What do paleo diet advocates not tell you?

Paleo diet and best-known recipes

The Paleo diet promotes healthy eating and reduces the consumption of processed foods, but it is important to ensure that all necessary nutrients are balanced and that it suits individual nutritional needs. The Paleo diet can be unduly restrictive and can create challenges in choosing different foods and organizing daily cooking.

What is recommended to eat when following a paleo diet?

• meat
• fish and seafood
• mushrooms
• fresh fruits
• fresh vegetables
• egg
• nuts
• seeds
• healthy fats (olive, walnut, flaxseed, macadamia, avocado, and coconut oil)

What is recommended to be avoided when following the paleo diet?

• cereals
• legumes (including peanuts)
• dairy products
• refined sugar
• potatoes
• processed foods
• salted foods
• refined vegetable oils
• sweets, processed junk food

What are the best-known paleo diet recipes?

Recipe collections can contain recipes labeled as Paleo and even sample Paleo menus. Paleo recipes include salads, soups, meat and vegetable dishes, and even cakes. Some Paleo foods have become popular due to their healthiness and good taste. Here are some well-known Paleo recipes:

Paleo Banana Pancakes from ripe banana and egg 

These pancakes are flour-free and dairy-free. In addition to these basic ingredients, you can add your favorite toppings, such as berries, nut butter, cinnamon, vanilla. Banana pancakes are a popular paleo breakfast.

Paleo omelette

It is possible to make an omelette (e.g. mushroom omelette) with your favorite vegetables and meat and season to your liking. 

Paleo Cauliflower Rice

Grating cauliflower creates a texture similar to rice. It is a healthy alternative to regular rice and goes well with a variety of dishes. 

Paleo baked fish

It is possible to prepare baked fish with various additives and seasonings, such as Oven-baked salmon with chives.

Paleo guacamole

Guacamole is a sauce-like avocado puree made from avocado, lime juice, spices, and optional other ingredients. It's great as a dip for vegetables or as a sauce for meat dishes.

In addition, paleo recipes include many variations of different salads, fish, chicken and beef dishes, vegetable dishes, paleo cakes, etc. These are some examples of paleo recipes that can be tried even by those who are not followers of the paleo diet. 

Does the paleo diet help you lose weight?

Many people claim that the paleo diet can contribute to a healthy weight, better digestion, and overall well-being. CE Pitt in his article “Cutting through the Paleo hype: The evidence for the Palaeolithic diet” analyzed various studies on the effects of the paleo diet. The paleo diet is popular, but opinions about it are quite controversial. 

Because the Paleo diet is generally based on foods obtained through hunting and gathering, people who follow it may make more informed choices and increase the proportion of clean, unprocessed foods in their eating habits. This may result in weight loss, but its long-term effectiveness is questionable.

The volume and evidence base of the studies conducted vary, but one of the best studies is considered to be "Long-term effects of a Palaeolithic-type diet in obese postmenopausal women: a 2-year randomized trial" by Mellburg et al.This study found no long-term differences between participants on the paleo diet and the control group over a 2-year follow-up.

Although some people feel good on a paleo diet and positive results have been found in small-scale studies, the potential risks associated with the paleo diet should not be forgotten. There is still a lack of scientific research on the effectiveness and safety of the paleo diet, including long-term effects and health safety. In addition, current research suggests that the paleo diet is not effective in the long term and is not justified without medical advice. Therefore, further research would be needed to assess the effects based on evidence in the context of Western genetic and environmental conditions.

Can the Paleo Diet Help Relieve Symptoms of Autoimmune Disease?

Unfortunately, there is simply not enough scientific evidence to support that following a paleo diet can help improve symptoms of autoimmune disease. For some people, following a paleo diet may help, but for others it may not. There is also research that suggests that while cutting out food groups may have short-term health benefits, it is unlikely to be a long-term solution. Part of the reason is that such a restrictive diet may carry more risks than benefits. One of the main risks is the potential for nutrient deficiencies, which are often easy to develop in people with autoimmune disease.

