Can someone please compare/contrast the Paelo (caveman) diet and the 'modern man' diet?

As a nutritionist, I always encourage healthy eating which includes all of the five food groups. These are whole-grain breads, cereals, pasta, rice and noodles, fruit, vegetables, low fat dairy, and lean meat, poultry, eggs, fish and legumes.

All of these food groups should be included in a persons diet as they will provide all of the necessary nutrients for good health. The problem with the paleo diet is that it cuts out entire food groups such as whole-grain breads and cereals (important sources of fibre for good bowel health) and dairy (provides important nutrients such as calcium needed to prevent against osteoporosis).

In my experience, any diet that is restrictive or cuts out entire food groups is not maintainable in the long-term. Like the many fad diets out there, the Paleo diet is no substitute for expert, individual dietary advice from an Accredited Practising Dietitian (APD).

I always encourage people eat a diet that:

1. Is maintainable long term
   
2. Includes a variety of nutritious foods from all food groups
   
3. fits in with their lifestyle
   
4. meets their individual nutritional and health needs
   

There are a lot of misconceptions surrounding the ‘Paleo Diet’ - one of the biggest is that our paleolithic diet (aka paleo diet) was soley made up of meat and hardly any grains/legumes etc which is not true. Speak to any archaeological scientists in the field of paleolithic diets or an expert in the food and nutrition industry (such as an Accredited Practicing Dietitian) and they can verify this fact.

Our paleolithic diet was highly dependant on seasonal change and food availability and for this reason we ate a VARIETY of food covering ALL of what we call today, the Core Food Groups. Obvisouly, depending on our location in the world - our paleolithic diet would have varied greatly. For example, those who lived in more tropical areas would have consumed higher amounts of fruit and vegetables compared to those who lived in colder regions where these food types would have been seasonal or very scarce.

It is also important to note that there is NO TRUE PALEO DIET….we have hundreds depending on what region of the globe we are looking at. If you were to compare todays ‘modern’ diet with our ‘paleo diet’ have a look at the types of foods that many of these ‘paleo diets’ recommend ….most suggest that we remove ourselves from our ‘modern’ diet and eat more meat and fruits such as bananas. Yet the meat we consume today is not the type of meat we would have consumed in our ‘paleo’ days - our traditional diet would have been dependant on food availability and in most regions cows, pigs, chickens, eggs etc (which are all modern day agricultural meats) were not available readily. Paleo meat consumption would have been mostly gamey meat, such as rabbit, kangaroos, etc AND would have included the consumption of bone marrow and organs - I have  never read ANY paleo diet out on the market stating we should eat organs and yet this is what we would have done 20,000 years ago. Furthermore, bananas are one of the biggest agricultured fruits out there - so technically it's a modern day diet food not a paleo food… we have selectively bred bananas over the years to produce smaller seeds and more edible flesh that now bananas have totally lost their ability to reproduce on their own - they must be reproduced through cuttings. Wild bananas have such large seeds that you would barely recognise it as a banana. 

In truth, I personally think we can learn a lot from our paleolithic diet - but our advances in food technology and our modern day diet do have their benefits.
If you want to eat healthier and more like we did 20,000 years ago then:
1) Look for diversity in your diet - 20,000 years ago we ate a RANGE of foods to get all of our nutrients. These days if you go down the local supermarket you're lucky to find more than 3 types of Breakfast Cereals (wheat, corn, rice and oats) - our food diveristy has largely shrunk. Try different grains such as buckwheat, Quinoa, linseed, Tapioca, etc. Buy fruits and vegetables in season as this is what we would have done 20,000 years ago - fruits and vegetables in season are not only cheaper but are at their optimum nutrition and flavour. Eat from ALL the core food groups - each food group is specific to our nutritional needs. Carbohydrates, which break down to sugar in our blood stream, are the only source of fuel our brain can use - this is one of many reasons that you are told to eat them. When you think carbohydrates think of the quality of the carbohydrate - choosing low GI carbohydrates are going to have a greater improvement on your overall health and sugar levels than completely avoiding carbohydrates all together
2) Choose fresh foods where possible - 20,000 years ago canned food was unheard of. Try to incorporate fresh fruit and vegetables where possible and buy in season
3) Eat wholefoods - our ‘modern diet’ relies greatly on processing foods. Eat whole fruits and vegetables where possible - blending and juicing is something of the ‘modern diet’ and removes a lot of the vitamins/minerals, in particular dietary fibre. Look for wholegrain breads and cereals.


