If you’re into your health and fitness (or even if you’re not these days) chances are you’ve heard of the Paleo diet.
So, what is it?
Essentially it’s based on the theory that we as human beings haven’t evolved enough to cater for the agricultural evolution that has been happening over the last 10,000 years or so, and as such our bodies are not meant to consume foods such as grains, legumes, dairy and high calorie processed food.
Instead, we should be eating as our ancestors did in the Paleolithic era (which lasted for about 2.5 million years) which was very ‘hunter/gatherer’ in its nature involving lots of lean meats, vegetables, nuts and berries.
Proponents of the paleo diet will say that our human metabolism has been unable to adapt fast enough to handle many of the foods that have become available since the advent of modern agriculture and as such is more suited to that of the Paleolithic era.
Is it any good?
Walk into any Crossfit box anywhere in the world and you’re bound to find mad keen paleo enthusiasts who will quickly tell you that it’s the best thing since sliced bread (although they wouldn’t eat sliced bread) and that anything else is a waste of time. This kind of attitude (which tends to go hand in hand with Crossfit) is typical so there’s certainly something to be said about the passion that exists within those circles!
Personally, I haven’t tried it so I cant tell you anything from my own experience.
However I feel that cutting whole food groups out of one’s diet isn't a great idea, so I tend to steer towards more of a holistic balanced approach.
Those that know me well know that I like to eat, and my diet isn’t necessarily 100% clean or organic. I try to eat as best I can most of the time, but at the end of the day I eat to fuel my body and I’ll do whatever works best for me. My diet tends to be pretty carb heavy as I have the body type that responds well to it. If I eat super clean and lean I end up losing weight, feeling weak and looking gaunt.
At the end of the day you need to do whatever works for you and if eating Paleo gets you the results you want then I’m all for it :)
interested in training with me? Shoot me an email at dylan@builtbydylan.com