FERNWOOD FITNESS - PULSE eMagazine - Issue#7 - Flipbook - Page 34
THINGS TO CONSIDER
It’s expensive
A signi昀椀cant barrier to paleo is the
expense of maintaining a meatcentric diet. Research in the US
shows people need to earn 9.3%
more to a昀昀ord paleo foods that
give them the nutrients they need
(excluding calcium).
It’s hard to maintain
Restric琀椀ve diets like paleo are hard to
s琀椀ck to over 琀椀me. Paleo takes away
many delicious and healthy food
op琀椀ons, making it harder to follow
as a long-term ea琀椀ng plan. Evidence
shows people o昀琀en stop following
the paleo diet because it’s too hard to
make and sustain such big changes to
their diet.
FRUIT AND VEGETABLES
Paleo recommends you eat lots of
fruits and vegetables, which are
essen琀椀al to give you the vitamins,
minerals and 昀椀bre your body needs.
But paleo doesn’t allow you to eat
legumes, such as chickpeas, beans,
peas and len琀椀ls. Legumes are a cheap
source of protein, iron, 昀椀bre and
other micronutrients, which help
keep you healthy. They also help you
feel full and sa琀椀s昀椀ed.
It lacks nutrients
Excluding whole food groups like
dairy can mean people who follow
paleo won’t get the nutrients their
bodies need. Healthy people who
follow restric琀椀ve diets can be at risk
of malnutri琀椀on. They risk mineral and
vitamin de昀椀ciencies. Many non-paleo
foods, such as legumes, dairy and
grains, give you essen琀椀al nutrients
that keep you healthy.
It’s not environmentally sustainable
Diets high in animal-based foods,
like the paleo diet, have a large
environmental cost. To nourish a
growing popula琀椀on, we must consider
the impact our food choices have
on our environment and its 昀椀nite
resources such as land and water. A
diet that contains mostly plant foods
is more environmentally sustainable.
FATS
Paleo recommends you eat some
good fats like avocado, nuts and
extra virgin olive oil. But paleo also
recommends coconut oil and bu琀琀er,
which are high in saturated fats.
Ea琀椀ng lots of saturated fats increases
your risk of heart disease, which
kills more Australians than any other
health condi琀椀on.
MEAT
Paleo includes meat, especially red
meat, a rich source of protein, iron,
zinc and vitamin B12. These are all
essen琀椀al for your health. But ea琀椀ng a
lot of red meat can increase your risk
of cancer, especially colon cancer.