupuncture Physician, at (305) 595-9500.
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