The Truth About the Paleo Diet – 7 Paleo Myths
It is a confusing time to be alive, especially when it comes to the amount of information and especially misinformation, which is available to us. Every website, trainer, friend or family member has an opinion or advice and it is easy to get caught up in the noise surrounding the Paleo movement.
Let’s set the record straight.
Myth 1: The Paleo diet is just another ‘Low Carbohydrate diet’.
Nope. The Paleo diet is not typically defined as a “low carb diet”. In fact, healthy unprocessed complex carbohydrates such as sweet potatoes, winter squash and fruit are recommended. This is especially relevant to those who lead an active lifestyle and require the carbohydrates as fuel.
Myth 2: Giving up dairy in the Paleo diet means I will not get enough calcium.
Wrong. There are many sources of calcium, which are not from dairy. In fact, in order to consume enough calcium from milk you would have to consume 3 cups of milk per day. Other types of food, which have high levels of calcium include Leafy greens, tinned fish (including the soft fish bone) and nuts. (1)
Did you know that getting 10-15 minutes of direct sunshine 3 times per week is also very important for calcium absorption? Your body receives Vitamin D from the sun, which in turn helps the body absorb the calcium. (2)
Try this Salad for a Calcium kick!
Myth 3:The Paleo diet is all about the Protein, which is bad for your kidneys.
Firstly this could not be further from the truth. The Paleo diet actually advocates for an extremely high vegetable diet (around 60-70%). If you can picture the traditional food pyramid, the Paleo food pyramid has the base consisting of vegetables.
Secondly, various studies have been completed on this topic. The majority of these studies have proven that in fact protein will not damage your kidneys and the only time to restrict protein intake is when you suffer from kidney disease. (3, 4)
Myth 4: Eating too many eggs means my cholesterol will be raised.
This is perhaps the worst dietary myth of all. Ask any parent or grandparent about eating eggs and you will most likely get the reply that you should limit them as they cause high cholesterol. For many years eggs were put into the list of ‘foods to limit’. How wrong we were.
Eggs are perhaps one the healthiest, unprocessed fat and protein combinations around. In addition they are also very affordable and can be eaten for breakfast, lunch, dinner or even an on the run snack. Eggs can be eaten every day AND in abundance. (5) Research has shown that in most cases eating up to 3 eggs per day can actually improve your good cholesterol (HDL) and your bad cholesterol (LDL) will stay the same or change from being small dense LDL particles to large LDL particles. All in all this means a decreased risk of heart disease. (6, 7)
Myth 5: The Paleo diet is expensive to follow.
The Paleo diet may be expensive to follow if we compare it to many convenience foods which are on the market, but buying a frozen pizza or burger from a fast food joint cannot be compared to fresh fruit, fresh vegetables and grass fed beef.
Remember you get what you pay for: Making the change to Paleo can mean that your grocery bill feels a lot higher than it used to be – but your doctors bill now and when you are older will be MUCH less!
Paying more now for incredible unprocessed fresh food means that your energy levels will increase, your mood will be better, you will perform better at work due to cognitive improvements and clarity of thought and your risk of the diseases of lifestyle will be far less.
You might even save money when you are no longer buying sugary soda, bags of unnecessary snacks and unhealthy sweet treats.
Myth 6: I have to give up all my favorite foods; including bread, pancakes and waffles.
Not true. The beauty of being part of the Paleo community is that there are endless resources for making Paleo friendly bread, waffles, cakes and pancakes just to name a few! The existing Paleo community has already done all the hard work in creating and testing the hundreds of recipes available out there.
There are many healthy alternatives to the grains; flours and sugars used in traditional high carb and high sugar foods, which we love to eat.
Try these delicious Paleo Almond flour recipes.
Myth 7: I will have to spend hours in the kitchen preparing food.
Well the only change is you might actually have to use your kitchen instead of buying takeaways. Many meals can be made in advance and in bulk and frozen to use when time is scarce. Healthy Paleo meals do not have to be complicated and challenging and there are many meals which simply call for popping a tray in the oven and letting the oven do all the hard work.
Deciding to improve your health is the first step of the journey, putting these Paleo principles into practice can at first be confusing and difficult. If you are having trouble getting started or need a bit more help with the change in lifestyle we are here to help!
My Husband who is 62 was diagnosed with type 2 . He went on a total strict Paleo Diet. He did not eat dairy, wheat, sugar, processed foods of any kind. After three months (no cheating at all) lowered his fasting, A1C and after meal numbers to normal. He remains on the paleo and also taking many supplements especially Berberine . He is now able to eat Ezekiel bread and some dairy with no problem at all. Exercise and portions control is vital. Also to take a brisk 20 min. walk after meals. NO MEDS at all. Just grass fed meats and organic everything else. It works. We also have a strong faith in our Lord Jesus and prayer is essential to be able to have the strength to do all of the above. Your recipes are a God send thank you so much.
I recently went to a functional medicine doctor, who put me on a modified paleo diet–no grains, dairy, sugar, or processed foods, and very limited starchy carbs (such as sweet potatoes, which are a paleo staple). After being diagnosed with pre diabetes, this diet has been slowly lowering my fasting blood sugar numbers as well as my blood pressure. It has also helped my son, who was diagnosed with Type I diabetes about 5 years ago. He has lost weight and lowered his daily use of insulin by about 5 units (he will always need to use some amount of insulin, though). I find the no grains and no dairy to not be too hard, although I sure do miss sugar! The recipes for paleo baked things have been a great way for me to have something a little sweet without having a negative affect on my blood sugar. Thank you!
I too was cured of Type 2 diabetes by being on a very restricted Paleo diet. However, people need to be checked out by a physician who treats the illness this way because there are usually under-lying factors, such as food allergies, infections, etc. which if left untreated will keep you ill. It’s not that you won’t be benefiting from a better diet, but your body can only go so far … if you are allergic to something and continue to eat it, you won’t get “well”. And allergies are cumulative as we get older. So it’s worth checking on your food allergies every couple of years, just in case. I believe I would also have been cured in 3 months, but my husband died and my body was flooded with cortesol. This slowed down progress for another 3 months, but since I love the diet, that was no problem. I’m still on it … no Ezekiel bread for me! Why mess with the winning formula?
can a type one go without carbs ? concerned about my grandson he is 4yrs old I belive he has to have carbs , important after he has a low can you please advise .ps he has been type one since he was 17months too young
I am a 60 year old female that for the last 5 years suffered many health conditions and type 2 diabetes was 1 of them. I was overweight, had already had 2 heart attacks and 3 bypass surgery and when my A1-c hit almost 12 my doctor put me on insulin, I had no energy, no drive, slept in 2-3 hr periods. My daughter who is a NP had just started Paleo and said she thought it would be great for me. Thanks to my daughter, Paleo and a year later I feel amazing, my A1-c is 6.6, I am 50 pounds lighter, have energy that I haven’t had since my 30’s, sleep 5-7 hours ea night, I feel alive again. Everything has changed about my life and all for the better. When I first began it was hard to even go to the grocery store trying to read all labels and by the time I got my groceries home and put up I was worn out. About 3 weeks into the diet I woke up and felt good for the first time in many years. It has continued and I have people tell me I look amazing and ask me about my diet I start by telling them it’s not a diet it’s a lifestyle and one I will continue for the remainder of my life. It has been worth everything I gave up!! I can’t believe how food changed my life both badly and now it’s wonderful. My cardiologist and my primary dr are delighted with the results. And my daughter has had the same results and agrees it was worth it all. It does get easier as you go because you know what you can have and what to avoid. It’s a wonderful life, live it up!!!