The confusion really falls back on a misunderstanding on the evidence out there which does point us to believe that we consumed a very meat based diet according to nitrogen testing - but these methods of testing have huge errors of misinterpretation if you don't understand the confounding factors that can interplay with these methods.
A fantastic video explaining the paleo diet and the misconceptions around it can be found at http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=BMOjVYgYaG8

If you want accurate nutritional advice - come and talk to an Accredited Practicing Dietitian.

Samantha Ling
Rostant Nutrition
(Find us on facebook @ www.facebook.com/rostantnutrition )

Thank you Samantha for your detailed answer to this question. As a Credentialed Diabetes Educator I often get asked about various diets and I agree with both contributors that diets that exclude whole food groups are not sustainable in the long term.

I believe in Healthy Eating, which includes a variety of seasonal foods and limitation of processed foods. Although Samantha is right in saying the brain needs glucose to function, there is a lot of glucose available to the body even when carbohydrate rich foods such as bread, past and rice are reduced or avoided all together. I sometimes wonder which study actually proved the importance of “carbohydrate at each meal”. It is something we have recommended to people with diabetes for many generations, but I am not sure of it's origin.

Short term fasts are traditionally part of our diet. Even the Bible describes periods of fasting, nowadays known as “Lent”.  So every now and then it is good to cut back on the food intake. This is something I have incorporated in my diet and since I have reduced my carbohydrate intake to only those carbs found natually in fruit, vegetables, milk products I have more energy than ever before! My brain seems to function much better since I reduced gluten in particular and for the first time in my life I am able to sustain my weight loss, rather than losing weight and putting it back on (plus some).

Personally I think the most important part of a healthy lifestyle is variation; eating healthy, fresh food and creating a balance between intake and output by incorporating regular physical activity in our lifestyle. Avoid highly processed food (the stuff with E-numbers in the ingredient list, or chemical names that you don't understand) and as my great-grandmother always said: EVERYTHING IN MODERATION.

I agree with what the health professionals have written - Samantha's comments are particularly incisive but the others are good too.

The paleo diet is just another fad, of which there are way too many in the Net. There is not a scrap of evidence from archeology (from my reading) nor from biochemistry (from my professional knowledge), which supports it.

Eat in a healthy way and if you want advice with this, talk to an APD.

I have been asked about this “fad” diet many times when mainly dealing with weight management patients. The Paleo is indeed a fad diet like many that removes food groups completely from your diet. When asked if this diet works, I say of course it does, you'll lose weight in the short term, however in the long term you will be unable to maintain any weight you have lost and more importantly be depleted of essential nutrients required for function. The feeling of being glycogen depleted is not the best feeling. If your not exercising…great, if you are…forget it.

Diets or healthy food plans, need to ultise all food groups within reason. If any person tells you to eliminate certain food groups, then you really need to consider the person who is writing your program. Definitely see a APD.

I have had many clients on the Palio diet,  and it is just another a fad diet, that is very unhealthy,   invented by a doctor, to supply an alternative for people that cannot make other diets work, ( and to sell books and make heaps of money )  and are looking for an excuse to eat more meat, and build muscle.  Body building,  High intesity exercise is also recommended and as I have proven,  exercise corrects many fad, diets, so it might work for some.  

You have not listed your current  state and what you want to achieve,  however if you are within your normal weight range then to improve your health,  the normal balanced healthy diet and daily exercise 30 min a day is what will give you the best results. 

Funny thing is that the average age of a caveman was 16 years of age,  so how can we call the caveman palio, diet and lifestyle, healthy ?  they died so early.  A good diet and lifestyle helps you live longer.  

Humans evolved eating a wide variety of foods, broadly speaking meat, vegetables and fruits. We evolved as hunter / gatherers.

Humans did not evolve eating cultivated grains such as wheat, oats, corn, rice, etc. or the wide variety of sugars that are produced from them. These only entered our diet about 11,000 years ago when we started agriculture, but they now form the majority of our diet in the western world.

In an age of increasing obesity and diabetes, I cannot understand why health professionals promote them so much.

Humans were eating much less variety of foods that they eat and have access to now. 
Human even today in other parts of the eat wheat, oats, corn and rice have have 2% obesity and low diabetes,  like in Japan. 

