Let’s Talk About The Caveman Diet

In the last several years, there have been quite a few different approaches to losing weight quickly through some pretty far out diet plans.  Everything from complete elimination of certain food groups, per the low carb or no carb diets, to diets patterned after what we think our ancestral eating patterns would have been.  The kicker, is that these diets have shown some pretty remarkable results for sustained weight loss in the long haul as well as rapid weight loss in the shorter term.  There are a lot of benefits, as well as a couple of drawbacks to eating in a diet plan along the lines of what is commonly called The Caveman Diet, or what is more commonly called the Paleo diet.

Let’s take a look at how and why these diets may work, as well as some of the drawbacks that everyone should know before they get going with this sort of plan.  Without further ado, let’s take a look at The Caveman Diet.

How Does The Caveman Diet Work?

Like we pointed out right above this paragraph here, The Caveman Diet is based on eating in a more “ancestral” pattern.  The thinking is that until just a couple thousand years ago, there was little in the way of grains and even less of any sort of highly processed food.  While there are quite a few debates to have on the subject, there is no doubt that our food supply has greatly changed in the last century alone.  Cro-Magnon Man didn’t exactly have Twinkies and Ho-Ho’s or Little Debbie snack cakes.

The food today is often higher in calories, with more sugar, starch, and fat than it was in the short time leading up to our current point in time.  The Caveman Diet is really supposed to be tailored towards a more natural, nutritious, and overall healthy approach to eating.  The goal isn’t necessarily to lose weight rapidly, but that is often the outcome.

The reduction or elimination of starches, with the exception of root vegetables, and perhaps some tubers like sweet potatoes and, most people end up with dramatically reduced carbohydrate intakes.  The drop in carbs for a lot of people ends up reducing their calories on a daily basis by a couple hundred or more.

From there, the emphasis tends to be put on lean meats.  We look at cuts of meat and think that to reduce fat, we’ve got to eat poultry and fish.  For the most part, that’s entirely correct, but is sort of missing the point from the “evolutionary point of view” that The Caveman Diet tries to adhere to.

The thinking is that there were little or no animals domesticated for their meat.  That means, no cows sitting in a pen being fed large amounts of food to fatten them up.  Because of this lack of artificially “plump” red meat, whatever red meat our caveman ancestors ate was likely to be quite lean.  Leaner cuts of meat equal fewer total calories coming from fat.

We’re now looking at a pretty dramatic reduction of two significant calorie sources in the average person’s diet these days.  Fewer starchy calories, and far fewer fat calories alone would get most people into a pretty significant calorie deficit and result in quite rapid weight loss.

Is That All There Is To The Caveman Diet?

Nope, there is still more to this diet approach.  And it centers on adding more fruits and vegetables into a person’s diet.  This is easily the most boring aspect for a lot of people, which is why we’re just talking about it now!

The major emphasis that Paleo diets and The Caveman Diet both have in common is a hard lean on fruits and vegetables.  Preferably, these would both be low sugar, low calorie varieties of product.  The result is a shoring up of the micronutrients like vitamins and minerals that many people don’t get enough of, as well as a boost of fiber for most people.

This also has an added side benefit: increased regularity.  Too much fiber can be problematic, but most people just aren’t getting enough.  Fiber helps to improve bowel regularity, and sweep the “bad stuff” from our digestive tracts.

What Are The Downsides?

For many people, the downsides seem to be on an individual basis.  There are certainly people who should not be making major dietary changes like this because of underlying health conditions, but for the most part, any issues that people have with The Caveman Diet is based off of the reduction of calories and carbohydrates.

There tends to be an adjustment period where people go through an experience where their bodies begin to run more “efficiently”, for lack of a better term.  Many report that they feel much better after a week or two on the diet.

Others note that the fiber is difficult to adjust to up front.  For people who are only getting a couple grams of fiber per day, and all of a sudden end up with several times that amount each day, the result can be difficult to handle.

If people have other underlying issues to deal with, none of this information is really of any use as there may be more specific dietary changes that they need to undertake to maintain their health and well being.

So… The Caveman Diet is Good?

Yes, for people who are healthy and been cleared by their doctor, many people feel that this type of diet is good for their health and weight loss goals.  Remember, that it is individual for many people because it is a drastic change, and that some people just don’t seem to do well, even after several weeks of adjustment.

However, if you’re after rapid weight loss that can also serve as a positive lifestyle change based around a dietary plan, it is a pretty solid way to go.

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