{"id":35450,"date":"2023-03-23T17:41:27","date_gmt":"2023-03-23T16:41:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/getindya.com\/?p=35450"},"modified":"2026-11-03T17:29:41","modified_gmt":"2026-11-03T16:29:41","slug":"paleo-diet-for-athletes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/getindya.com\/en\/paleo-diet-for-athletes\/","title":{"rendered":"Paleo diet: does it work for athletes?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The <\/span>paleo or Palaeolithic diet<\/b> has become popular, also called the Stone Age, hunter-gatherer or caveman diet.<\/span><\/p>\n

Read on to see whether it suits you!<\/span><\/p>\n

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What Is the Paleo Diet?<\/span><\/h2>\n

The <\/span>paleo diet<\/b> aims to reproduce eating before agriculture began.<\/span><\/p>\n

Its theory is that this ancestral <\/span>dietary foundation<\/b> over millions of years shaped <\/span>our genes<\/b> and dietary adaptation.<\/span><\/p>\n

Research on ancestral eating suggests low prevalence of <\/span>Western diseases<\/b> such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, depression, hypertension, autoimmune disorders, cancer, allergies, arthritis, insomnia and dementia.<\/span><\/p>\n

This prompted the hypothesis that paleo-style eating could <\/span>improve health<\/b> by reducing the mismatch between evolved expectations and modern environments.<\/span><\/p>\n

The <\/span>paleo diet<\/b> became a commercial label for an <\/span>ancestral evolutionary diet<\/b>. However, rigid features such as low <\/span>carbohydrate<\/b>, high <\/span>protein<\/b><\/a> and high <\/span>meat<\/b> intake differ from actual ancestral diversity.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\"paleo<\/p>\n

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Is Paleo Really Our Ancestors’ Diet?<\/span><\/h3>\n

There was no <\/span>universal diet<\/b>. Geography, climate, altitude and season mattered. Inuit and <\/span>Maasai<\/b> diets are high in <\/span>fat and protein<\/b>, whereas <\/span>Kitavans<\/b> consume around <\/span>70% carbohydrate<\/b>, described here as largely from <\/span>natural honey, dates and wild fruit<\/b>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Thus, <\/span>paleo<\/b> is not one fixed <\/span>macronutrient distribution<\/b>. It emphasises <\/span>fresh, quality food<\/b> and avoids <\/span>ultra-processed products<\/b><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

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What Can You Eat on Paleo?<\/span><\/h2>\n

Modern <\/span>paleo<\/b> prioritises quality foods with <\/span>high nutrient content<\/b>:<\/span><\/p>\n