Eliminating foods from your diet can be a useful tool to determine which food or foods are contributing to your autoimmune disease symptoms. All other foods are then reintroduced, but with the Paleo diet, the foods are simply “out” and that’s it. For example, a strict gluten-free diet is required for celiac disease, but unless you have other health restrictions, there’s no reason to avoid other food groups.

Nutrition undoubtedly affects our well-being and helps us cope with chronic diseases, and the effect of food on the body is individual. The website of the Estonian Institute for Health Development provides dietary recommendations for various diseases.It is very important to consult with your doctor or nutritionist to find the most appropriate diet for your health and individual needs. The best results are achieved with a holistic approach that includes diet, exercise, medical treatment and other lifestyle factors.

Disadvantages of the Paleo Diet

There are various arguments against the Paleo diet.:

• Human nutritional needs have been influenced by many aspects over time, not just agriculture.
• Archaeologists have found grain-grinding tools at sites that are 30,000 years old—long before the introduction of agriculture. Scientists have also studied plant microfossils found in the teeth of Paleolithic people. These studies have shown that their diet included wild grains.
• Genetic studies have shown that significant evolutionary changes continued after the Paleolithic era. These include changes in the expression of genes involved in the breakdown or digestion of starch in grains and lactose in milk.

When following the Paleo diet, you need to be very conscious about your diet and make sure that you do not develop any nutritional deficiencies. The most common risks of the Paleo diet are as follows::

• Avoiding certain food groups can lead to a deficiency of several nutrients, such as fiber, B vitamins, folate, and calcium. A 2008 study by Osterdahl et al. showed that the paleo diet consumed about 50% of the recommended dietary allowance of calcium.

• One of the most common side effects of the Paleo diet is constipation, which occurs due to a lack of fiber and the resulting changes in the colon microbiota.
• The intake of protein and fat from animal sources, including saturated fatty acids and cholesterol, is significantly higher than recommended. This increases the risk of kidney disease, cardiovascular disease, and certain types of cancer.

Often, short-term weight loss is achieved, but this is due to severe restrictions, many of which have long-term negative effects on health, and following none of these restrictions is supported by scientific research. 

More sustainable and evidence-based nutritional principles than the Paleo diet

A more sustainable and lasting result is achieved by changing your lifestyle, without making extreme restrictions or excluding specific food groups. It is important to monitor how much water and fiber we consume, the quality and nutrient content of our food, how much exercise we do, our stress levels, the quality of our relationships, etc. 

By eating a variety of foods, we get the nutrients we need, our body is healthier and performs its functions. On the website of the Institute for Health Development You can learn about the principles of a balanced and varied diet. It is recommended to consume something from the five main food groups every day:

1. Fruits, vegetables and berries
2. Cereal products, potatoes
3. Milk, dairy products
4. Added dietary fats, seeds, nuts, oilseeds
5. Fish, poultry, eggs, fish

Analyzing the food pyramid and current dietary habits based on research, it has been found that we should eat more whole grains (bread, porridge), vegetables (including legumes), various fruits and berries, dishes made from fresh, chilled or frozen fish, and nuts and seeds. 

In addition to these basic nutritional recommendations, you can supplement your knowledge with various sources. An updated version was recently published Nordic dietary recommendations.You can also read various recommendations on nutrition from our blogIn addition, we conduct lifestyle trainingto help people achieve a fuller and healthier lifestyle and achieve their ideal weight. In lifestyle training, we approach a person's life holistically, addressing different areas of life.

Summary

Although there are people who have noticed a positive effect of the paleo diet on weight or general well-being, there is still no evidence-based evidence that restricting several food groups is justified and safe for health. Today, the most common opinion is that it is important to make healthy choices in your lifestyle and that instead of major restrictions, you should take into account your individual characteristics. By following the principles of a balanced and varied diet and paying attention to your lifestyle, it may take longer to achieve results, but the resulting eating habits are more sustainable and natural.