Primal vs Paleo Diets
Paleo and primal are terms often used to describe diets resembling the food consumption of our Paleolithic ancestors. Both Paleo and Primal diets focus on meat and poultry products while avoiding grains and vegetables, which were only introduced to the human diet during the Neolithic era with the advent of agriculture. Despite their similarities, there are subtle differences between the Paleo and Primal diets.
What is a Paleo Diet?
The concept of the Paleo diet was popularized by author and researcher Loren Cordian, with significant contributions from Robb Wolf. According to these researchers, the modern Western diet is quite different from the diet of our Paleolithic ancestors. The Paleo diet consists of food consumed by our pre-agriculture ancestors, emphasizing quality protein sources such as meat, fish, eggs, nuts, and roots. It strictly prohibits hydrogenated fats, grains, dairy, sugar, and trans fats, making it a low carbohydrate diet resembling the eating patterns of hunter-gatherers who did not know how to grow crops.
What is a Primal Diet?
The Primal diet concept was popularized by Mark Sisson in his book, The Primal Blueprint. This diet highlights the idea that the modern Western diet is full of foods unsuitable for humans and recommends a diet based on meats and nuts consumed by early cavemen. The Primal diet theory suggests that humans adopted a diet based on crops and dairy products that did not match human physiology. It strictly prohibits all cereals, grains, processed foods, and sugars but does not restrict the use of good quality dairy products.
Key Takeaways
- The Paleo diet is a concept popularized by Loren Cordain, while the Primal diet was popularized by Mark Sisson.
- Dairy products mainly differentiate the two diets; the Paleo diet initially prohibits dairy products and only recommends them at a later stage, while the Primal diet does not restrict the use of good quality dairy products.
- The Primal diet is a more holistic approach and more of a lifestyle, whereas the Paleo diet remains predominantly focused on food consumption.
