Differences between Current Nutrition and Paleo Nutrition

Hello All,

I wanted to share this article I found with you all as a follow up to my paleo Diet guidelines post. This will help to explain the differences between the average diet today and the paleo diet. Even if you are not following the paleo diet specifically, this will provide some great insight on how you can design the best nutrition plan for yourself. I copy and pasted the article from the original source in case the link expires, but I left the hyperlinks in case you want more resources or to check out the site itself!

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Here are 8 ways that our diet today is dramatically different from Paleo / Hunter and Gatherer diets, and how we can correct each

By following the paleo diet we are eating as we are designed to eat.

1. The Glycemic Load-the ability of food to spike or elevate blood sugar / insulin levels, we eat too much high GI foods.

By eating mainly non starch vegetables and fruit with starches from vegetables rather than grains and sugar, we dramatically lower the glycemic or blood sugar load. By including lean protein and good fats with each meal we get further blood sugar control.

2. The Fatty Acid Balance- the Omega 3 to Omega 6 ratio, our diets are now very high in Omega 6 and low in Omega 3, plus the addition of chemically altered fats.

To mimic the fatty acid intake of wild meats we need to eat lean meat and add primarily monounsaturated oils to our diet (olive oil, raw nuts, avocado).  A small amount of saturated fat may be used such as coconut oil. Use the charts in this post to improve your omega 3 to 6 ratio.Omega 3 and 6 in nuts, seeds, oils, fats, seafood and meat. Most people, unless eating a lot of oily fish will not get adequate omega 3 without taking a supplement. I recommend buying omega 3 that has guaranteed purity.
Omega Science is a high purity, high concentrate and cost effective omega 3 supplement (New Zealand only)

Other fats to avoid are trans fats, found in fast food and deep fried food, vegetable oils (too high in polyunstaurated omega 6) margarine made with inter-esterified fat, and excess saturated fat such as those in meat and dairy. More on omega 3, 6 and 9 here

3. The Macronutrient Balance-the ratio of protein, carbohydrates and fat has changed

Dr Cordain and his researchers have analysed the balance of carbohydrate, protein and fat in the diets of many different hunter and gatherer races and he found that protein was 19 – 35% calories, carbohydrate 22- 40% calories and Fat 28 – 47% calories. The typical US diet contains protein, 15.5%, carbohydrates, 49% and fat 34%. By roughly following Zone diet ratios you will easily hit this balance. Another way to eat is to have a palm size of protein at each meal, plus a lot of non starch veggies, and a piece of fruit or starchy veg (yes carbs in moderation), with a little monounsaturated oil added.

4. The Trace Nutrient Density – the amount of vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals in the food we eat is very poor

The paleo diet only has nutrient rich foods, there is no place for nutrient poor foods such as white rice and sugar. Traditionally nutritionists have told us that grains are a great source of B vitamins, however compared to fruits and veggies, cereal grains are B-vitamin lightweights. An average 1,000 calorie serving of mixed vegetables contain 19 times more folate, five times more vitamin B6, six times more vitamin B2 and two times more vitamin B1 than a comparable serving of eight mixed whole grains. On a calorie-by-calorie basis, the niacin content of lean meat and seafood is four times more.

5. The Acid/Base Balance -every food reports to the kidneys as either acid or base, we now have a high acid load diet

Foods either report to the kidney as acid or alkaline. Foods that increase acidity are protein, grains and salt laden foods. Fruit and vegetables are alkaline foods. When you have a high acid load diet, calcium is pulled from the bones to buffer it – leading to osteoporosis. Protein is an essential nutrient and by choosing non processed protein foods and balancing them with vegetables and fruit (rather than grains) you will get a net alkaline load. An alkaline / acid food chart here from Loren Cordain.

6. The Sodium/Potassium Balance – We eat far too much sodium and too little potassium

The imbalance in today’s diet – high sodium and low potassium promotes or aggravates diseases due to acid-base balance, including high blood pressure, osteoporosis, kidney stones, asthma, stroke, and certain forms of cancer. Excess salt in the diet also impairs sleep. A low salt diet can help you sleep better.

By cutting out processed foods and added salt,  and eating potassium rich fruit and vegetables this imbalance is corrected. You don’t need to strictly cut out all salt, just avoid high salt foods and add only a little salt to meals.

7. The Fibre Content – we eat a fibre poor diet

Fibre is absolutely essential to health and at least 13 illnesses can result when you don’t get enough fibre in your diet. The Paleo diet is naturally high in fibre because if it’s abundance of fruits and vegetables. In fact it is 3 – 5 times higher than a typical American diet. Common digestive problems typically disappear on the Paleo diet including: Constipation, Heartburn, indigestion, Irritable bowel syndrome, and gallbladder problems. Fibre from fruits and vegetables is especially good as it provides food (pre-biotics) for our gut bacteria (pro-biotics)

8. The addition of large amounts of Neolithic / gut irritant foods that did not exist in our diets in Paleo times

Grains, legumes, and dairy foods were not part of the ancestral diet and have a number of problems, they irritate and gut and interfere with digestion of food and absorption of minerals. 1 in 10 people are known to be sensitive to gluten, most don’t know it. Try cutting these foods out completely for a month to see if they make a difference to your health.

These points were take from the work by Professor Loren Cordain.