The paleo (short for Paleolithic) diet has been around since the 1970s. It gained popularity in the early 2000s. Today, celebrity chefs, fitness influencers, and wellness bloggers promote this eating plan. But can it help with weight management and prevent health complications for people with obesity?

The paleo diet, also known as the caveman diet, is based on the idea of eating like early humans did between 10,000 and 2.5 million years ago. However, historians don’t agree on what humans actually ate at that time. Some health professionals question whether the paleo diet is ideal or if it’s just the food that happened to be available.

After all, early humans rarely lived long enough to develop the diseases of aging that people experience today. Before modeling your diet on Stone Age customs, here’s what you should know about the paleo diet and obesity.

Understanding the Paleo Diet

The paleo diet focuses on hunted foods (meat, fish, and eggs) and gathered foods (nuts, seeds, fruits, and veggies). Foods produced by modern agriculture or food processing are avoided, including grains, legumes, dairy products, and packaged foods.

The diet emphasizes nonstarchy vegetables such as broccoli, asparagus, spinach, kale, and cabbage over starchy options like potatoes and corn. For fruit, lower-sugar choices like blackberries, avocados, and citrus are recommended.

A paleo breakfast might include eggs with sautéed spinach or a bowl of strawberries and walnuts. For lunch or dinner, you could have a leafy green salad topped with grilled chicken or wild-caught salmon. Paleo dieters can also pile on green beans, carrots, beets, sprouts, and other vegetables to fill their plates.

Diet and Obesity

Obesity treatment uses different methods, like diet and exercise, to help people reach a balanced weight. A healthy diet can help lower the risk of health conditions like type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and cardiovascular disease (heart disease). Diet changes may include limiting calories, eating more plant-based foods, and excluding certain types of foods and drinks with added sugars and fats.

When it comes to eating plans, there’s no single diet that ensures weight loss or wellness for everyone living with obesity. It’s best to steer clear of fad diets and instead collaborate with your healthcare provider and specialists, such as a registered dietitian, to find an approach that works for you.

Is the Paleo Diet Helpful for Obesity?

According to Mayo Clinic, there’s limited research on the paleo diet and its health effects. Some studies have found that a paleo diet has helped with weight loss, blood pressure, and insulin sensitivity in the short term. But these studies did not include a large group of people or look at the effects of a paleo diet over a long period of time. Some newer studies have started to explore the long-term effects, but more research is still needed.

The paleo diet includes some of the same rules as other popular diets. For example, following the paleo diet means avoiding highly processed foods. Although processed foods can be tough to give up, studies consistently show that eating a diet high in ultraprocessed foods promotes weight gain more than a diet based on whole foods.

It’s unclear whether a paleo diet would work better than other popular diets, like the Mediterranean diet, for obesity. A paleo diet may help with weight loss, but there isn’t enough evidence for researchers to recommend this diet.

Potential Pitfalls of the Paleo Diet

The paleo diet excludes grains and legumes, which are affordable sources of protein and fiber. Fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds can provide fiber, and meat, eggs, and seeds can meet protein needs. But cutting out grains and legumes can be challenging for vegetarians and vegans.

Since dairy is a common source of calcium, avoiding it may lead to calcium deficiencies. Calcium supplements or careful meal planning can help you avoid deficiencies while following the paleo diet. However, cutting out whole grains, legumes, or dairy isn’t guaranteed to offer weight loss or health benefits. Avoiding both dairy and grains can also increase your risk for vitamin D and iodine deficiencies.

As with any diet, eating out while on the paleo diet can be tricky. It can also require giving up simple, nutritious foods like oatmeal and yogurt.

Another issue people find with the paleo diet is affordability. Foods in the paleo diet tend to cost more. As one MyObesityTeam member said, “I have recently been working on trying the paleo diet (been slowly changing into it), but when I go to the store, a lot of the stuff that’s good for you is expensive while all the junk is cheap.”

Is the Paleo Diet Worth a Try?

Some members of MyObesityTeam have tried the paleo diet.

One member shared, “I have begun paleo, today is day 3. Doing really good and feeling great.” Another responded, “I love the paleo diet (I’m actually primal because I still eat some dairy). I can’t believe how much better I feel without the legumes, wheat, and sugar. It was a little hard at the beginning giving up the sugar and legumes, but surprisingly, the easiest was the wheat products.”

Some members share their paleo diet recipes: “Plan on cooking up a stir-fry today with broccoli, cauliflower, green zucchini, yellow squash, and some red onion. … I just add Lawry’s Seasoned Salt and olive oil in a big saucepan, cook over medium heat until they look done enough, tasting often.”

Other diets, like the Mediterranean diet, are more commonly recommended by healthcare providers for managing weight loss and preventing health complications associated with obesity.

If you’re unsure where to start, ask your healthcare provider to connect you with a registered dietitian nutritionist. They can help you find an eating plan that fits your overall health goals and lifestyle. Remember, it’s OK to try different diets to see what works for you. Just remember to include a variety of whole foods and to make meals you really enjoy.

Find Your Team

On MyObesityTeam, the social network for people with obesity and their loved ones, members come together to ask questions, offer support and advice, and share their stories with others who understand life with obesity.

Have you made changes to your diet following an obesity diagnosis? Have you tried the paleo diet? Share your experience in the comments below, or start a conversation by posting on your Activities page.