The Paleo diet is also known as caveman diet. We are talking about a diet that has so many interpretations, usually putting focus on a nutrition plan that is similar to what people ate tens of thousands of years ago. Absolutely all the modern agricultural items and processed foods will be removed, with a main focus being put on fresh vegetables, grass fed meat, raw nuts, wild fish and natural foods. Refined sugar, dairy and legumes will be eliminated.
We see many nutritionists that think the diet is very restrictive but we will not talk about that. Just as with every single diet you may decide to follow, there are side effects that appear. Some are positive while others are negative. Understanding them will help you to make a better choice.
Paleo Diet Positive Side Effects
Because of the fact that you basically remove the processed foods, you will be a lot less exposed to toxins, anti-nutrients and chemicals, which is a huge advantage. Most of the processed foods have refined sugars and carbohydrates. They lack minerals and vitamins. You end up with chronic disease and weight gain when you consume too much processed food. With this in mind, using a paleo diet can easily show improvements in glucose tolerance, lipid profiles and blood pressure, together with positive modifications in insulin sensitivity and secretion.
Possible Nutritional Deficiencies
Some foods that are seen as healthy are removed from caveman diets. This includes hummus, yogurt and oatmeal. There are many food groups that are completely removed from the diet, thus leading towards many nutrients not being present. Those that follow a paleo diet can easily end up with deficiencies of vitamin D and calcium. Extra supplementation would be necessary to maintain optimum health levels.
Lack Of Energy
This caveman diet will remove all legumes, beans, grans and even potatoes. The body ends up with low carbohydrate consumption. You just get that from fruits, starchy squash and leafy green vegetables. That makes the body lack energy it needs. Just 23% of the content is carb, as opposed to the 45% that is recommended according to modern dietary guidelines. If you have really high energy needs, as an athlete does, you will have huge problems as you follow a paleo diet. You can end up with the body burning lean muscle mass in order to get the fuel it needs.
Spending A Lot Of Money On Foods
This is a disadvantage of the paleo diet that few people understand. Because of the fact that you need to consume wild animals and natural foods, you will end up spending a lot more on what you eat so that you can put your hands on the necessary natural ingredients. The food budget will be automatically inflated.