Top 19: Paleo Diet

The paleo diet is based on the idea that humans should only eat foods that were consumed during the Paleolithic Era, and avoid any food products that came after the agricultural revolution. This includes refined sugar, dairy, legumes, and grains. Instead, the diet focuses on meat, fish, poultry, fruits, and vegetables. Any foods that were introduced to human diets within the last 10,000 years are not allowed on the paleo diet.

The original paleo diet has sprouted many variations, some of which are less strict than others. Regardless of the precise variant chosen, you should know that this high-protein diet ranked poorly among our diet experts, who assessed it as too restrictive to be healthy or sustainable. On this plan, you’ll eliminate all grains, legumes, dairy and processed foods. Tips provided by paleo followers include:

• Stick to unprocessed foods.

• Eat plant-based foods.

• Try a vegetable omelet without cheese for breakfast rather than a bowl of cereal.

• Consume lean proteins, like meat, chicken and fish.

• Invest in a spiralizer to create vegetable noodles.

• Have your burger without the bun.

• Use lettuce instead of tortillas to create “wraps” out of sandwich meat for lunch.

• Don’t eat foods with added sugars, such as cakes, cookies, pies and candies.

• Snack on nuts, but not peanuts, which are technically legumes and therefore not allowed on the paleo regimen.

The majority of people will likely lose weight on the paleo diet, which emphasizes eating lean protein, fruits and vegetables, while abstaining from processed foods and added sugars.

The fiber in fruits, vegetables and nuts is filling, which may decrease your appetite, resulting in weight loss. The paleo diet doesn’t allow many processed foods, which are typically high in calories.

Short-Term Weight Loss

In a review of 11 studies, researchers reported that participants who followed the paleo diet lost an average of 8 pounds more and lost more in waist circumference than people on other types of diets. This isn't necessarily clear-cut evidence of the success of the paleo diet, however, as the most extensive study included in the analysis only had 41 participants, and the studies ranged from two weeks to two years. Participants also varied in terms of health history, age and more between the different studies (1).

A 2015 study followed the weight loss of 279 participants who followed a vegan, Mediterranean, paleo or DASH diet for 60 days.

On average, all participants lost 9 pounds and reduced their blood pressure during the study. That said, participants on the vegan and paleo diets lost the most weight. These participants also had the most significant improvement in cholesterol and triglyceride levels (3).

Long-Term Weight Loss

A study of 70 obese, postmenopausal women compared how much weight was lost over two years following either the paleo diet or the Nordic diet. After six months, those who followed the paleo diet lost more weight than those on the Nordic diet by an average of 6 pounds (4).

Weight Maintenance and Management

By maintaining a balanced diet of lean meats, fish, fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds, while limiting – or eliminating – processed foods and added sugar commonly found in the modern diet, the paleo diet can help people maintain and manage their weight. Permanent behavior changes are critically important for long-term weight management.

With its emphasis on fiber and protein, it can help reduce appetite and keep you feeling full longer. Following this diet long term may result in some nutritional deficiencies, however. One 2022 study of seven popular diets – including paleo, keto and the Mediterranean diets – rated the paleo diet as one of the lowest in terms of diet quality because of its limitations in food diversity (5).

Find Recipes Online

Recipes appropriate for the paleo diet are abundant online. You should have no trouble finding meal ideas. Be aware that the nutritional information on blogs and personal websites is often incorrect.

Pantry Edit

Foods you’ll want to keep in your pantry for the paleo diet include:

• Canned or vacuum-sealed tuna.

• Canned veggies.

• Seeds and nuts.

• Coconut oil, ghee and olive oil.

• Coconut aminos.

• Honey and maple syrup.

• Paleo-friendly salad dressing.

The paleo diet isn’t a commercial diet, so there are no membership or subscription fees. The grass-fed meat the diet encourages can be pricier than the average cost of meat. Compared to junky processed foods, whole foods can seem expensive at first. Those who currently eat out a lot or are friends with the employees at the drive-thru window may discover that they’re saving money when they start to prepare more meals at home.. You may need to pay for dietary supplements, including calcium and vitamin D.

There are a number of home-delivery meal services to make the paleo diet easier to stick with.

The paleo diet is ranked No. 17 in Easiest Diets to Follow.

Because it’s limited in the types of foods you can consume, Kuehl says the paleo diet can be challenging for some people to follow.

Diets that restrict entire food groups are usually not sustainable or easy to follow. Not everyone adheres to the paleo diet all of the time. Some individuals choose to work “cheat meals” into their weekly meal plan.

Paleo recipe sites and cookbooks are abundant. You’ll have lots of sites and books for support.

Do not try this diet if you have:

• A history of disordered eating, such as orthorexia because of the paleo diet's restrictive nature.

• A higher risk of osteoporosis because the diet eliminates dairy.