What is the Paleo diet and how does it work?
Juliet Blank
Associate EditorThe Paleo diet is a popular diet that restricts you to the foods cavemen ate thousands of years ago. So what exactly can you eat, how much weight can you lose and is it safe to follow when you’re TTC, pregnant or breastfeeding? Find out everything you need to know right here.
This page contains affiliate links, which means we may earn a small amount of money if a reader clicks through and makes a purchase. All our articles and reviews are written independently by the Netmums editorial team.
What is the Paleo diet?
The Paleo diet – also known as the caveman diet – has celebrity fans including Miley Cyrus and Jessica Biel.
On this diet, you’re only allowed foods that could be hunted, fished or gathered by humans in the Paleolithic era or early stone age, which ended 10,000 years ago.
In other words, if a caveman didn’t eat it, neither can you!
The diet has been around since the '70s but has become increasingly popular in recent years with dieters and health enthusiasts.
How does the Paleo diet work?
As a general rule, the Paleo diet is a low-carb, high-protein diet and it's pretty strict.
The idea behind the Paleo diet is that our bodies are designed to eat ‘hunter-gatherer’ foods, such as fresh fruit and veg, seeds, fish, meat and eggs, rather than processed foods like bread, pasta or cheese.
Going back to basics in what we eat means having to stay away from sugary, processed and refined foods that were produced in more modern times.
By cutting out whole food groups including dairy, refined sugar, potatoes and processed foods and filling up on protein-based foods plus fruits, vegetables, eggs and healthy fats from nuts and seeds, the idea is that you’ll naturally lose weight.
What are the rules of the Paleo diet?
What's slightly confusing is that there is no official 'Paleo diet', although the Paleo Diet book by scientist Dr Loren Cordain is a good place to start.
This means there are lots of blogs and books about the Paleo diet but many have slightly different rules on what you can and can’t eat day to day.
There are also no recommendations on how much you should eat, so working out your portion sizes can be tricky.
If in doubt, it's a good idea to speak to a dietitian or nutritionist to ensure your body is getting all it needs from your food, as going on any diet involves a lifestyle change and should be undertaken with consideration.
What can I eat on the Paleo diet?
Foods you can eat on the Paleo diet include:
- Fruit
- Vegetables
- Fish and seafood
- Eggs
- Grass-fed meat
- Nuts
- Seeds
- Healthy oils including olive oil, coconut oil or flaxseed oil
What can't I eat on the Paleo diet?
Foods you can’t eat on the Paleo diet include:
- Dairy
- Processed foods
- Refined sugar and all sweeteners
- Cereal grains (including wheat, rice and corn – so no bread or pasta)
- Potatoes
- Salt
- Refined vegetable oils
- Legumes (including peanuts and beans)
If you’re worried this sounds too hard to follow, the Paleo Diet book has its own twist on following the Paleo way of eating, with an 85:15 rule.
This means you can have three meals a week of anything you want.
Author of the book, Dr Cordain says:
‘A little bit of cheating is a good thing if in the long run it behaviourally helps people to stick to the diet.
‘If you want to go out with friends on a Friday night and have pizza and beer, then do so and enjoy, however don’t make this a regular habit.’
How much weight will I lose on the Paleo diet?
There’s no official research on how much weight you’re likely to lose on the Paleo diet, and it will vary from person to person.
As with most diets, you still need to exercise and keep active alongside the Paleo diet to notice a real difference.
Research does show that after two weeks you should expect to notice health and wellbeing benefits such as:
- Improved energy
- Lower blood triglyceride levels – high triglyceride levels can lead to heart attack, stroke, fatty liver, or pancreatitis
- Lower cholesterol
- Better quality of sleep
Is the Paleo diet safe?
There are lots of pros and cons to the Paleo diet.
As well as the health and wellbeing benefits listed above, pros of the Paleo diet include:
- Losing weight – some research has found the Paleo diet can help you lose weight
- Reduced risk of diabetes, heart disease and cancer.
- Cutting out processed food – replacing processed food with more fruit and veg is a much healthier way to eat and is bound to help you lose weight as you replace higher calorie foods with lower calorie, more filling foods.
