The Paleo Diet: Eat like cavemen and be thin and healthy?  

The popularity of this diet has, without a doubt, increased in the past few years. And a lot has been written about it. A quick search on Google with the words “Paleo Diet” leads to more than 9,180,000 results. How do we know what is truth and what is hype? Some websites tout the paleo diet as “the healthiest way to eat” or “achieve your full health potential” and “lose weight and get healthy.”… Let see what the science says about the Paleo Diet:

Definition of the “real” Paleo Diet is hard to identify. 

The diet of cavemen depended a lot on the geographic region and on the season. In fact, some tribes used to live in what is now Africa, others lived close to the Arctic and some in Europe. They were hunter-gatherers and as such had to adapt to what was available: berries during berry season, seal meat and fat in the North, etc.  As a result, the macronutrient content of their diet (carbohydrates, protein and fat) varied depending on the season, the climate and the food available.

The human genome has changed over the millenia. 

Humans have adapted to their environment and as a result the human genome (DNA) has evolved since the caveman days. In short, we are just not identical to the cavemen (and that’s probably for the better!)

Our ancestors were less healthy than we are. 

Yes, you read it right! At that time, life was rough. Food wasn’t available all the time: food shortages were common. No food sanitary measures were applied and, as a result, humans were infected by parasites at a high rate. Fortunately, life expectancy and child survival rates have significantly increased since the cavemen period. Although the latter is positive, we now live long enough to develop chronic diseases such as diabetes, hypertension and heart diseases. In brief, cavemen didn’t live long enough to develop the diseases affecting humans today.


In conclusion, humans of the “Paleo” time period had to eat enough to survive and sometimes survival outweighed “balanced” and “healthy” choices. They did not have sweets or processed foods and at times ate more veggies, possibly making them “healthier”; however, remember these ancestors’ realities and DNA were much different from ours. There just is no comparison.


The science speaks again! Stay tuned for another blog coming soon!

Go low on fat. 

Give plenty of room for the rainbow. 

Eat your carbs. 

Include a source of protein. 

Drink enough liquids. 

Take time to eat your meal. 

There are plenty of magazine and web articles touting the benefits of alkaline diets for weight loss or warnings on the harmful effects of the acidity on your body. However, most of these claims are NOT backed by scientific research. What does the science say about the acidity, alkalinity and other pH related effect of food? First, what is the PH? PH is a measure of acidity, presented as a scale ranging from 0 (Extremely acid) to 14 (Extremely alkaline). 7 is neutral (i.e., water has a pH of 7)

Some Foods Are Acidic.

Everyone would agree that lemons are acidic. Ever crunched into a lemon or lime? It’s worth trying (or not!) The wince you’ll do is caused by the acidity of the lemon. Many other foods are acidic to a certain degree, like sodas and juices.

Some foods are alkaline.

Some foods are slightly alkaline (their pH is over 7) such as eggs or baking soda.

When food enters your body, it becomes acidic.

After chewing, food goes into your stomach where it meets hydrochloric acid for digestion of food. Can you guess what’s next? The food in your stomach becomes very acidic, no matter the initial pH of the food.

Have you seen the ads? “This super soap or spectacular spray will kill every single germ or bacteria that live in your house” These popular messages lead us to believe that all bacteria are BAD. Okay, I agree that most of these tiny living beings are actually detrimental to health (especially the ones growing on your cellphone or your computer keyboard! Ugh!). However, others contribute to your health. Here’s why:

Your intestine contains 10 times more bacteria than the total number of cells in      your entire body.

That’s a lot of bacteria! Many different types are present in your intestine, which have their own particularities and function. But in general, their job consists in digesting the fiber included in your food (i.e., vegetables, fruits, legumes, whole grain bread) and protecting you against illness by stimulating your immune system. To keep the bacteria present in your intestines happy, eat food high in fiber and some that contains probiotics (see below).

Some types of food production require bacteria.

It might be surprising but it’s true. Let’s look at yogurt, for example. When these bacteria are added to milk and heated to a certain temperature, they acidify the milk. This process modifies the consistency of the milk proteins and makes yogurt! Bacteria are also responsible for the fermentation of cabbage into kimchi (a traditional Korean side dish).

Consuming probiotic bacteria reduces the risk of being sick.

Probiotic bacteria can be found in fermented foods such as yogurt, kefir (fermented milk), kimchi, kombucha (sweet beverage) and in supplements. Scientific research shows that probiotics contribute to health by increasing the number of good bacteria in your intestine. It helps to prevent gastroenteritis and tourista (a nasty bug some people get when traveling). Also probiotics are often recommended to patients who take antibiotics to treat an infection.

See what we mean when we say “some bacteria are actually good for you”! However, that is not the case for all bacteria; so continue to wash your hands before eating and clean up that keyboard once in a while!

Stay tune for another upcoming myth buster!

· If you are eating within your caloric budget, you won’t gain weight

If the total number of calories you consume during the day (including your late night snack or meal) is equal to your energy needs, you won’t gain weight. After all, weight is determined by energy balance (and genetics). In general, if you eat fewer calories than you need, you will lose weight and if you eat more, you will gain.

· The nutritional content of food doesn’t change during the course of a day (or overnight!).

A certain food (i.e., an apple) will provide you the exact same quantity of energy (calories), vitamins and minerals whatever the time of the day you eat it. Eat it during the day- get 100 calories. Eat it at night- get the same 100 calories. **If you let food sit in your fridge for too long, it will contain less vitamins and maybe some extra stuff (bacteria and/or mold!) But this is another topic!

Bonus #1: Increased Metabolism

Bonus #2: Strong Bones

Bonus #3: Improved Self Esteem

Best Teen Diets is a research based outreach program that helps young adults learn to eat healthy and be strong. www.bestteendiets.org.  Also check us out at www.winforum.org