Key to the optimisation of health and
athletic performance is substrate (nutrient) utilisation, delivered through
dietary intake. Depending on what individuals wish to accomplish, be it
increasing athleticism, weight loss, weight gain or simply harmonising energy
balance, alterations in diet are often necessitated. Thus, many diets have been
devised to attain specific desired outcomes. One of which is known as the Paleo
Diet, which theoretically may be the oldest diet in the world. The Paleo Diet
is an approach that aims to achieve and maintain good overall health by
advocating consumption of unprocessed food sources like those that would have
been available to humans during paleolithic (pre-historic) times (The Paleo
Diet, 2018, para 1).
The agricultural and industrial revolutions,
which in the grand scream of human history, were relatively recent phenomena,
largely changed dietary habits. This rapid industrialisation of food production
has removed humans from the hunter-gatherer roots far too quickly for
biological adaptation to occur according to paleo diet theory, hence modern
society experiences many chronic epidemics such as various cancers, dental
issues, obesity and even diabetes (Dementia Australia, 2018, para 2). Non-processed
food groups including vegetables, meats, seeds, fruits and nuts are core to the
paleo diet (The Paleo Diet, 2018, para 1). Further specifications apply in that
meats must be grass fed and fruits should be consumed in small quantities. Wheat
and dairy products are normally discouraged. Daily consumption of a typical
paleo diet according to Kemper (2017) will generally include large quantities of
leafy green vegetables, organic and grass-fed meats, gluten free grains, seeds
and nuts. Exclusive consumption of these foods ensures that health promoting
nutrients such as the protein and iron in meet, the calcium and various
vitamins from vegetables (to list only several) are consumed. In contrast,
processed meat contains around four times more sodium, higher volumes of
saturated fat and often fifty pre-cent more preservatives. Hence, people who
eat vast quantities processed meats are more susceptible to a plethora of
health conditions including heart disease, colon cancer and obesity (Megan
Cole, Claire Karlsson, and Sage Wylie, 2018, para 2).
Unlike other popular diets like the various
Tony Furguson weight loss programs for instance, the paleo diet is not a
program nor a standardised system to be followed for attaining a specific goal.
Solely relying on the paleo diet to lose weight for example, may be problematic.
It is commonly known that weight loss the result of more calories being burned as
the than the number of calories consumed. As the paleo diet provides no such
guideline as to how it can be used for weight management, individuals who wish
to use the paleo diet for the attainment of specific health goals will need to
do additional research. It should be understood however, that the paleo diet is
not without value as paleo approved foods are always natural variants. It has however
been somewhat romanticised as a utopian diet. Johnson (2016) noted that unless
the woolly mammoth resurrected, it would be impossible to eat as people did in
paleolithic times. Although meat is used in the example above, the same theme
is applicable to plants. Common vegetables including broccoli, cauliflower and
cabbage were artificially developed from a single plant species called brassica
oleracea (which still exists) within the last two millennia (Royal Botanic
Garden Kew Science, 2018, para 1). The varieties listed, whilst being some of
the most common healthy food today, were not available to paleolithic humans.
Therefore, they cannot be considered part of a true paleo diet despite being
some of its most advocated food groups.
Vox (PR, 2015)
The paleo diet is essentially a guide for choosing
healthier food options. Although paleo diet theory can often appear flawed,
it’s practicality lies at the heart of all diets in that eating nutritional
foods contributes greatly to the enhancement of health. It is recommended that
the paleo diet be used in conjunction with a dietary program for the attainment
of a specific goal.
References
Cole, M., Karlsson,
C., & Wylie, S. (2018). Are Processed Meats More Dangerous than Other
Red Meats? Retrieved from
http://stopcancerfund.org/pz-diet-habits-behaviors/processed-meats-dangerous-red-meats/
Kemper, K. J. Chronic disease?
Healthy habits in a healthy habitat – Research on dietary
MARK therapies.
(2017). Complementary Therapies in Medicine. doi:
10.1016/j.ctim.2017.09.008
Dementia
Australia. (2018). Risk factors. Retrieved from
https://www.dementia.org.au/information/risk-factors
Johnson, A. R. (2016). Paleo Diets and Utopian Dreams. Skeptic,
21(3), 10-18. Retrieved
from http://ez.library.latrobe.edu.au/login?url=https://search-proquest-com.ez.library.latrobe.edu.au/docview/1819902827?accountid=12001
Royal Botanic Garden
Kew Science. (2018). Brassica
oleracea. Retrieved from
http://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:279435-1
The Paleo Diet.
(2018). Food List. Retrieved from
https://paleodiet.org/food-list/
The Paleo Diet.
(2018). The Paleo Diet Defined. Retrieved from https://paleodiet.org/definition/
Vox. (2015, February 10). Brassica
oleracea [Image]. Kale, Brussels
sprouts, cauliflower, and cabbage are all varieties of a single magical plant
species. Retrieved from https://www.vox.com/xpress/2014/8/6/5974989/kale-cauliflower-cabbage-broccoli-same-plant
