How Healthy is Your Diet, Really?

Photo by: R29

Paleo

What It Is
Also referred to as the Stone Age diet, this is getting some traction among high-performance athletes. Essentially, it's a lot of protein, veggies and nuts. The main standout: nix grains, dairy, and beans completely, and increase low-glycemic fruits (as in, not a ton of natural sugar) like berries, plums, and oranges. We didn't need all this cultivated hoopla in the Stone Age, so why do we need it now - our ... more 

Photo by: R29

Paleo

What It Is
Also referred to as the Stone Age diet, this is getting some traction among high-performance athletes. Essentially, it's a lot of protein, veggies and nuts. The main standout: nix grains, dairy, and beans completely, and increase low-glycemic fruits (as in, not a ton of natural sugar) like berries, plums, and oranges. We didn't need all this cultivated hoopla in the Stone Age, so why do we need it now - our bodies have only been eating that stuff for a couple thousand years and are not yet adapted to it. Paleo-devotees say that "pseudo-grains" like have anti-nutrient compounds that may harm your health.

Pros
"Lots of protein can help build lean muscle," says St. Pierre. This diet focuses on healthy - chicken, turkey and lean meat. And because the body requires more power to digest protein, it can boost metabolism and lead to loss of fat. Also, fruit and veggies are important!

Cons
"There's always a downside to eliminating several food groups," says St. Pierre. Also, grains and legumes (most nutritionists love a lentil!) are really good for you and eliminating them completely leaves some experts saying going Paleo is going over the top. "And the actual anthropological evidence suggests we have been eating many of them for far longer than the Paleo advocates would have you believe-like 100,000 years, not 10,000 years," says St. Pierre. less