What Is The Caveman Diet And The Health Benefits Of Paleolithic Nutrition

I love all the diet trends that surface claiming to be life changing or promise that you can eat your favorite foods while losing weight. During my research of new diet trends and fads I came across the caveman diet, also known as the Paleo diet and was instantly intrigued. Studying nutrition along side my culinary arts decree I was a bit skeptical about what the new diet fad was all about. Digging deep into the back ground of what the caveman diet entailed, I really wanted to learn who invented this diet and if it really worked.

Who Invented The Paleo Diet

The main creator of this diet has been referred back to a man named Dr. Loren Cordain who has been a professor of health and been featured on various fitness journals for his extensive educational background on nutrition and fitness.

The Paleo diet then expanded it's board of experts to four other members that study health, nutrition and psychoneuroimmunology, (how your brain and body get along). One of the members is Chris LeLanne, one of the grand-nephews of the late Jack LeLanne, who is a health and fitness coach. The research for the caveman diet goes back about 10 years and, of course, there are two sides to the health benefits of the Paleo diet.

What Claims Does The Paleo Diet Make

There are various of different programs you can participate that are associated with the Paleo diet. Here are a few of the health benefits the "experts" claim you can benefit from the diet.

• Permanently rid your body of acne
• Improve your athleticism
• prolong your longevity and enhance your health
• lose weight without diet and exercising
• reduce or eliminate your risk of diseases, including cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and the vast majority of all chronic degenerative diseases.

Now that is a pretty tall order to fill if you ask me. For one, your body needs some kind of diet to survive whether it is from the drive through or Jenny Craig. Second, you will not lose any amount of significant weight long term if you do not incorporate some type of exercise. Sorry.

The Science Behind The Caveman Diet

As I mentioned above the "experts" claim you can lose weight without diet and exercise, which I am sure the millions who have already tried this can testify it doesn't work for the long haul. Although to defend the statement to some degree they are right about the fundamentals on the how the cavemen were a leaner bunch than we are today.

The caveman had to move constantly from dawn to dusk in search for food and shelter. He could not get in his hybrid and drive to the local fast food joint and order a meal loaded with excess sodium and saturated fat, then take his processed food back to his "cave" sit in the comfort of his warm dining room and eat his meal sitting down. After consuming his entire fat and caloric content in one meal, man then proceeded to swagger to his soft comfy couch and sit for stretch of time.

The caveman had a much different story....

He would rise with the sun due to either the cold weather or the grumbling of his stomach. With a small tribe depending on him for food he had to gather his hunting gear and roam much of the day in search of his kill, walking up to 100 miles a day running after dinner. He would trail long strenuous paths, scale over tremendous valleys, and when he finally caught his meal he then had to drag the 100 pound plus beast all the way back home to feed everyone who survived that day. Not knowing what waste was back then, the cave people devoured every little bit of the animal. They did not know or care if one part of the animal threatened to be less healthy or higher in animal fat. They ate off the land long before pesticides were thought of, and the only source of hydration was in the form of natural water spring filled with minerals that are known today for their fat burning properties. Fruits that grew from trees and bushes were the only "sweet" treat they had.

Are you seeing the bigger picture yet?

Read it again...Okay, now can you see it?

The term paleolithic refers to humans that existed back in the day, in a nut shell. Thus the back bone theory of the paleo or caveman diet. The big question on any dieter's mind when facing yet another new diet trend is what can I eat?

When on the caveman diet you are on a very strict regimen as the caveman was, yet you are surround by an immense amount of temptation and the struggle of breaking habits.

The caveman diet restricts dieters to just meat, fish, fruits, and veggies while eliminating all grains, beans, salt, sugar and dairy. That means all condiments, drinks, snacks that contain these. So throw away the ice cream, cereal, oatmeal, yogurt, rice, soy sauce, ketchup, milk, and chocolate. You can have unsweetened chocolate, just prepare yourself for the taste, it will leave you shivering for about 20 minutes. But hey, all in the name of losing weight right? Heck if you have subjected yourself to the lemonade diet then this had to be a step up.

The Health Flaws Of The Caveman Diet

Of course there is always a down side to any new diet, depending on your personal tastes, lifestyle, and budget.

Remember when the Atkins diet came out? You had people eating pounds of bacon then chasing it with half and half, for all was fair game on this no carb diet. We humans today tend to take anything to the extreme, pushing an idea or diet as far as we can to speed up the results. Or will try ANYTHING besides hitting the gym as you read this with that auto belly belt thing, I know, its okay.

The main problem I can see with this diet is two things. Availability and the Unknown.

Along with tight budgets for food, this diet focuses on fresh fruit, meat, and veggies, which can really add up at the checkout stand. To rule out whole grain, legumes, and dairy tends to limit options which may result in relapsing on your diet.

The unknown is a biggie for me. How exactly does anyone really know what the cavemen ate? I have pretty large hunch that they ate whatever they could get their hands on, and when they figured out how to milk a cow or goat, it was the equivalent to striking oil.

The key to long term weight loss is moderation. Just as you find your niche in the topics you write, you need to find you niche in the foods you eat to maintain a healthy lifestyle. I hate to be a barrier of bad news but you also need to get that body moving at least 20 minutes a day.

The caveman diet along with the extensive study of paleolithic nutrition is debatable on either side of the health coin and anyone considering the paleo diet as a new life approach to gain a healthier lifestyle, always consult your physician as well as do your own research.