Paleo Diet

By: Emily Tieu and Beth Miller

What is the Paleo Diet?
Mid-1970s
Walter Voegtlin
A modern dietary regimen that seeks to
mimic the diet of pre-agricultural hunter-
gatherers
Claim: If we eat like our ancestors 10,000
years ago, we'll be healthier, lose weight,
and curb disease.
The Breakdown
Not Allowed:
Dairy
Grains
Legumes
Alcohol
Starches
Processed Foods
Sugars
Sugar substitutes
Salt
Allowed:
Animal proteins
Fruits
Vegetables (except
starchy varieties)
Nuts and seeds
Healthy fats
Herbs and spices
Honey and palm
sugar (limit)
What Supporters Say
A very healthy diet: plants + wild animals
"Our genome has not adapted to these
foods..." Loren Cordain,PhD Colorado State, author
of The Paleo Diet
whole grains, dairy, legumes
Genetically programmed to eat like
cavemen before agricultural revolution
Hunter-gatherers were active
In Support...
Western diet leads to:
Obesity
CVD
Diabetes
Improved glycemic control and several CV risk factors
compared to a diabetes diet in a cohort of patients
with T2DM (Jonsson et al.,2009)
Reduces:
blood pressure
inflammation
weight
acne
Sample Diet
Nutritional Value
Calcium intake 69%
of RDA
Fat 39% total
energy (PUFAs and
MUFAs)
Cholesterol 50%
higher
461mg vs. 300mg
Protein 4x RDA
217g vs. 50g
(Cordain, 2002)
Limitations
True paleo diet impossible to mimic
High energy
Wild game
What did our ancestors eat?
Difficult to accurately determine (Richards,
2002)
Life span 40 years
Nothing suggests body can't handle "non-
paleo" food
Limitations
Limited research
Hard to sustain
lack of variety
cost
restrictive
What about nutrient-rich whole
grains, legumes, and dairy?
Whole grains
Reduce risk factors for type II diabetes, CVD (Flint,
2009; Kelly, 2007; Mellen, 2008; Nettleton, 2008)
B vitamins, fiber
Legumes
Reduce risk of heart disease (Abeysekara, 2012;
Jenkins, 2012)
Fiber, protein
Dairy
Calcium, vitamin D, potassium
Health problems today stem from energy
excess (Leonard, 2002)
Calcium Debate
Recommends an appropriate balance of
acidic and basic (alkaline) foods (Cordain,
2002)
Milk and dairy products do not produce acid
upon metabolism nor cause metabolic
acidosis (Fenton, 2011)
Osteoporosis due to sedentary lifestyle
(Fenton, 2011)
Whole Grain Debate
Phytic acid does bind to minerals such as:
Ca, Mg, Fe, Zn
could be problematic in developing countries
(Hurrell, 2003)
Phytic acid may provide an antioxidant
effect
found in almonds, sesame seeds, brazil nuts, whole
grains, legumes, soy
Conclusion
Beneficial to incorporate whole foods and
avoid processed foods high in sugar/sodium
May lead to weight loss due to restrictive
nature
May be hard to follow long-term
If Paleo diet appeals to you be sure and
supplement:
calcium/vitamin D
References
Abeysekara, S et al. A pulse based diet is effective for reducing total and LDL cholesterol in older adults. British
Journal of Nutrition 2012, 108, pp S103-110
Cordain, L. (2002). The nutritional characteristics of a contemporary diet based upon paleolithic food groups. JANA,
5(3), Retrieved from http://thepaleodiet.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/The-Nutritional-Characteristics-of-a-
Contemporary-Diet-Based-Upon-Paleolithic-Food-Groupsabstract4.pdf
Fenton, T. R. (2011). Milk and acid-base balance: proposed hypothesis versus scientific evidence. Journal of the
American College of Nutrition, 30(5), 471S-475S.
Flint AJ, Hu FB, Glynn RJ, Jensen MK, Franz M, Sampson L, Rimm EB. Whole grains and incident hypertension in men.
Am J Clin Nutr. 2009 Sep; 90 (3):493-498
Hurrell RF (September 2003). "Influence of vegetable protein sources on trace element and mineral bioavailability".
The Journal of Nutrition 133 (9): 2973S7S. PMID 12949395
Jenkins, D et al. Effect of legumes as part of a low glycemic index diet on glycemic control and cardiovascular risk
factors in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: a randomized controlled trial. Archives of Internal Medicine 2012.
Jnsson T, Granfeldt Y, Ahrn B, Branell UC, Plsson G, Hansson A, Sderstrm M, Lindeberg S. Beneficial effects of
a Paleolithic diet on cardiovascular risk factors in type 2 diabetes: a randomized cross-over pilot study. Cardiovasc
Diabetol. 2009;8:35.
References Continued
Kelly, SAM. Summerbell, CD. Brynes, A, Whittaker, V. Frost G. Wholegrain cereals for coronary heart disease.
Cochrane Database Systematic Reviews. 2, 2007
Mellen PB, Walsh TF, Herrington DM. Whole grain intake and cardiovascular disease. Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis. 2008
May; 18(4):283-90.
Nettleton JA, Steffen LM, Loehr L, Rosamond W, Folsom AR. Incident heart failure is associated with lower whole-
grain intake and greater high-fat dairy and egg intake in the Athersclerosis Risk in Communities Study. J Am Diet
Assoc. 2008; 108:1881-1887.
Richards, Michael (December 2002). "A brief review of the archaelogical evidence of Paleolithic and Neolithic
subsistence". European Journal of Clinical Nutrition 56 (12):1270-78.