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The Caveman Diet relies on a method that's roughly 40,000 years old - a healthy, simplistic approach to eating.
The Caveman Diet also goes by the name of The Paleolithic Diet or the Stone Age Diet.
The concept of the Caveman Diet is really quite simple: If it wasn't available to the cavemen, then you don't eat it. So out are grains, breads, flour, refined sugars, dairy, legumes, processed oils or anything that was cultivated or grown following the development of agriculture.
The premise behind the diet is that our bodies are genetically and evolutionary adapted to eating the foods of our Paleolithic ancestors and since human genetics have not changed since the time period, this is the kind of eating that humans are best suited for.
Foods allowed are on the Caveman Diet are all meats, including organ meats, fish, poultry, eggs, vegetables, fruits, roots and nuts.
The diet has been met with controversy from some health and nutrition experts who find fault with its evolutionary logic as well as its claimed benefits of the diet's special composition.
Proponents of the Caveman Diet believe that it is the large carbohydrate load largely coming from grains, flour and sugar, of the modern or post-agricultural industry that has contributed to the increased rates of obesity and weight-dependent health conditions.
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- Diet is focused on whole, unprocessed and nutrient-rich foods
- Will most likely result in weight loss
- Gluten and casein free
- Low in sodium
- Eliminates entire groups of food
- Strict nature may not be a viable long-term eating plan
- Inclusion of organ meats may detract potential followers
- May have a low satiety factor despite the diet's fat content
- Has a high saturated fat content if lots of pork and red meat are consumed
The Caveman Diet removes carbs like bread and potatoes, beans, sugars and sodium and instead gives the green light to fish, chicken, meat, root veggies like parsnips and carrots, eggs and of course nuts and berries.
Ideally, you should consume 65 percent of your calories from animal sources and the remaining 35 percent from plant-based foods. Organic and additive-free meats are strongly encouraged as fillers and hormones are likely to change the nutrient content of the meats consumed.
Since the foods on the Caveman Diet are very nutrient-rich, you will easily fulfill your quotas for vitamins, minerals as well as fiber and protein.
A typical day on the Caveman Diet might look like this:
Breakfast: Scrambled eggs and bacon. Lunch: Green salad topped with grilled chicken breast and slivered almonds. Dinner: Lamb chops seasoned with herbs and spices, and roasted asparagus and parsnips. Snacks: Berries, fruit, crudites, lean cold cuts, hard-boiled eggs, raw nuts, raw seeds and avocados.
Since the hunter and gatherers were always on the go, so is the modern person following the Caveman Diet. You should be as mobile as you can while following this diet. Walking as much as you can and doing any kind of physical activity is strongly encouraged.
Even though the Caveman Diet has labeled a fad diet by the National Health Service of England and the American Dietetic Association, it deserves credit for being incredibly nutrient-rich, unprocessed and clean. Plus, it's gluten-free and it encouragemes regular physical activity.
If you have the discipline to put your love of bread, ice cream and black beans aside, the Caveman Diet is sure to knock off pounds and may even boost your nutrition as long as you don't take the diet as a free pass to eat bacon, sausage and steak three meals a day.
Cavman diet, Caveman deit, Caveman plan, Paleo Diet
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User Feedback
(Page 1 of 3, 44 total comments)Nicole
Was an excellent diet for short term weight loss.
posted Jan 23rd, 2018 7:21 pmI lost 7 kilos in one month. Was doing a brisk walk in
early morning and in thr evening. Simple snd it`s using natural foods, no pills or shakes. My mind felt sharper
on this diet.
Darlene
I have been doing this diet but without nuts and fruit. I have lost 20 lbs. since the beginning of July. I feel so much better and have more energy. I am in control of what I eat and how much.
posted Oct 9th, 2014 2:32 pmWeightGoingDown
Each person is allowed to voice his or her own opinion, but c'mon . . . Really? Caveman didn't have a shortened life expectancy because of diet! Medical care probably played a huge role, as well as stress, and countless other things.
posted Mar 10th, 2014 9:35 pmWeightGoingDown
+My husband follows this diet. And, by diet, I mean, this is what he eats. This is how he eats for life. Once I'm down to my ideal weight, I will join him on this diet for the rest of my life. This is the way everyone should eat, the way we should have been eating from the very beginning. My husband has more energy and a greater happiness in life following this diet. If he eats a slice of pizza, he feels drunk. Wheat isn't good for us. My husband has 3 bowel movements a day. This diet is the best one long term. For weight loss, not so much.
posted Mar 10th, 2014 9:22 pmBaby
?How do I make the caveman diet work? I have been doing this diet for 3 weeks but have been slowly gaining weight, I truly do not understand why I have made some pretty drastic changes to my diet pertaining to this method. If anyone who has been getting good results from this diet pelase enlighten me because I have faith its just perhaps I am eating too much of the unprocessed foods, anyways let me know if you have any suggestions!