Cons of the Paleo diet include:
- Not getting enough calcium – while it's a good idea to cut out fat-heavy and processed foods, the Paleo diet means you're not allowed any dairy, which could mean you'll lose out on essential calcium sources such as milk and cheese.
- Tricky for vegetarians – the Paleo diet is also impossible to follow if you're vegetarian as it does involve eating a lot of meat.
- It's expensive – with so much meat to buy, that could push your weekly shopping bill up.
- As it's a little restrictive, it may not be feasible to maintain the diet for a long time.
Talk to your GP before starting the diet if you have any health conditions or any other concerns.
Where can I find Paleo diet recipes?
There are plenty of results on Google for Paleo recipes, so you won’t be short of inspiration.
And make sure you check out our selection of Paleo recipes including a delicious smoked salmon ‘not bagel’.
Is the Paleo diet safe to do if you’re trying to conceive?
According to Linia Patel, a dietitian and British Dietetic Association spokeswoman, 'Paleo excludes food groups so it’s not necessarily going to be sustainable.
'However, you could do an adapted Paleo if you wanted, with the support of a health professional, to lose weight pre-conception,' she says.
Is the Paleo diet safe to follow if you’re pregnant?
No. According to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), going on a specific weight loss programme during pregnancy isn’t recommended as it could harm your unborn baby.
'Some Paleo plans will cut out dairy, grains and some fruit. Therefore you are going to be missing out on a lot of vitamins and minerals that are essential while you're pregnant or that are going to be important in the growth of the foetus,' says Linia.
Cutting out any food groups while you're pregnant could mean your baby misses out on key nutrients while it's growing and developing in the womb.
Eating a balanced and nutritious diet is recommended during pregnancy in order to give your baby everything it needs.
Is the Paleo diet safe to follow if you’re breastfeeding?
It's not advisable to follow the Paleo diet when you're breastfeeding, especially because the diet means you can't have any dairy.
'You won’t be getting all the nutrients you need for your baby,' says Linia.
'Calcium requirements increase when you’re breastfeeding, so cutting out dairy may impact this,' she says.
Paleo diet meal ideas
Confused about what you can eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner on the Paleo diet?
Here are some meal ideas …
Paleo breakfast ideas
Scrambled eggs with tomatoes and mushrooms; ham omelette; fresh fruit salad.
Paleo lunch ideas
Chicken salad with lemon and oil dressing; carrot and coriander soup; ratatouille.
Paleo dinner ideas
Beef and vegetable stir fry; roast lamb with vegetables; grilled salmon with sauteed spinach.
Top tips for following the Paleo diet
- Start by familiarising yourself with the variety of foods you can have on the diet, and spend some time thinking up different ways you can eat them for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
- Stock up on healthy, Paleo-friendly snacks you can have, like nuts, hard-boiled eggs, avocado, and beef jerky.
- Plan your meals in advance as it may help you to stick to the diet and will also help you save time during the week.
- There are loads of websites, food blogs, apps, and cookbooks out there that offer Paleo-friendly recipes and meal ideas that you can use to help with meal planning. Why not take a look at some of our healthy recipes and adapt them to be Paleo-friendly?
- Consider batch cooking healthy Paleo meals over the weekend and then freezing them – it's a lifesaver during the week when you’re running around after the kids and short on time.
- If you're heading to social gatherings or visiting family and friends, you might want to consider bringing your own food, which can help you not give into cravings or derail from your meal plan.
- Why not do the Paleo diet with your partner for added support? By motivating each other you'll be more encouraged to continue with the diet.
- Remember, if you are doing the diet to lose weight, don't overeat fatty foods such as nuts, avocado, and fatty meats, as these products can be high in calories which won't aid weight loss.
- Combine the diet with exercise 2-3 times a week to get the best results.
- If you plan on going Paleo long-term, speak with a dietician or nutritionist to ensure you are getting all the nutrients your body needs.
Keeping a food diary or using a diet planner can help keep you focussed. We like this planner that comes with a calorie counter, mood tracker, plus stickers to help you track your progress. See more details here at Amazon.
Using a plate with portion sizes can help you eat more balanced meals – we like this attractive ceramic one that also comes with lots of healthy eating advice. See more details here at Etsy.
Have you tried the Paleo diet? Do you have any tips to share? Let us know over on our forum:
Related stories
