Fad Diet Assignment

docx

School

Kirkwood Community College *

*We aren’t endorsed by this school

Course

151

Subject

Biology

Date

Dec 6, 2023

Type

docx

Pages

5

Report

Uploaded by ConstableKangarooPerson4383

Paleo Diet Falyn E. Christensen Nutrition, Kirkwood Community College BIO 151: Nutrition Alicia Aguiar October 4, 2023 Paleo Diet The paleo diet stems from what was eaten during the Stone Age. The food consumed back then was unprocessed mainly meats and nuts. Today's version of the paleo diet excludes certain food groups that play a huge part in our body’s normal function. A person's daily meals on a paleo diet would include 30% carbs, 40% fat, and 30% protein (Aravind et al. 319). Paleo foods include fresh vegetables, fruits, lean meats, poultry, eggs, tofu, nuts, and seeds. The foods a person on the paleo diet would be restricted from are cereals, grains, legumes, and dairy (Obert et al. 2). A reason that these certain food groups are excluded is that they are thought to lead to certain diseases as they were brought on by farming (Mayo Clinic 2022). According to Mayo Clinic 2022, these
diet changes brought on by farming caused an increase in diseases as our bodies were outpaced by these food groups and simply couldn’t adapt. A person on a paleo diet doesn't need to count calories but has to eat specific foods in the diet plan. The paleo diet comes with lots of self-discipline as you do not report to anybody but rather do it on your own. This is why educating yourself on the diet is so important as you need to know what food is encouraged and what food groups you need to make up due to the restrictions of a certain diet. Counting macronutrients is more common in paleo diets rather than counting calories (Lifesum, 2018). The paleo diet does have scientific claims behind the results. In a scientific study, participants ate a paleo diet for 10 days. Significantly reduced numbers in triglycerides, LDL, VLDL, total cholesterol, insulin, DBP, and mean arterial pressure (Aravind et al. 319). In another study, after 21 days of participants on the paleo diet, significant decreases in mean weight and waist circumference were observed. The conclusion was the paleo diet was effective in producing some weight loss (Aravind et al. 319). The paleo diet also has scientific research backing it up that not only helps weight loss but also improves glucose sensitivities. In a research study, people with type 2 diabetes were assigned by a randomized selection to either follow a paleo or Mediterranean diet for 12 weeks. The results showed that the diabetic participants on a paleo diet had a greater percentage of reduction in AUC for glucose compared to the Mediterranean diet (Aravind et al. 319). Although all of these facts lead to a healthy state, the paleo diet participants had side effects like headaches, weakness, and diarrhea (Obert et al. 3). Obert also argued that because of the removal of dairy products in the diet, this could lead to a state of
inadequate intake of calcium leading to bone density issues if the diet is used as a long term plan. (3) Therefore I would say these claims do not promote a healthier state. The meal plan I have decided to choose that is within the paleo diet guidelines is for breakfast I will have an omelet with spinach and tomatoes in it. I will also have 2 pieces of bacon and 1 kiwi. For lunch, I will have buffalo chicken wrapped in lettuce. For dinner, I will have grilled salmon with asparagus. For a snack, I will have carrot sticks. After pulling the reports after entering my meal plan for a paleo diet, my total calories for the day were 1,171. This is extremely off of the recommended calorie intake for someone my age and size. I was under the recommended daily intake of vegetables, fruits, and grains. I was missing a diary completely as someone on a paleo diet is dairy- restricted. The only food group I was over was protein. The paleo diet has restrictions for any food with added sugars and is highly processed so therefore I did not have any empty calories. My macronutrients proportions from carbohydrates were at 22% compared to the daily recommendations of 55%. I was under my recommended intake by 60%. For fats, my daily recommended intake is 28% and my intake for the day was 49%. I was over my daily intake by 177%. For protein, I was over my daily recommended intake by 328%. My daily intake is 26% and my recommended daily intake for protein is 8%. My saturated fat intake for the day was 20% which was below the maximum daily recommended intake of 24%. My micronutrient vitamins that were below the daily recommended intake were vitamins A, B1, B2, B3, B6, B12, C, D, E, and Folate. This list is all of the vitamins we are supposed
Your preview ends here
Eager to read complete document? Join bartleby learn and gain access to the full version
  • Access to all documents
  • Unlimited textbook solutions
  • 24/7 expert homework help
to reach daily. The micronutrient minerals I was below the daily recommended intake were calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, and zinc. These are all the micronutrients we are supposed to be above and for sodium which we are supposed to be under, I was above. I believe the restriction of certain starchy vegetables and fruits leads to a decrease in the overall consumption of micronutrients. Overall the paleo diet has been proven to show weight loss and waist circumference, this diet should only be used to help jump-start weight loss rather than using the guidelines as a long-term diet plan. Like I said before, anyone planning on going on a diet needs to do their research and after finding my information on the internet about the paleo diet, there are many articles as well as Medline websites that give further information about the paleo diet. The paleo diet does help jump-start weight loss but if used long-term there are not enough studies on long-term effects. With the deficiency of calcium in the diet due to the restriction of dairy, decreased bone density could be a huge red flag to this diet if not supplemented correctly (Obert et al. 3). The paleo diet can be for anyone but because of the food that is recommended during the diet, the financial need for this diet is high (Aravind et al. 311). This limits income-restricted households who may need to jump-start weight loss. I would not recommend this to any of my family members because of the side effects as well as the chance of it affecting bone density. Overall the diet has its pros such as weight loss, improved lipid profiles, and improved glucose sensitivities but the cons are that the paleo diet can be expensive, has side effects, and low calcium intake spikes a concern for me (Obert et al. 3).
References Kuchkuntla, A.R., Limketkai, B., Nanda, S. et al. Fad Diets: H ype or Hope?. Curr Nutr Rep 7, 310–323 (2018). www.doi.org/10.1007/s13668-018-0242-1 Lifesum. (2018) How to count calories on a paleo diet. www.lifesum.com/nutrition-explained/how-to-count-calories-on-a- paleo-diet Mayo Clinic. (2022) Nutrition and healthy eating. Paleo diet: What is it and Why is it so Popular? www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy- eating/in-depth/paleo-diet/art-20111182 Obert, J., Pearlman, M., Obert, L. et al. Popular Weight Loss Strategies: a Review of Four Weight Loss Techniques. Curr Gastroenterol Rep 19, 61 (2017). www.doi.org/10.1007/s11894-017-0603-8