Roy
I started the diet November 2011 and lost 30lbs in three month.
posted Jun 27th, 2012 11:33 pmjavier
adrian, you are an idiot. if you are indeed talking about "grass" then that is NOT a grain first of all. Second of all that's GEESE, call me when you see monkeys sowing a field. Then there's the honey statement... what in the hell makes you believe humans, which were a much smaller creature at the time would endanger themselves to get honey? The diet isn't called the bronze age diet or the copper age diet, humans were not intelligent enough nor big and furry enough (think bear) to get much honey.
posted May 14th, 2012 11:50 pmadrian wallen
the other day I was watching some geese eat the tops of the grasses in a field. In other words, the birds were eating grain. to suggest that our cavemen ancestors didn't also eat grain is stupid. And they also ate sugar: in the form of honey.
posted Apr 18th, 2012 5:29 pmFirewind
This is the South Beach Diet without the dairy (milk products). I like both, but this is better. For people dissatisfied re the choice of foods, make it up with a cupboard full of nice herbs and spices that you like. Then fill up. What diet besides these two lets you do that? Enjoy.
posted Dec 21st, 2011 1:35 amMom
+I really like it. I've had stomach problems & gerd for years. I've been on it almost 4 weeks and feel so much better. I've lost 9 lbs so far and plan to stay on it not only to lose weight but because I feel so much better. I find that I'm no longer drowsy mid-day at work. I have a lot more energy. I've tried several diets that I've absolutely hated. This one is the easiest and I'm never hungry. Great diet and healthier eating!
posted Nov 14th, 2011 4:37 amRich
They may have lived long. But they did not have multi-vitamins as well. They knew nothing about exercise. There were alot of things we do today that they didn't.
posted Nov 10th, 2011 6:44 pmNeil
Didn't cavemen have a natural life span of like 15 to 30 years? Diet surely plays a role here
posted Nov 4th, 2011 2:40 pmRobyn
+I love eating this way! Not only have I lost weight but I've stopped having acid reflux, heartburn and my hypoglycemia problems have gone away. I sleep well at night and have energy during the day. I recommend it!!
posted Sep 26th, 2011 9:36 amTerry Winfield
+I am not following this diet to its extremes but I am keeping the carbs under 100 and watching sugars and averaging 1350 calories per day over six weeks. I have lost 37 pounds so far. I am also exercising strenuously every single day for an hour. If you have Netflix look for the movie Fat Head. It is a humorous documentary that talks about this type of diet. The movie is what motivated me in the first place.
posted Aug 25th, 2011 2:59 pmTammyG
-I think this diet sounds so rediculous and totally false. What moron thought of this?
posted Jul 23rd, 2011 3:36 amRight now the our countru has the most obesity in the world. There are many reason for this. How do I know this? Because Japan is still the lowest in obesity the world over. They consume rice, lagumes, breads, veggies, and fruit, mea, etc..t. However they don't eat huge hunks of meats or (cured red and pork meats ever.) The fish and meats they do eat is more like a seasoning for the rice, as the salt they consume. They have been doing this for eon's. So yeah, this is caveman diet is a joke.
Laticia
I've done this diet years ago without knowing that it was one. Our church goes on a yearly fast where we don't eat breads, pasta, gains, drink sodas, nor eat any sugars. I think everyone lost between 15 to 20 lbs in those two months.
posted Apr 30th, 2011 5:54 amAfter awhile your body gets use to it, and once you go back to that regular daily eating you will become sick. But you have to see how people react when they can't have breads, LOL!!
cathy
?how do you cook the meat and eggs if you're not supposed to use oil?
nicklis
I'm on my 5th day and this diet is perfect! I've already see the results on loosing the fat, detoxifying my body. Drinking lots of water, cutting down on 1-2 sodas per day and eliminating on snacking on chips, dip etc. I feel more energized at work. I have 2 jobs and I used to feel so tired in the morning when I'm at my day job. Not anymore. I sleep better at night! I already lost 8 lbs! 49 yrs old 5'11" going forward and eating the right foods!
posted Apr 13th, 2011 2:47 pmdiane
Recently started seeing a trainer and he recommended it. I am in Week 5 and have lost almost 8 pounds. The exercise I am doing is very moderate less than half an ahour a day, more stretching and toning - no treadmill or elliptical so that is not the reason for the weight loss.
posted Mar 25th, 2011 11:24 amI like this because it's just a change in how you look at foods - no calorie or point counting. Of course I have been known to cheat - but I am careful of how I cheat - no more chips and dip for me.
I feel great - no more plopping on the couch when I get home from work, and I sleep better now.
david
We did not evolve from cavemen. If you want the diet from 40,000 years ago you may have to run down a deer for a couple hours first. The cavemen or neanderthal, did not make it. You should try the Homo Sapien Diet. You run 15 miles a day and eat fresh meat and vegatables and fruits. You also drink a lot of water.
posted Mar 2nd, 2011 2:08 pm