Whole grains, legumes, and dairy products are also generally so. The main concern about paleo diets is the lack of whole grains and legumes. These foods are considered good sources of fiber, vitamins, proteins, and other nutrients. In addition, low-fat dairy products are good sources of protein, calcium, vitamins, and other nutrients.
The potential risk of following a paleo diet is that you may not be getting all of the recommended nutrients. This means eating lots of animal bones, joints, tendons, and skin, whether it's preparing bone broth regularly, consuming jelly frequently, and following the nose-to-tail eating pattern that our ancestors would have followed regularly to receive all those benefits of bone broth. In addition, getting enough vitamin C from fresh fruits and vegetables will help ensure adequate collagen formation. If you can't eat a lot of plant-based foods for some reason, taking vitamin C supplements may be helpful.
Iron and copper are two minerals needed for collagen production, and both nutrients can be obtained from the liver. Eat whole, unprocessed foods, such as meat, seafood, eggs, vegetables, fruits, potatoes, nuts, healthy fats, and spices, while following the paleo diet. If possible, choose organic and grass-fed animal products. The nutrients you absorb can harm you by overloading your body with more vitamin than it can handle.
In addition to going to the doctor for treatment, many people find that the severity of malabsorption decreases considerably after following a paleo diet for some time. Bone broth and fermented foods are especially helpful in restoring normal bowel function. In a long-term study of the dietary patterns reported by the participants themselves, it was observed that closely following a Paleo diet or a Mediterranean diet similarly reduced cardiovascular risk factors. Legumes are rich in fiber, protein, and a variety of micronutrients, such as iron, zinc, and copper (while dairy products contain essential nutrients like calcium, which is important for bone health).
However, simply avoiding deficiency disease doesn't necessarily mean that you have enough of a nutrient for optimal health. Many people prefer to choose meats from grass-fed animals, eggs from grazing animals, and organic products while following a paleo diet. Even if you suffer from one of the specific medical conditions mentioned above (or another condition that requires you to eat unusually high levels of certain nutrients), make supplemental pills the last resort, not the first line of defense. Keeping track of macronutrients is quite simple: there are only three, and most people have a rough idea of what types of foods each of them provide.
The total elimination of these food groups can put people on a paleo diet at risk of developing nutrient deficiencies. Researchers found that the paleo diet was linked to a decrease in cardiac or cardiovascular risk factors. So what micronutrients are you most likely to be deficient in? And what foods are the best options to increase your intake? Pregnant and nursing women should pay special attention to the nutrients in their diet because they have to eat for two. The Paleo diet eliminates several food groups that are highly nutritious and can cause diarrhea or fatigue.
However, keeping track of every micronutrient in the diet to ensure it meets the recommended daily dose would be incredibly tedious. For example, although white potatoes were recorded to have been available during the Paleolithic era, they are generally avoided in the Paleo diet because of their high glycemic index. Foods to avoid on the paleo diet include processed foods and ingredients, such as sugar, bread, certain vegetable oils, trans fats, and artificial sweeteners.
