This is how the Paleo diet works
The Paleo diet only includes foods that proponents believe were available to our ancestors before they settled down.
The following foods are therefore taboo during a Paleo diet:
- Dairy products
- Cereals and products containing cereals
- industrially manufactured foods such as ready meals, sugar or refined vegetable oils
- legumes and soy products
- industrially processed meat and sausage products
- coffee  and alcohol
Instead, the main focus is on fresh food. So the following are allowed:
- Vegetables and fruits (especially berries )
- Owner
- nuts  and seeds
- Mushrooms
- Herbs
- meat
- fish and seafood
- certain oils, such as coconut and olive oil
- Honig
- in limited quantities potatoes  and rice
The most important role in the diet is played by meat consumption, which is said to have been significantly higher in our ancestors than it is today.
Tip: Â If you like, you can also supplement the Stone Age diet with insects, worms and larvae. However, these dishes, which take some getting used to in the western world, are not compulsory.
Stone Age Nutrition: Delicious Recipes
Below are three recipes to try out the Paleo Diet for a day.
Breakfast: Mushrooms with scrambled eggs for breakfast: Slice 300 grams of brown mushrooms and chop an onion  . Sauté the onion briefly in a pan, then add the mushrooms to stew. Then prepare the scrambled eggs from two eggs.
Lunch:Â For lunch there is chopped meat: Cut 200 grams of beef steak into fine strips and fry the meat. Quarter ten cherry tomatoes and cut two spring onions into fine rings. Add the spring onions to the beef and fry the onions briefly. Then add the tomatoes and stir well again.
Dinner: Â For dinner there is a crispy chicken salad: For the salad, cut 120 grams of chicken into small pieces and fry them. The leftovers of half a chicken are also good for the salad.
Also cut 300 grams of radishes, 200 grams of tomatoes, 100 grams of carrots  and 100 grams of kohlrabi  into fine pieces. Then mix a little olive oil, salt , pepper and seasonal herbs into a dressing  and pour this over the salad.
Criticism: Arguments for the Paleo Diet
There are some proponents of the Paleo diet who point to the original diet and the weight loss that was achieved as a result. In fact, it can be positively noted that the basis of the Paleo diet is healthy foods such as fruits, vegetables, mushrooms and nuts. It is also positive that seasonal foods are preferred. Unhealthy foods such as sweets, alcohol or fast food, on the other hand, are completely forbidden – after all, such industrially manufactured products were not available to our ancestors.
The Paleo diet is also easy to follow because there are no quantity restrictions. There is no need to count calories either. If you believe experience reports, if you strictly follow the Stone Age diet, you will lose weight quickly, especially in the first few weeks.
There are now several studies that certify that the Paleo diet has a positive effect on our bodies. The Stone Age diet is said to have a positive effect on blood sugar levels and the cardiovascular system. Weight loss and a reduction in abdominal fat were also observed in study participants. With regard to the study results, however, it should be noted that either only a very small number of subjects were examined or methodological errors were found.
Criticism: Arguments against the Paleo diet
Some points of the stone age diet give experts cause for criticism. In any case, the claim that our genes haven’t changed since the Stone Age isn’t tenable. It is also important to note that our lifestyles are different today than they were then. This is another reason why we need a different nutritional mix than our ancestors. And: THE Stone Age diet does not exist – in fact, the eating habits of that time were relatively different depending on the habitat and food supply. Experts are particularly controversial as to whether meat consumption in the Stone Age was actually as high as the diet prescribes.
The statements made about diet in the Stone Age and its health benefits are merely hypotheses. Scientific evidence is not available.
The complete avoidance of milk and grain products is also to be viewed critically. The Stone Age diet consumes significantly fewer carbohydrates , but more fats and proteins than is generally recommended. However, the protein intake is already increased for many Germans.
Nutritionists therefore advise against increasing this even further. Eating too much animal protein can have a negative impact on our health. Also in terms of sustainability, the very meat and fish-heavy diet during the Paleo diet is difficult for many to reconcile with their values.
Conclusion: Good momentum, difficult in the long term
The Paleo diet can therefore contribute to weight loss. It is also positive that many unhealthy foods, such as alcohol and sugar, are eliminated from the menu when they are carried out. In the long term, however, this type of diet is unbalanced and not easy to integrate into everyday life due to the lack of grain or dairy products.
