The Paleo diet is a diet based on the intake of foods already known and consumed by our ancestors in the Paleolithic era. It usually includes foods such as meat, fish, fruit, vegetables and seeds.
The assumption behind this diet is that our body is not genetically suited to consume "modern" refined and processed food and, according to its creators, this is the cause of the great diffusion of obesity and metabolic diseases.
There are various types of Paleo diet but in general we can say that the foods to consume are:
- Fruit
- Vegetables
- Nuts and seeds
- Lean free-range meat or game
- Fish (especially the one rich in omega 3 like salmon and mackerel)
- Vegetable oils (olive, nut, etc)
Instead, the following should be totally avoided:
- Cereals
- Legumes
- Dairy products
- Refined sugars
- salt
- Potatoes
- Processed foods in general
Some clinical trials have tried to compare the benefits of a Paleo diet with those of the normal Mediterranean diet:
- More weight loss
- Better glucose levels
- Better blood pressure
- Lowering triglycerides
- Better appetite management
However, studies on this type of diet have not been able to evaluate the long-term effects that following a Paleo regime for a long time can have. The fact that cereals and legumes are excluded is criticized by many not only because they are healthy foods but also because they are cheap foods and excluding them Paleo therefore proves to be a very expensive and not accessible regimen for many.
The theory behind this diet has also received a lot of criticism because if not our way of eating has changed, so too has the human body evolved and it is said that eating today what we ate 10,000 years ago is optimal in terms of health that brings real benefits in the long run.