You don't have to go back 11,000 years. before agriculture,  200 years ago in Australia, before the white english speaking man, and his white man agriculture, Aboriginies have a low obesity rate, and low diabetes, and a small variety of foods.  

Now the state of health of Aborigines, is worst then the white english speaking man,  what was the change ?  it was the White man, the chair and table, foods, heavey commercialisum of a huge variety of high quality, great tasting foods,    non support of tribal dancing after every meal ( carobbory ),  alcohol, TV, remote control, cars,  computers, email, facebook, DVD, VHS, busses, trains, phone, radio, all you can eat restaraunts, internet, game consules,    these inventions did not come out 11,000 years ago, they came out in the last 1,000 years.    

Currently diabetes and obesity is high in all english speaking countries,  over 25%,  and overweight people is over 60%,  and health professionals dont promote a high grain diet,  and bad exercise.      health profesionals promote the govenments guidelines of a variety of 2 fruit a day, 5 veggies, a day and small portions in a balanced diet and exercise for 30 minutes a day,  if overweight 60 - 90 minutes a day.

There are heaps of countries in the world that eat grains that have low obesity.  I come from the  Macedonian part of Greece, where there is low obesity and high life expectancy.  Most people in our village live over 100, go today and you will see them outside enjoying the sunshine.   In our village we have woodovens, and chop our own wood, for fuel,  apples, and cows,  chickens,  and goats, so most eat, apples, milk, leaks, made products, and bread,  rice,  potato,  not much meat.  Its too expensive.  people dont have cars, they walk to the shop and visit friends,  many  dont have phones or internet,  or computers,    Its the Greeks that came to English speaking countries like Australia,  Canada, USA, the UK, NZ, that are sick, get diabetes, obesity  from the western English speaking coutries lifestyle. 

High grain foods get  promoted by the food companies like the fast food restaraunts on every main road of english speaking countries.

I hope all the cavemen diet of the world get the exercise the cavemen use to do, like running catching, killing with a knife, skinning, gutting, and cooking it them self, rather then going into a restaraunt and asking for  800 grams of tbone and not eating the garlic bread.  Then going to the gym to body build and turn the meat protein into muscle.   


Vangel 

Humans were eating much less variety of foods that they eat and have access to now. 
Human even today in other parts of the eat wheat, oats, corn and rice have have 2% obesity and low diabetes,  like in Japan. 

You don't have to go back 11,000 years. before agriculture,  200 years ago in Australia, before the white english speaking man, and his white man agriculture, Aboriginies have a low obesity rate, and low diabetes, and a small variety of foods.  

Now the state of health of Aborigines, is worst then the white english speaking man,  what was the change ?  it was the White man, the chair and table, foods, heavey commercialisum of a huge variety of high quality, great tasting foods,    non support of tribal dancing after every meal ( carobbory ),  alcohol, TV, remote control, cars,  computers, email, facebook, DVD, VHS, busses, trains, phone, radio, all you can eat restaraunts, internet, game consules,    these inventions did not come out 11,000 years ago, they came out in the last 1,000 years.    

Currently diabetes and obesity is high in all english speaking countries,  over 25%,  and overweight people is over 60%,  and health professionals dont promote a high grain diet,  and bad exercise.      health profesionals promote the govenments guidelines of a variety of 2 fruit a day, 5 veggies, a day and small portions in a balanced diet and exercise for 30 minutes a day,  if overweight 60 - 90 minutes a day.

There are heaps of countries in the world that eat grains that have low obesity.  I come from the  Macedonian part 

High grain foods get  promoted by the food companies like the fast food restaraunts on every main road of english speaking countries.

I hope all the cavemen diet of the world get the exercise the cavemen use to do, like running catching, killing with a knife, skinning, gutting, and cooking it them self, rather then going into a restaraunt and asking for  800 grams of tbone and not eating the garlic bread.  Then going to the gym to body build and turn the meat protein into muscle.   


Vangel 

I have been reading up on Paelo diet to see if it is healthy Paelo advices us to avoid grains, dairy legumes but we are allowed to eat protein

Paleo diet books don't stress enough the best part of the caveman lifestyle,  they need to run and kill, skin, gut and cook your own food.  then dance caveman style after every meal in cellebration.   The running and dancing is the best part and healthiest part of the caveman lifestyle. It's not the caveman diet that is good its their running, dancing ( caveman style ) lifestyle.  If your going to do caveman do it properly !  Ug.  

