The Paleo Diet:just another fad?

It’s all over the internet, books about it are on the best seller lists, and many people are trying it.

While there’s been some controversy surrounding the diet, many people are extolling it’s virtues.

Everyone knows what the Paleo diet is.

Image: Women’s Weekly Australia

Pete Evans is one.

He’s the Aussie chef who has become famous (infamous) over his cookbooks and his strong opinions on this diet.

Whilst he looks a million dollars (he says it’s from following the diet), is it the answer to our dieting woes?

Image: Women’s Weekly Australia

There’s lots of information out there in internet land about the western diet contributing to all of the diseases that are rampant in our society:

diabetes, heart disease, etc.

...and the Paleo fans are saying that if we all start eating Paleo, many of these will disappear.

While I agree that we could all clean up our eating to some extent …

is Paleo really the way to go?

With 66% of us overweight and half considered obese, surely anything that gets the weight off us is great – yes?

The Paleo diet considers the food consumed to be

nutritious & filling and its fans say it’s the one diet

where it’s

virtually impossible to overeat.

Well, no actually.

...where you restrict calories and foods and lose weight.

The problem with this is that any restrictive diet can lead to feelings of deprivation.

The Paleo diet is just like any other diet…

When this happens, the dieter is at risk of falling off the diet wagon and into the biggest vat of carbs available.

Then, usually fairly quickly, regains the lost weight

Image: Women’s Weekly Australia

...the hard part is keeping the weight off.

As all dieters know, the hard part is not losing weight...

And the danger time is when we finish a diet because most people will go back to eating what they did before.

Many studies have shown…

…that most dieters will regain all of their lost weight within

2-5years.

Depressing, eh?

So diets don’t work.

Permanent weight loss has to be done differently.

were a little more flexible and they allowed a few more foods that we know and love…

…then people would be more likelyto continue with them.

If the Paleo diet,and diets in general,

flexible

But we suspect Paleo will be a fad diet just like the various high carb-low fat diets that have been around since the 80’s.

Overweight and obesity rates went through the roof since these became popular.

Image: Women’s Weekly Australia

don’t work because people can’t stay on them for life…

…we suspect one day Paleo will be in this category also

So fad diets,(low calorie, restrictive diets)

Image: News Corp Australia

Sorry Pete.

www.pscounselling.com.au