Eating like our ancestors

OUR Palaeolithic ancestors had a simple eating plan and ate the food they hunted and gathered, which mainly consisted of fish, lean meat, fruit and vegetables. However, experts warn it does not meet the recommended dietary guidelines for everyday Australians.

Dieticians Association of Australia spokesperson and accredited practicing dietician Lisa Renn said the paleo diet had some good points but excluded nutritious core foods which included breads, cereals and dairy foods.

“The rationale behind this diet is that like our ancestors, our bodies were designed to digest certain foods better than others,” Renn said.

“Breads and cereals represent a significant amount of our dietary fibre intake, so that is certainly one big factor that an individual would be missing out on with this diet.”

There are two types of fibre and our bodies need both to maintain a balanced diet. The first, insoluble fibre, has a laxative effect as it absorbs water and helps soften the contents of the bowel, helping to keep it regular. Soluble fibre, on the other hand, can help stabilise blood glucose levels, especially in those who have diabetes. It can also help lower bad cholesterol levels.

A lack of fibre from wholegrain breads and cereals can lead to bowel cancer.

“You get some soluble fibre from fruit and vegetables but we need to remember that the insoluble fibre breads and cereals are equally as important,” she said.

Our bodies also need carbohydrates from the high-fibre pastas, cereals and grains as they are a source of energy for our bodies. Without them, our energy levels will be low.

Another flaw of the paleo diet is that dairy foods are cut out, meaning we miss out on a lot of calcium.

“You are compromising your bone density and opening yourself to unnecessary risk of chronic conditions like osteoporosis if you don’t get enough calcium. Dairy foods are also associated with decreasing blood pressure and the chance of heart disease,” Renn said.

From a health point of view, it is important to remember anything that limits any healthy food group is going to have some sort of implication on our health.

The information available about this diet is very sketchy and there are inconsistencies.

“As a baby, we digested breast milk from birth and it has got carbohydrates, protein and calcium. So we have been digesting all of these food groups from an early age,” she said.

“There’s not much information available at the moment unless you buy a book about the paleo diet but it has been around for a while. I guess it’s a way for them [those endorsing the diet] to make money.”

Like any fad diet, the paleo diet is not a substitute for expert, individual advice from an accredited practicing dietician.

“Certainly there are people who can’t absorb certain foods like carbohydrates or dairy products but you need to see an expert for help to find out what food intolerances you have,” Renn said.

“There is a whole lot of information out there [ie on the internet] and a dietitian can actually help you wade through the myths.”

We can all start eating healthily but for it to last, our plan has to fit in with our lifestyle.

“So if it is very prescriptive [like the paleo diet] then it is not likely you are going to keep it up in the long term,” she said.

Renn suggests getting an eating plan mapped out with a health professional based on what our goals are – be it weight loss or just improving our eating habits. A tailor-made eating plan will provide us with the right amount of vitamins and minerals we need.