Foodie Friday - the caveman diet

The 'caveman diet' suggests that our digestive systems are unable to cope with grains and dairy. The premise for this is that for centuries we hunted and gathered and that farming is relatively recent. Whilst countries all over the world practise some sort of grain farming, dairy farming is not common practise in Asia and other in some other areas. Coconut milk is used in place of dairy products.

The paleolithic diet, abbreviated to 'The Paloe diet' was followed by our ancestors for 2.5 million years, whilst farming has been around for about 10,000 years. First made popular in the 1970s by Dr. Voegtlin, a gastroenterologist who believed that this diet could prevent and manage common bowel diseases such as ulcerative colitis and diverticulitis.

This diet has both critics and followers. It would appear that people either love it or hate it.  As a high protein diet there are elements that are very similar to the Atkin's diet. It is also a little similar to the 'No carbohydrates after 5pm diet' in that all grains and legumes are off limits after 5pm for that diet, and permanently for the Paloe diet. And this has nutritionists concerned about possible health issues related to lack of Vitamin B and other nutrients found in whole grain products.

The dairy industry is also concerned about the total avoidance of dairy in this diet however those that follow it claim that they get enough calcium from leafy green vegetables. There are other aspects to the lack of dairy including the research that demonstrated that dairy can increase weight loss in addition to providing calcium and protein to our diets.

The human race is the only mammal to continue consuming milk pass infancy but does that necessarily mean that it not good for us? I will write a blog on milk and dairy another day.

So what can you eat on the Paloe diet?

• Protein and lots of it. Meat, chicken, fish, eggs
• Fish including shell fish
• Vegetables and heaps of them, except for white potatoes. Sweet potatoes are acceptable. Green vegetables are fully encouraged in all their forms.
• Fruit and nuts are both allowed but in smaller portions for those working towards weight loss. Fruit contains lots of sugar and nuts contain lots of fat. Both are good for you but may need to be controlled for weight loss and weight maintenance.
• Seeds of all varieties
• Olive, coconut, avocado, walnut, flaxseed and canola oil in moderation

Foods to be avoided are:

• Dairy (all)
• Cereal grains (all)
• Grain-like seeds (quinoa, buckwheat)
• Legumes (all beans, chickpeas, lentils, soy products, peas)
• Peanuts
• Starchy vegetables
• Salt-containing foods (store-bought condiments, bacon, deli meats)
• Fatty cuts of meat
• Sugar
• Fruit juice

Exercise is also included in this diet, and this exercise should mimic caveman activities, so hiking, sprinting, weight bearing and  moving regularly are all recommended.

What are the pros and cons of this type of diet? The upside of this diet is that it greatly reduces our sugar intake and all that often goes with that, such as fat and highly processed flours. It also increases our intake of vegetables and healthy unprocessed foods. These things are all good for our health.
The downside of this diet is the elimination of other potentially healthy foods including whole grains and dairy. As with any diet that removes sugar and saturated fats along with refined flours, it does have the potential to cause weight loss and improve other health issues such as high blood pressure and raised blood sugar levels.

If you are interested in this kind of a diet, I recommend doing your homework and looking at any research around this diet and all the medical advice that has been written both for and against it.

Always check with your doctor before undertaking any new diet.

warmest wishes
Sarah