Paleo 101

The Paleo Diet Benefits

There are many benefits to eating the way we were designed to eat. However, perhaps the best way to summarize it is to discuss the consequences of eating a Western diet. This highly processed diet has been shown to lead to low-grade inflammation, which is at the heart of most chronic illness.

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The Paleo Diet®, also called an “evolutionary diet,” is centered around the idea that for optimal health we should eat foods that are as close to what our ancestors ate during the time of human evolution. The benefits of eating the diet our bodies were designed to eat are almost too numerous to list. However, this interview with Dr. Loren Cordain, the founder of the diet, is a good start.

Any of us who own a car understand the importance of using the right fuel and motor oil for our vehicles—the consequences of putting diesel fuel in a gasoline-powered car can be catastrophic. The same goes for putting the wrong foods in our bodies. Perhaps the best way to show the benefits of the Paleo Diet is to show the consequences of not eating this evolutionary diet.

Simply put, the typical Western diet is an inflammatory diet. That means it causes chronic and inappropriate low-grade inflammation as well as intestinal permeability which puts a strain on the immune system. This inappropriate inflammation should not be underestimated. As we continue to better understand the mechanisms behind most chronic illness, the one commonality found by researchers is that they are all preceded by inflammation.

To give a few examples, almost every autoimmune disease is associated with an inappropriate rise in the concentrations of T_H17—a highly inflammatory immune cell. Likewise, we now know that atherosclerosis is caused by the build-up of a particular type of inflammatory immune cell called macrophages. Even cancer has been linked to inflammation, as well as to several dietary attributes of a Western diet, such as the high consumption of processed sugar and salt.

The Western diet is loaded with simple sugars, which have been linked to a variety of inflammatory conditions including heart disease and neurological disorders. Overconsumption of sugar also results in a high glycemic load which can lead to insulin resistance and diabetes. A Paleo Diet is a low glycemic load diet that significantly reduces simple sugars.

Several of the most beneficial aspects of the Paleo Diet are unknown to many people; for example, the sodium-to-potassium ratio and omega-3-to-omega-6 ratio. High salt, paired with low potassium, has many inflammatory consequences that are linked to a variety of conditions including cancer, autoimmunity, and even osteoporosis. Likewise, a diet higher in omega-3s relative to omega-6 fatty acids is known to be anti-inflammatory.

Together with both of these ratios is the acid-base balance of our diet. A Western diet is an acidic diet that has many negative health consequences.

Unlike the Western diet, the Paleo Diet is an anti-inflammatory diet that helps avoid instead of promote these varied chronic illnesses. Again and again, it has been shown that these “Diseases of Civilization” are virtually unknown in studied hunter-gatherer societies.

But the benefits of the Paleo Diet go beyond just avoiding illness. Eating the foods our bodies were designed to eat allow our bodies to function optimally – that means improved skin, hair, and nail quality, less nasal congestion, less brain fog, better overall energy, and improved aging.

I Tried The Paleo Diet® for 30 Days and Here’s What Happened

My family and I tried The Paleo Diet for 30 days. See how we transitioned, some of our challenges, and our biggest wins! Then take the challenge for yourself!

By Dave Trendler

Paleo: The Diet You Can Actually Stick With

If you’re looking to improve your health and feel your best, choose Paleo. The Paleo Diet is a sustainable approach to food and life that doesn’t restrict calories like normal fads but still helps you lose weight, feel more energetic, and reduce your risk of chronic disease.

By Aimee McNew

The Paleo Diet® Premise

Quite simply, The Paleo Diet® is the only diet to which the human species is genetically adapted. In other words, when you eat a Paleo Diet, you are eating the optimal foods for your body, literally programmed into your DNA.

By The Paleo Diet® Team

Can The Paleo Diet Protect Against Chronic Diseases?

Chronic diseases have surpassed infectious diseases as the primary threat to human health. See how Paleo can prevent CNCDs.

By Dr. Marc Bubbs

The Paleo Diet Health Benefits Infographic

The Paleo Diet has many health benefits including improved brain function, weight loss, and more energy.

By Jane Dizon

The Paleo Diet: Designed by Nature, Built By Science

The Paleo Diet is the diet we evolved over a million years to eat and there is still a lot of science to show why it is still the best human diet.

By Mark J. Smith, Ph.D.

Paleo vs. The Growing Shortage of Nurses

We are facing a nursing shortage in long term healthcare facilities. A healthy lifestyle that includes eating a Paleo Diet may be your best solution.

By David Whiteside

The Sea Salt Controversy - Is it healthy to add salt?

The paleosphere has jumped on the notion that added salt is healthy based on research showing a J-shaped relationship. Learn why there were major flaws in this research and why a high-salt diet is not Paleo

By Loren Cordain, Ph.D.

How the Paleo Lifestyle Optimizes the Microbiome: Part One

Learn about the microbiome, why it's important, and how diet can have a big impact on its health.

By Christopher Clark

Forget the Macronutrient Ratios - You Are What You Were Designed to Eat

The focus of the Paleo Diet is not on finding an ideal macronutrient ratio, but on eating the foods we evolved to eat and avoiding anything processed.

By Trevor Connor, M.S.

Tips on Living a Disease-Free Life

Adopting a Paleo Diet and lifestyle can help to reverse the damaging effects of modern living. Learn what steps to take today to improve your health in the long run!

By Aimee McNew

Paleo Diet Digest: How To Lose Weight The Healthy Way

Among the many benefits of The Paleo Diet®, its ability to help people effectively lose weight in a healthy manner is one of its most powerful and transformative aspects of the diet.

By The Paleo Diet® Team

Considering Paleo: Why It’s the Best

Welcome to our digest of some of our best articles explaining why we feel and science appears to back the Paleo Diet as the optimal human diet.

By The Paleo Diet® Team

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Defining The Paleo Diet

What to Eat on the Paleo Diet®

• Is It Paleo?
• Gluten- and Grain-Free
• Avoid Simple Sugars
• Avoid Added Salt
• Dairy-Free
• Legumes and Nightshades
• Supplements

The Paleo Diet Benefits

Paleo Versus Other Diets

• A comparision between Paleo and Whole 30
• A comparison between Paleo, Keto, and Other Low-Carb Diets
• A Comparison Between Paleo and Intermittent Fasting
• A comparison between Paleo and Plant-Based Diets

Testimonials and Success Stories

Basic Myths

Digests