The Paleo diet - what it is, the advantages and limitations and is it for you?

As many Australians scurry to find the next fad diet or ‘next big thing’ in the world of fad diets, today we will dive into discussing the paleo diet, the advantages and disadvantages and how it compares against the Australian Dietary Guidelines and Nutrient Reference Values.

The paleo diet is a dietary plan that follows the constructs of what was eaten in the Paleolithic era, which was around ten thousand to two and a half million years ago and involves eating foods that require zero processing to eat. Robb Wolf, author of the New York Times bestselling book, The Paleo Solution, claims that the modern diet is full of processed and refined foods with high levels of trans fats and sugar responsible for the rise in degenerative diseases such as cancer, diabetes, obesity, heart disease, Alzheimer’s and depression (Rob Wolf, 2017, para. 1). There are also claims that we have not yet fully adapted to modern diets, shown by links between the current diet and high cases of chronic disease (The Paleo mom, 2019). This is known as the discordance hypothesis, highlighting the mismatch between diets in the paleolithic era and the modern era is responsible for a rise in chronic and lifestyle illnesses Konner and Eaton (2010). The paleo diet aims to mirror the diet that people in the pre-agricultural, paleolithic era ate, where people hunted and gathered food. These foods were primarily grass and pasture fed meats, seafood, vegetables, fruits, seeds, eggs and nuts Talreja (2014). By following this diet, it is believed to have lowered the incidence rates of lifestyle diseases such as obesity, diabetes and heart disease as well as a good diet for weight loss (Gunnars, 2018).

 

While this diet is said to be based off our ‘Paleolithic ancestors’, there are many advantages and limitations with this type of dietary plan.

 Advantages:

• Dietary plans that are rich in monounsaturated and Omega-3 fats reduce the rates of obesity, cancer, diabetes and heart and cardiovascular related disease (Rob Wolf, 2017, para. 1-3).
• The paleo diet has been found to have shown promising results in lowering cardiovascular risk factors which promoted weight loss and improved blood pressure (Rob Wolf, 2017, para. 1-3).
• This diet encourages eating nuts and seeds which are good fats (Sports Dieticians Australia, 2019 “Fad diets – the paleo diet”).
• Encourages meat, fish and vegetables to be eaten, which are obvious healthy food choices (Dieticians association of Australia, 2019 “The low down –   modern paleo diet”).

Disadvantages:

• Many claims by people who support this diet, are not scientifically supported by evidence (Dieticians association of Australia, 2019 “The low down – modern paleo diet”).
• Excluding major food groups all together is not a wise option as a lack of major and key nutrients may be missed in diet (Dieticians association of Australia, 2019 “The low down –   modern paleo diet”).
• The paleo diet excludes whole grains, but whole grains have been reported to have some significant health advantages such as a lower waist circumference, lower body mass index (BMI) and reduced risk of being overweight (Dieticians Association of Australia, 2019 “The low down – modern paleo diet”).
• The paleo diet cuts out legumes, which are a good source of protein, fibre and can lower cholesterol levels (Dieticians association of Australia, 2019 “The low down – modern paleo diet”).
• Removes dairy from diet, a good source of calcium and protein (Sports Dieticians Australia,      2019 “Fad diets – the paleo diet”).

Before considering switching to a different dietary plan or trying out a new fad diet, the ability for the diet to meet key nutritional standards, such as the Nutrient Reference Values (NRV’s) and the Australian Dietary Guidelines must be considered. Despite the advocates for the paleo diet who promote it and make it sound flawless, there are some downfalls to this diet, as it fails to meet some key nutrition requirements. The adequate intake (AI) for dietary fibre is between 25-30g Nutrient Reference Values for Australia and New Zealand (2019), which is unlikely to be reached when following the paleo diet as 45% of dietary fibre is obtained from breads and cereals, which is excluded from the diet. Calcium is required for developing and maintaining a healthy skeleton and neuromuscular and cardiac function. As milk and dairy products are the major source of calcium and not to be eaten when following the paleo diet, the estimated average requirement (EAR) of 840 - 1,100 mg/day is unlikely to be reached Nutrient Reference Values for Australia and New Zealand (2019).

The Australian Dietary Guidelines provide Australians with food based recommendations for good health. The paleo diet fails to meet guideline number 2, which is “Enjoy a wide variety of nutritious foods from the five food groups every day. (Eatforhealth.gov.au, 2015 “Australian Dietary Guidelines 1 – 5”).  As the paleo diet excludes foods such as dairy products, cereals, grains and bread, we would not be having a range of foods from the five food groups. Only two of the five groups would be met when following the paleo diet.

Based on a lack of research supporting the paleo diet, and the inability to meet the requirements of the five food groups developed by the Australian Government using up to date research and advice and not meeting some nutritional requirements provided by the NRV’s this fad diet would not be a wise option to follow, possibly leading to some nutrient deficiencies in the diet.

References.

Australian Government. (2015). Australian Dietary Guidelines. Retrieved from https://www.eatforhealth.gov.au/

Australian Government. (2019). Nutrient Reference Values for Australia and New Zealand. Retrieved from https://www.nrv.gov.au/

Ballantyne, S. (2018, September 4). Genetic Adaptations to Neolithic Foods – Understanding Bioindividuality [Blog post]. Retrieved from https://www.thepaleomom.com/genetic-adaptations-to-neolithic-foods-understanding-bioindividuality/

Dieticians Association of Australia. (2019). The low-down on Paleo – Welcome to our three part series on the Palaeolithic diet. Retrieved from https://daa.asn.au/smart-eating-for-you/smart-eating-fast-facts/healthy-eating/the-low-down-on-paleo-welcome-to-our-three-part-series-on-the-palaeolithic-diet/

Gunnars, K. (2018, August 1). The Paleo Diet — A Beginner's Guide Plus Meal Plan [Blog post]. Retrieved from https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/paleo-diet-meal-plan-and-menu

Konner, M., & Eaton, S. B. (2010). Paleolithic nutrition: twenty-five years later. Nutrition in Clinical Practice, 25(6), 594-602. Retrieved from https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1177/0884533610385702

Mayo Clinic Staff. (2019). Paleo diet: What is it and why is it so popular?. Retrieved from https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/paleo-diet/art-20111182

Rob Wolf. (2017). Revolutionary solutions to modern life. Retrieved from https://robbwolf.com/what-is-the-paleo-diet/

Sports Dieticians Australia. (2019). Fad Diets. Retrieved from https://www.sportsdietitians.com.au/fad-diets/

Talreja, D. (2014). TCT-117 Impact of a Paleolithic Diet on Modifiable Cardiovascular Risk Factors. Journal of the American College of Cardiology, 64(11 Supplement), B35. Retrieved from https://www-sciencedirect-com.ez.library.latrobe.edu.au/science/article/pii/S0735109714046713