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The Paleo Diet: The Caveman Diet

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The paleo diet, also known as the caveman diet, is the first diet that I am going to discuss. This diet was Google’s most searched-for weight loss method in 2013. The paleo diet not only meets the recommended daily allowance of all the vitamins and minerals, but it has anywhere from several hundred to a thousand times the recommended daily allowance. Calcium and magnesium work together in the body, and if our magnesium intake is high, our calcium needs dramatically decrease. The diet consists of foods that can be hunted and gathered, such as meat, seafood, eggs, nuts, seeds, fruits, vegetables, herbs, and spices. It’s a routine based on the alleged eating habits of our hunter-gatherer ancestors during the Paleolithic era, around 10,000 years …show more content…

Most studies on the paleo-type diet are small, and more long-term research is needed to show conclusively whether or not it is as effective as some people claim. Reducing your consumption of high-calorie foods will reduce your calorie intake and help you to lose weight. The diet is simple and doesn’t involve calorie counting. Some plans go by the "80/20" rule, whereby you’ll get 99% of the benefits of the paleo diet if you adhere to it 80% of the time. However, according to the Acceptable Macronutrient Distribution Ranges, this diet does not fall in the correct macronutrient ranges. The diet is made up of 33% protein, which is slightly above the 15-25% recommended. The diet is made up of 25% carbohydrate, which is below the 45-65% recommended. The Paleo diet is also made up of 42% fat, which is above the 20-35% recommended. We see above recommended intakes in protein and fats and a below recommended level in carbohydrates. Straying too far from these recommended intake levels can have negative consequences on our health such an increased risk in colorectal cancer due to excess protein from red

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