I've noticed a number of people recently questioning whether the Paleo Diet is safe. By Paleo diet we are, of course, referring to the recently popularised way of eating that is based on the (presumed) diet of Paleolithic Man, the hunter gatherer. So what's the answer? Is the Paleo Diet safe or not?
Low carbohydrates
There seem to be a few possible objections to the Paleo way of eating, and the first of these is based largely on a misconception. The Paleo Diet does share some similarities with the well know, perhaps infamous, Atkins Diet. Like the Atkins, paleo leans towards high fat and protein and tends to include far less carbohydrates than most people are used to eating.
Unlike the Atkins diet, however, it is not carbohydrate restriction that is the aim …show more content…
The concern is, of course, an increase in cholesterol and that eating all that fat is going to make you fat. This is, however, and it really does call for some capital letters, NOT TRUE! There is extensive research, far beyond the scope of this article, to demonstrate that it is not eating fat that makes you fat but the carbohydrates. Sugars and grains, wheat in particular, are the worst culprits.
It pays, as ever, to do your own research, but you don't need to look far at all to find that eating plenty of fat and protein is a good thing, and certainly not the reason people put on weight. This doesn't mean that all fats are good, but the ones that are may be a surprise to some people. Again, beyond the scope of this article, but suffice to say: butter, eggs and the fatty meat from pastured, grass fed animals is all good, very good. And beware the vegetable oils - if you have to do any more than squeeze to get the oil, be suspicious! Olive oil good - corn, palm and soy oils, no! You might want to read the Wikipedia pages for those before putting any more of those in your
Low carbohydrates
There seem to be a few possible objections to the Paleo way of eating, and the first of these is based largely on a misconception. The Paleo Diet does share some similarities with the well know, perhaps infamous, Atkins Diet. Like the Atkins, paleo leans towards high fat and protein and tends to include far less carbohydrates than most people are used to eating.
Unlike the Atkins diet, however, it is not carbohydrate restriction that is the aim …show more content…
The concern is, of course, an increase in cholesterol and that eating all that fat is going to make you fat. This is, however, and it really does call for some capital letters, NOT TRUE! There is extensive research, far beyond the scope of this article, to demonstrate that it is not eating fat that makes you fat but the carbohydrates. Sugars and grains, wheat in particular, are the worst culprits.
It pays, as ever, to do your own research, but you don't need to look far at all to find that eating plenty of fat and protein is a good thing, and certainly not the reason people put on weight. This doesn't mean that all fats are good, but the ones that are may be a surprise to some people. Again, beyond the scope of this article, but suffice to say: butter, eggs and the fatty meat from pastured, grass fed animals is all good, very good. And beware the vegetable oils - if you have to do any more than squeeze to get the oil, be suspicious! Olive oil good - corn, palm and soy oils, no! You might want to read the Wikipedia pages for those before putting any more of those in your