Eating like it was the Stone Age – a health trend that has already firmly rooted itself in parts of our society. This lifestyle is based on the foods that were available thousands of years ago during the times of hunter-gatherers and that can still be found today in a similar form. Certain exercise principles can also be included. The Paleo diet is credited with various health benefits: body fat reduction, less inflammation, improved sleep, higher energy levels, and increased everyday performance are just a few examples1.
What does Paleo eating mean?
On the one hand, you can consider only the Paleo diet , in which only what is eaten and drunk is in the foreground. Or you can view Paleo holistically as the right lifestyle. In both perspectives, it is assumed that our metabolism has hardly changed since the Stone Age and that our ancestors back then ate the things that are still optimal for our genetics. These included roots, nuts, berries, vegetables and animal protein. Milk was not consumed at that time at all, because Stone Age people were not sedentary and did not keep domestic and farm animals. Quite a few things can also be derived from the topics of movement, rest, and sports2.
The people in the Paleolithic had to run away from wild animals or climb a tree for a short time every now and then. There was also often a heavy stone to carry or an animal to take down. The people were physically in good shape back then, because this daily movement and natural foods did not allow for a belly of prosperity. So they tended to have good muscles and less body fat. Because they liked to take a nap after physical exertion and still played many games in adulthood, they had good recovery phases between stressful situations in the wild nature and the fight for survival2. Today's Paleo proponents transfer this to our new world as follows: We need strength training and interval or sprint sessions, enough quality sleep and fun moments, as well as similar foods to those our ancestors ate back then.
The 10 Laws of the Paleo Lifestyle
Mark Sisson, an expert on the topic of Stone Age nutrition, summarized the Paleo diet and the associated attitude toward life in ten commandments in his book "Health Secrets from the Stone Age"2:
- Eat plenty of plant and animal products (vegetables, berries, fish, and meat).
- Avoid toxic substances (processed foods, addictive substances, allergens such as grains and milk) .
- Move with plenty of moderate effort (walks, everyday movement).
- Lift heavy (strength training).
- Do a sprint every now and then.
- Get enough sleep (at night and possibly a power nap during the day).
- Play a lot.
- Expose yourself to the sun (Vitamin D is very important for physical and mental health).
- Don't make stupid mistakes (act consciously with responsibility and be aware of what you are doing).
- Use your brain (keep learning and take on new tasks and challenges).
Paleo Foods
The principle of the Paleo diet is relatively simple: Everything that prehistoric people had available and ate is allowed!
Among the typical "Paleo products" are meat, fish, eggs, nuts, seeds, berries, vegetables, and roots, as well as honey and sweeter fruit in small amounts. So fewer carbohydrates are automatically consumed, which is why good, natural fats and animal protein serve primarily as energy sources. Potatoes and sweet potatoes are in a gray area, so there are certainly forms of Paleo nutrition in which they are allowed, but they are also taboo for very strict proponents. Coffee, very dark chocolate, and red wine are also okay in smaller quantities2.
These products and foods are taboo in the Paleo diet:
Since the Paleo diet is primarily about eating natural foods that existed – at least in their original form – in the Stone Age, all industrially processed products are no-gos. Refined oils and fats, ready meals, baked goods, additives, sweets, sweeteners, artificial colors and soft drinks should therefore be avoided.
All types of grains should be omitted. This means pasta, bread, pizza, cake, oatmeal, pseudo-grains, and even rice are out. Rice is however back in a gray area due to its good tolerability.
Dairy products are completely taboo, so neither cheese, yogurt, cream, quark, nor ice cream are on the menu.
Practically every form of sugar is among the forbidden foods in the Paleo diet. The only exception is – as mentioned above – small amounts of honey and some fruit.
Even with legumes , Paleo experts are not entirely in agreement: They were probably eaten by Neanderthals in their original form, yet they are viewed with skepticism. This is partly because they contain relatively hard-to-digest carbohydrates that like to ferment in the intestine and can lead to bloating. They also contain antinutrients, which are actually intended to protect the plant, which inhibit our digestive enzymes. This leads to the fact that certain micronutrients cannot be well absorbed and possibly irritates the intestinal mucosa1. Peanuts, soy, lentils, and beans are advised against in Paleo nutrition above all else. These products are also very highly bred today, which is why our digestive tract simply does not cope well with them. Chickpeas are nevertheless allowed by some Paleo proponents, provided they are soaked overnight and then rinsed well before cooking. This removes at least part of the antinutrients. Especially for vegans or vegetarians, this is an opportunity to get their proteins in the Paleo diet as well.
What benefits does the Paleo diet have?
Because the only carbohydrate sources in the Paleo diet come from fruit, little honey, and vegetables, and no refined sugar or grains are consumed, you automatically stay in a range of 100-150g daily2. This is beneficial for the blood sugar level , because with these amounts it remains stable and the risk of Type 2 diabetes drops drastically. A stable blood sugar also has a positive visual effect3:
Fewer blood sugar fluctuations mean fewer cravings and fewer excess carbohydrates that are converted into fat and stored around the midsection.
Since the potential main allergens gluten, milk, and soy are automatically excluded in the Paleo diet, the Paleo diet has a good effect on intestinal health. Thus, it often reduces the symptoms or even the causes in people with intestinal diseases, autoimmune diseases, or digestive complaints. Because without contact with allergens and the consumption of natural foods and plenty of vegetables, the intestinal mucosa can regenerate1. You can learn more about this in our article on Leaky Gut .
Concentration ability, general well-being, sleep quality, muscle building, and mood are also usually improved by the Paleo diet1. This has to do with the fact that industrially processed products and full-on sugar in everything worsen these points.
Criticism of the Paleo diet
The Paleo diet is often criticized for the fact that there are actually many different historical findings about the Stone Age or the different prehistoric people and their eating habits:
Science is not always entirely in agreement whether the Stone Age diet was actually exactly as it is described by Paleo proponents. In addition, it is that during this time, different peoples were located in different parts of the world. These did not always necessarily have the same foods available. So it is assumed that there were also tribes and peoples who fed almost exclusively on plants and could also develop and reproduce well with this diet.
Recipes and alternative products
For many who are interested in the Paleo diet , it is initially very challenging, because at first glance, very many potential foods fall out of the scheme. Nevertheless, there are now countless creative recipes and alternative products that correspond to the Paleo principles : pizza dough from finely blended cauliflower and egg, bread baking mixes on a grain, seed, or nut base, nut butter, Paleo pancakes from bananas and almond flour, Paleo muesli from nuts and grains, or delicious smoothies are just a few examples.
However, one should be careful here not to fall into the marketing trap, because many alleged Paleo products are ultimately not necessarily in the interest of Paleo proponents. For example, Paleo bars from the supermarket consist mainly of dates, which are basically included in the diet, but not in the quantity in which they are consumed in this way. With the high date content, a Paleo bar easily reaches 30g of sugar, which is far too much for a small snack. The mueslis are also often heavily sweetened with honey – so mindfulness is required here!
Tip: On the page – paleo360.de – you can find, for example, great recipes for cooking fresh yourself and tips around the topic of the Paleo diet.
1 Paleo360 (2020): What is Paleo? [https://www.paleo360.de/was-ist-paleo; 11.07.2020].
2 Sisson, Mark (2015): Health Secrets from the Stone Age.
3 T. Gedgaudas, Nora (2011): Primal Body, Primal Mind.