The Paleo diet focuses on eating like our ancestors would have eaten thousands of years ago, but is it beneficial to your heart health? Here are some things you should know.
1. The premise of the Paleo diet is that our prehistoric ancestors didn’t suffer from many of the diseases that are common in today’s world, so our diet of processed foods, sugar, and other developments of agriculture and farming must be responsible.
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2. Followers of a Paleo diet avoid a long list of foods common to our modern American diet: legumes, dairy foods, grains, refined sugar, and anything processed.
3. So what do Paleo dieters eat? Meat, nuts, fruits, and vegetables are the foods our ancestors would have had access to thousands of years ago.
4. U.S. News and World Report ranked the Paleo diet nearly last on its Best Diets for Healthy Eating list because it eliminates important food groups like grains and dairy, making it difficult for dieters to get all the nutrients they need.
5. When it comes to your heart on the Paleo diet, you still have to make smart decisions. "If you're operating on a version of the Paleo diet that allows you to eat bacon, T-bone steak, and loads of coconut oil whenever you want, it may negatively affect your heart health," nutritionist and registered dietitian Gretchen Spetz
tells Prevention.
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6. Positives about the Paleo diet are the fact that processed foods and sugar are eliminated, organic and grass-fed foods are encouraged, and it provides lots of fiber and healthy carbs.
7. Some small-scale studies have shown that Paleo dieters lose weight, and many lose a few inches from their waists after several weeks on the diet,
according to Authority Nutrition.
8. One study showed Paleo dieters experienced significant drops in their triglyceride levels, which is beneficial to heart healthiness.
9. A small but statistically significant drop in systolic blood pressure was also noted on several studies of those on the Paleo diet.
10. Both overweight and normal weight individuals experienced these benefits in the studies cited.
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