Paleo Diet: Does the Stone Age diet make you slim and healthy?

Lots of meat, fruit, vegetables and some seeds: This is what the Paleo diet looks like. It is based on the diet of people in the Stone Age — and they had no heart disease or obesity. We’ll tell you how the Paleo diet works.

People in the Stone Age did not know any finished products like pizza, noodles or ice cream. Maybe this is the reason why there were no diseases caused by food at that time. Today these diseases exist — and this must be mainly due to all the processed products. That is at least the basic idea behind the paleo diet. We’ll tell you exactly what the Paleo Diet is and how it works.

What’s the paleo diet?

The term paleo diet is a little misleading, because strictly speaking it is not a diet to lose weight. The Paleo diet is rather a change in diet with the aim of eating healthier and genetically more just. At that time there were no processed foods such as ice cream, croissants or pizza. And that’s probably a good thing, because these foods contain many substances that are unhealthy for the body and that in the long run not only make you fat, but also ill. Therefore, the change of diet during the Paleo Diet should primarily benefit health. Diseases like diabetes, rheumatism, cancer or chronic inflammatory intestine illnesses — all this is to reduce the stone-age nutrition.

How does the Paleo Dit function?

Calorie counting you do not have to count with the Paleo Di?t fortunately. Because, as I said, it’s all about health. Naturally you will lose with this nourishing conversion the one or other kilo, because the main food is vegetable, fruit, seeds, meat and fish — and those contain as well as no calories at all. The food should be eaten raw and processed as little as possible. Vegetarians have it a little harder, because only eggs are left to cover their protein needs. Dairy products, legumes, wholemeal bread and tofu are all included in the Paleo diet.

Advantages and disadvantages of the Paleo Diet

The great advantage of the Paleo diet is that it does without processed foods such as sweets or finished products. However, a whole range of healthy foods, such as dairy products or cereals, are also dispensed with. The problem is that all these foods contain important minerals and dietary fibres such as calcium.

With the Paleo Diet you should have in addition a protein portion of 72 per cent and that is clearly higher than the recommended value of 20 per cent. Whether a too high protein supply can harm long-term, is scientifically however not proven.

These foods are allowed:
1. lean meat
Meat is your staple food during the Paleo diet. No matter if chicken, beef or game — you may eat any meat with a low fat value calmly.

2. fish & seafood
Fish and seafood are also allowed. But please do not bread or fry them. It is ideal if you cook fish and seafood in oil or in the oven.

3. fruit & vegetables
You can eat as much fruit and vegetables as you like during the paleo diet. Make sure it is as fresh and seasonal as possible. It would be optimal if you cultivate and harvest it yourself.

4. nuts & seeds
The Stone Age people have also collected nuts and seeds diligently. You can either eat them pure or sprinkle them over your dishes. Nuts and seeds are a good source of protein and contain high-quality fatty acids, vitamins and minerals.

These foods are prohibited:

1. cereal products
Grain products of any kind are forbidden in the Paleo diet. Means: bread, noodles, muesli or rice are taboo. Whether this is so good we doubt. Because cereal products are an important source of fibre and also contain important vitamins and minerals.

2. milk and milk products
Milk, cheese, yoghurt — that is also taboo. But here, too, milk and dairy products are valuable sources of calcium that the body absolutely needs. So if you want to follow this diet, you have to balance the intake with other foods, such as mineral water and vegetables. And it’s not that easy.

3. sweets
Sweets, cakes or ice cream consist mainly of sugar, which did not exist in the Stone Age. That is why sweets are forbidden. Sweets usually only provide extra calories, sugar and fat, but no vitamins or minerals. That’s why we think: To simply leave them out, can’t hurt!

4. fast food
Yes, even pizza, sandwiches, fries or burgers and ketchup your ancestors did not know. That’s why they are forbidden. Sure — just like sweets they taste good, but they do nothing good for the body. Especially fast food has lots of calories and fat — and your body can do without them without any problems.

Important: Before you start with the Paleo Diet, you should definitely consult a doctor for an examination and advice. Since you completely renounce grain and milk products, you miss very important ballast materials, which must be taken up in each case by other food again. We recommend to do without radical diets! If you want to lose weight in the long run, you should eat a healthy and balanced diet and exercise.