As the name suggests, paleo diet mainly consists of dieting on anything that the early caveman consumed, with the exclusion of all processed foods. As the name suggests, paleo diet mainly consists of dieting on anything that the early caveman consumed, with the exclusion of all processed foods. Sounds divine, right? Well, that might be the hype but then again, this diet does help your body to detoxify, and since organic food will be your mainstay, anything processed will have to be flushed out – this includes everything from artificial sweeteners to cereals, and believe it or not, the bottle of “fresh squeezed Orange juice” as well. Truth be told, most of the OJ bottles you see in the market are neither freshly squeezed nor naturally prepared; they all contain additives in one form or another. So if you are going to stick with the paleo diet, you will have to squeeze your own Orange juice. Here’s to taking a look at some of the positive and negative effects of a paleo diet.
Positive effects of a paleo diet:
This diet, like any other, helps your body to detoxify in the sense that everything you consume will be organic and therefore, sans any additives, preservatives or toxic chemicals, which can impact your health in the long run. Moreover, the paleo diet is not about restrictions but eating the right sort of food, so you would not have to stress out your body as a result of any enforced fasting. The good news is that a diet rich in organic food should ensure that your body receives the required nourishment, with vitamins, minerals without having to worry about preservatives or additives in any form. Moreover, this diet should provide you with various anti-inflammatory benefits as well as help boost your circulatory health.
This diet should provide your body with more than the required amount of key minerals like Magnesium, Calcium, Iron and Phosphates. Additionally, Moreover, consuming organic food including nuts and berries, should help improve your cardiovascular health as well.
The negative effects of the paleo diet:
On the flip side, migrating to a paleo diet overnight will result in a shock to your system; which is why it is advised that you make the requisite changes, over time. You can start out by phasing select food. And since you are going to exclude certain type of food groups, you are bound to suffer from some serious side effects. For starters, the paleo diet is essentially a low carb diet, and while that may sound great, it is anything but that. The lack of adequate carbs in your diet in the form of processed rice, wheat and other processed grains will result in you experiencing anything from sheer fatigue, listlessness to upset stomach, as your body tries to adjust and adapt to the new diet.
Moreover, since you would be required to avoid all processed sugars including artificial sweeteners, your blood sugar level is going to hit an all-time low. So if you are a diabetic, you would be strongly advised to give paleo diet a miss. As a result of the low sugar levels in your body, you will find that completing even the simplest task can leave you exhausted. Apart from this is the fact that your body will undergo certain changes as a result of the diet change. You may develop bad breath, get migraines and even start sweating excessively. All of these have been linked to sudden changes in one’s diet. Initially, during the early stages, your body will start rebelling against this diet in one form or another; which is again another reason why you may want to phase in the diet over time rather than opting for the shock and awe method. You would be advised to consult your doctor as well as a dietician since you would be opting for a low sugar diet and one that comes with little or no carbs. And if you are just starting on the paleo diet, you may want to start off slowly to mitigate some of the associated side effects.
These are some of the positive and negative effects of a paleo diet; it is important that you consult the right professionals before opting for the same. And if you are a diabetic and want to stick with this diet, despite your current condition then you may need to consult your doctor right away. He would prescribe certain medications to counter the effects of a low sugar diet.