Paleo Diet
By Yang
Haddish Abadi
Akobi Akakpo
Introduction
• Human health and life is precious
• Taking care of the next generation is our
responsibility.
• Great consumption of Processed Foods causes
health problems.
• Changing our eating habits to Paleo Diet,
helps us keep our body healthier and stronger.
1. Processed Foods and its
Disadvantages
• Eating too much processed food
often leads to obesity, cancer and
diabetes.
• So how do you start eliminating
these foods and making healthy food
choices?
• We shall see this under Paleo Diet.
What are processed foods?
• Heated
• Milled
(e.g. processed canned and dried food)
(e.g. white flour)
• Pressure treated (e.g. milk)
• Irradiated
(e.g. herbs, spices, herbal infusions)
• Contain food additives (e.g. noodles, dairy
products, cooking sauces).
• Processed foods are nearly always in a
package.
Why do we process foods?
a) To make them safer, keep longer, or
more convenient.
Processing:
 kills harmful bacteria or other
microorganisms.
 Important for food traveling long
distances or sits in supermarkets for long
periods.
 to be preserved in order to be safe to eat.
…Why do we process foods?
b) To Extend shelf life.
 The natural fats in many whole foods go rancid
within a few days,
 so removing them and replacing them with cheap,
stable trans fats extends shelf life by months.
o Trans fats are fats created by overheating vegetable
oils, and changing the molecular structure of the fat.
o Trans fats cause heart disease and cancer.
 Artificial additives are often used.
Disadvantages of Processed Foods
 50-80% Important nutrients and vitamins
are lost in each processing step.
 over 60% of vitamins are lost in the
extraction of flour from wheat.
 affects taste and properties of the food.
 cheap or artificial sugars, salts, fats or
additives to:
• disguise the taste of low quality ingredients
The dangers of processed food
 Processed foods often contain food additives,
 some of which can be harmful or even life-threatening.
 Harm can come from simply eating the additive.
Example:
 The preservatives known as sulphites are linked
symptoms like headaches and irritable bowel
syndrome, skin rashes and behavioural problems, and
asthma.
Solution
 Eliminating processed foods is
the first step in making healthy
food choices.
 Avoid packaged foods as much as
possible, and look for fresh food
alternatives.
 Paleo Diet is the best Alternative
that keeps people healthy and
live long.
2. Advantages of Paleo Diet
What is Paleo diet?
• Paleo diet is the healthiest way you can eat because it is
the daily nutritional approach that works with your
genetics to help you stay lean, strong and energetic.
• Cordian (2010) specifies the content of paleo diet
as:
- Diet rich in fresh fruits, vegetables, lean meats and
seafood, and
- low in refined sugars, grains, saturated and trans-fats,
salt, high-glycemic carbs, processed foods and dairy
products.
…Advantages of Paleo Diet
According to Rob Wolf:
• research in biology, biochemistry,
ophthalmology, dermatology etc. indicates that
our modern diet is full of refined foods, transfats and sugar,
• Robb Wolf says the food is the root of
degenerative diseases such as obesity, cancer,
diabetes, heart disease, etc.
Why do we choose Paleo Diet?
a) Lean proteins:
- Support strong muscles, healthy bones and optimal immune
function.
- Protein also makes you feel satisfied between meals.
b) Fruits and Vegetables
- Are rich in antioxidants, vitamins, minerals and
phytonutrients
- Decrease the likelihood of developing a number of
degenerative diseases including cancer, diabetes and
neurological decline.
c) Healthy fats from Nuts, Seeds, Avocados, Olive Oil, Fish oil
and Grass-fed meat
– Increases vitality, provides energy, builds strong muscle and bone
Health Benefits of Paleo Diet
According to Robb Wolf:
– diets rich in Monounsaturated and Omega- fats dramatically
reduce the instances of obesity, cancer, diabetes, heart disease
and cognitive decline.
–
Paleo Diet reduces Cardiovascular Disease
• According to Smith (2009) using paleo diet:
- gets your weight and blood sugar under control
- reduces waist sizes and lowers blood sugar in heart disease and
blood sugar problems.
- improves cardiovascular risk factors
 If you have taken gluten out of your diet, you already have
started a step toward eating Paleo.
…Health Benefits of Paleo Diet
Paleo Diet increases Autoimmunity
- Autoimmunity is a process in which our bodies own
immune system attacks “us”.
- Eating Paleo dies helps the immune system to identify a
foreign invader, attacks it, and ideally clears the
infection
Additional health advantages include:
-
Anti-inflammatory
Burn off stored fat
Reduced allergies
Clear skin, better teeth
Improved sleep patterns
Balanced energy throughout the day
More efficient workouts
Conclusion
• We have seen that Processed Foods are causing health
problems including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer,
high blood pressure and many other diseases.
• The history of Paleo Diet which our ancestors used to eat by
gathering and hunting tells us that they stayed healthy and
lived longer.
• Current study on gatherers and hunters as well as from the
users of Paleo Diet has shown that people do not show any
type of disease which are currently an issue from eating
processed foods.
• Eating Paleo Diet is, therefore, the best
References
Cordion, L. (2010) The Modern Take on the Paleo diet.
Vol 33, Issue 1, p7 www.environmentalnutrition.com
http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/whatshould-you-eat/pyramid/
http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/whatshould-you-eat/pyramid/
Smith, M. (2009) Better Nutrition: Way to go, Paleo. Vol
71, Issue 10, P52-53.
http://robbwolf.com