I have been reading up about paelo diet it promotes healthy eating it advises you to remove grains, diary sugar legumes and processed food.  Paelo is not all about eating meat meat and meat.  It promotes eating protein with each meal and vegtables/salads and some fruit.  a paelo plate will be to divide you plate in these proptions 1/2 of your should be full of vegtables/salads 2/4 of plate should be protein and remaining some fruit and recommends eating this way at each meal.

also he reson it advises you to avoid diary grains sugar etc is because these food have been shown to be inflammatory to the body, 

I have been reading up about paelo diet it promotes healthy eating it advises you to remove grains, diary sugar legumes and processed food.  Paelo is not all about eating meat meat and meat.  It promotes eating protein with each meal and vegtables/salads and some fruit.  a paelo plate will be to divide you plate in these proptions 1/2 of your should be full of vegtables/salads 2/4 of plate should be protein and remaining some fruit and recommends eating this way at each meal.

also he reson it advises you to avoid diary grains sugar etc is because these food have been shown to be inflammatory to the body, 

“These  only entered our diet about 11,000 years ago when we started agriculture, but they now form the majority of our diet in the western world.”
 
This is true for cultivated grains but humans and other hominids were collecting wild grains for much longer (millions of years) before that, That is why we have molar teeth - good for grinding grains - there is good archeological evidence for this - microscopic examination of fossil molars shows wear patterns consistent with grinding grains.

"inflammatory to the body"
 
In general grains are not “inflammatory”. Some people have food allergies or food intolerances (the former can lead to inflammatory responses) to components of grains but neither are very common.

The main differences of  healthy balanced diet and a paleo. 

healthy diet recommends 45 - 70grams of protein a day. depending on age, weight and gender. 
paleo recommends protein mainly from animal meat, 100 to 180 grams of  depending which book you read, age, gender, goal, and cutting down carbs, by cutting down some grains. Seeing protein is also in many of the other foods that paleo suggests,  that will end up being  up to 300% more protein then the average person needs to be healthy. 

So paleo is a high animal protein, low carb diet, like many others that have been around for over 30 years.  they might make you feel different but they don't work for most and will increase many health risks, due to increase in animal meat/fats,  and all the paleo meats, suggested are also high in fat and  are also high in sodium so get ready for high blood preasure, cholesterol,  risk of heart conditions and stroke.   Reduce the health risks with lots of exercise everyday. 

if you do  a paleo diet,  for over over  2 years,  take out a good life insurance policy,  your family will need it.  If you do it like most paleo diets suggest then its no alcohol for you, and for most that will be very difficult and if you cheat it will spoil the effect of the paleo diet.

The extra protein is high in calories, so the paleo protein meats that your body doesn't  use will be stored as fat. Most of my clients that try high meat protein diets for over 6 months put on heaps of fat lose muscle, and get flabby excess saggy skin all the opposite to what they promise.  

Why would you want to do that ?



 

The main differences of  healthy balanced diet and a paleo diet. 

A Healthy diet recommends 45 - 70grams of protein a day. depending on age, weight and gender. 
paleo recommends protein mainly from animal meat, 100 to 180 grams of  depending which book you read, age, gender, goal, and cutting down carbs, by cutting down some grains. Seeing protein is also in many of the other foods that paleo suggests,  that will end up being  over  300% more protein then the average person needs to be healthy. 

So paleo is a high animal protein, low carb diet, like many others that have been around for over 30 years.  they might make you feel different but they don't work for most and will increase many health risks, due to increase in animal meat/fats,  and all the paleo meats, suggested are also high in fat and  are also high in sodium so get ready for high blood preasure, cholesterol,  risk of heart conditions and stroke.   Reduce the health risks with lots of exercise everyday, might help. 

If you try  a paleo diet,  for over over  2 years, and your over 40 years of age,  take out a good life insurance policy,  your family will need it.  If you try paleo diet then they stress  no alcohol for you, and for most that will be very difficult and if you cheat it will spoil the effect of the paleo diet.

The extra protein meats are  high in calories, and the extra protein that your body doesn't  use will be stored as fat. So you will get fatter.  Most of my clients that try high meat protein diets for over 6 months put on heaps of fat lose muscle, and get flabby excess saggy skin all the opposite to what they wanted.  

Why would you want to do that ?