What is a primal diet?
It seems everyone is talking about ‘going paleo’ or following a ‘primal diet’ these days. The significant shift encourages followers to eat like their ancient ancestors – before the industrial age prompted processed food production.
But what exactly is the primal or paleo diet, and is it safe?
Paleo vs primal – what’s the difference?
It’s often said that the primal and paleo diets are different names for the same nutritional program. But while primal is almost identical in principle to paleo, it allows the consumption of dairy products.
We’ll use the terms interchangeably in this article, but bear in mind you can eat dairy when following the primal path.
An introduction to primal eating
Prolific blogger Mark Sisson is attributed with founding the primal diet, known as Primal Blueprint. In the few years since, many people around the world have cut the clutter from their diet and opted to eat like the Paleolithic ancestors. The main argument for the primal diet is that ancient nomadic folk roamed around and eating whatever was in season, whatever they could find. But as populations grew and technology advanced, food became mass produced year-round and you no longer had to eat in-season.
Is a primal diet healthy?
Followers of the diet say that our body doesn’t benefit from more convenient food and farming methods. Our digestive system hasn’t changed over time, so our diets shouldn’t either.
Dozens of scientific studies and papers have been published about primal eating. And many have found that it could benefit in our bodies in many ways. On the flip side, they say modern disease like cancer and heart disease can be attributed to a processed diet and sedentary lifestyle.
What do you eat on a primal diet?
As you can imagine, a primal diet ditches all modern food – grains, rice, legumes, processed varieties, sugar, alcohol, and coffee. And paleo followers skip the dairy too.
Instead, you’ll chow down on meat (locally sourced, grain-fed, and as much game meat as possible), vegetables (mostly leafy greens), some fruit (choosing berries over high-fructose fruits), and as much clean drinking water as possible.
There is oodles of research available online to help you make up your own mind about whether or not to follow a primal or paleo diet. You should also speak with a nutritionist or dietician before overhauling your diet and lifestyle.
