Using the Paleo Diet for Weight Loss

People try the Paleo diet for weight loss but also for many other reasons such as improved digestion, to lessen symptoms of disease, raise energy levels and reduce changes of conditions like heart disease and diabetes.

The question is does it work, and are the fairly restrictive rules even necessary?

The Paleo diet is based around the food types that were hunted and foraged by our ancestors – meat, fish, nuts & seeds, fruit & vegetables, and the natural fats found in these.

It excludes things purportedly not eaten until thousands of years later such as grains like wheat and rice, and legumes like lentils, as well as dairy and of course any type of refined sugar or processed food.

Some people do a more relaxed version that includes pulses and a little dairy, often called ‘Primal’ rather than paleo, and having more in common with the ‘clean eating’ movement.

So while it does sound like a fairly nutritious way of eating for the most part, does that mean Paleo is the way to go if you’re trying to lose weight?