Paleo Diet


The images might be humorous, but thousands of dieters nationwide aren't joking when they claim that eating like a caveman is working for them.

We're talking about what's known as the Paleo Diet.

"It is a really restrictive diet. It is said to be one of the hardest fad diets to follow."

Samantha Cortese is a registered dietician at Geisinger South Wilkes-Barre.

She explained the basics of the eating plan, the center of which is any kind of animal protein you can hunt yourself, such as chicken, beef, venison or wild-caught fish.

"Some of the other choices would be any kind of nut or berry you can harvest, or any fruit and vegetable you can get from the grocery store."

In other words, whatever a caveman could hunt or gather is ok.

What's not allowed? All grains and dairy products. No lentils, legumes, potatoes, sugar or processed foods of any kind.

Difficult to follow, yes, but Cortese says the diet is also nutritionally imbalanced.

"It does not allow for calcium and vitamin d, vital for bone health. And there's a lack of fiber if you're not including enough vegetables. It also makes it difficult to get b vitamins vital to metabolism."

Cortese says the Paleo Diet was first introduced in the 1970's, and has enjoyed a resurgence of sorts.

She knows several people who've tried it, but not for longer than about a month.

At its core, in her opinion, it is a healthy eating plan. If you balance it out by adding some whole grains and low-fat dairy.