What is the Paleo diet? Food to eat and avoid, rules to follow

April 22, 2019, 15:16 GMT / Source: NBC News

The pursuit of health and weight loss has led many people to follow a diet that, according to some, our ancestors have followed, but not everyone is a fan.

What is the Paleo diet?

It was sometimes called the "caveman" diet because it was supposed to mimic the eating style of humans who lived in the Paleolithic era – hunter-gatherers who probably ate a lot of protein because of their high consumption of meat and other animal products non-starch vegetable fiber and low carbohydrate fruit. The diet also insists on a reduction in the intake of carbohydrates and salts.

What can you eat on the Paleo Diet?

The diet includes lean meats, fed with grass, wild fish, vegetables, nuts, seeds, eggs and some fruits. It also promotes monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats such as avocado and olive oil.

What can you not eat with the Paleo Diet?

Cereals (wheat, rye, oats and rice), dairy products, potatoes, legumes (including beans and peanuts), refined sugar, processed foods and refined vegetable oils.

This diet excludes whole grains, although it is proven that the true "paleo diet" of humans who lived thousands of years ago could have included bread.

Why is Paleo bad for you?

Some experts believe that a strict paleo diet lacks nutritional balance because it lacks essential nutrients such as calcium and vitamin D. Critics claim that the elimination of clusters whole foods such as cereals and dairy products is problematic.

"My biggest problem is [that it] excludes products like beans that have health benefits, such as fiber, "said Marisa Moore, dietitian and nutritionist, at NBC News.

Many people also find it too restrictive, which can make persistence difficult.

There is no scientific evidence that the Paleo diet helps prevent disease.

Does the Paleo Diet Work?

The Paleo Diet ranks "poorly" in the ranking of the best American News & World Report 2019 regimes, ranking 33rd out of 41 restoration plans. It was considered "extremely difficult", "not very effective" for heart health and lacked good research to show that this could lead to lasting weight loss in the long term, the magazine's experts said.