{"id":3414,"date":"2021-02-17T19:20:56","date_gmt":"2021-02-17T19:20:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.veganfriendly.org.uk\/?post_type=food&p=3414"},"modified":"2021-02-17T19:20:56","modified_gmt":"2021-02-17T19:20:56","slug":"vegan-paleo-diet","status":"publish","type":"food","link":"https:\/\/www.veganfriendly.org.uk\/food-drink\/vegan-paleo-diet\/","title":{"rendered":"Vegan Paleo Diet"},"content":{"rendered":"
We have said many times on this site that there is no such thing as a single vegan diet. Beyond meaning that a person does not consume animals, foods derived from animals, or substances that have in some way harmed or exploited them, a \u201cvegan diet\u201d can be anything. Someone could eat nothing but high-fat vegan ready meals and be following a vegan diet. Another person could live off vegan protein powder<\/a> and vegan chocolate (it would be a strange diet admittedly!). And yet another person might follow a raw vegan diet<\/a>, eating mainly simple, unprocessed plants.<\/p>\n The point is that there are many different types of vegan diets. We have looked at a number of the major ones elsewhere on the site, including the vegan keto diet<\/a> and the aforementioned raw vegan eating regimen, as well as looking at vegan weight loss<\/a>. Now it is the turn of the vegan paleo diet, a concept that some have even questioned is possible.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n If you are already familiar with the paleo diet and the concept of vegan paleo, you might want to skip below to the section Is Vegan Paleo Possible?<\/a>. On the other hand, if you want to start at the beginning, then here you are. So, what is vegan paleo?<\/p>\n Well, unsurprisingly it is a vegan version of the paleo diet, the oldest new diet on the block. Or should that be the newest old diet? Either way, such an explanation begs the obvious question: what is a paleo diet?<\/p>\n A Palaeolithic (paleo is just the shortened version) diet takes its name from the Palaeolithic era, often spelt Paleolithic. Sometimes referred to as the Old Stone Age, this period ran from around two to three million years ago up until approximately 12,000 years ago, so a huge proportion of humanity\u2019s existence.<\/p>\n The diet is said to broadly mimic what humans ate in that period, the simple logic being that such a diet is what humans evolved to eat. Of course, there was a large degree of variety in the diets eaten over a period of more than two million years in different parts of the world (not least because some plants simply don\u2019t grow in certain climates). However, as we are talking about a period of pre-history, it is safe to say the food underwent virtually no processing and that the diet of one person possessed far more aspects in common with another than there were things that made it different.<\/p>\n Whilst the paleo diet has become far more popular in the last 10 years or so, it is not, like most things under the sun, truly new. The concept of basic diets akin to what our ancient ancestors consumed dates back to at least the 19th century. Moreover, what we now generally refer to as the paleo diet was first publicised as the stone age diet in a book of that name written by Walter L. Voegtlin and published in 1975.<\/p>\n Voegtlin was born in 1904 and is also very well known for his role in developing aversion therapy as a treatment for alcohol addiction. He was trained as a gastroenterologist though and his work in this area led him to advocate a diet that eschewed foods that had been farmed. Some of his stranger claims included advocating the mass slaughter of dolphins, tigers and bears<\/a> but in general he suggested a diet of foods that could be hunted, gathered or fished.<\/p>\n On that basis, it is quite easy to see why vegans may question how a plant-based paleo diet might work. Take away the hunting and fishing (which is nothing more than aquatic hunting really), and you are left with\u2026 gathering. On the face of it that doesn\u2019t sound like the metaphorical recipe for a tasty or nutritious diet. We\u2019ll return to that issue shortly but for now, let us explain more about the paleo diet and vegan paleo diet.<\/p>\n The key principles of the paleo diet can be summarised thus:<\/p>\n Obviously the paleo diet is not legally described and there is no official text or authority that sets out exactly what you can and cannot eat. As such, there are plenty of of grey areas and, as with some vegan issues, certain things come down to personal choice. In the paleo diet, such items include eggs, which some non-vegan paleo adherents do not eat, certain starchier vegetables and higher sugar fruits, and natural sweeteners, such as maple syrup or honey (though again, the latter would be excluded for a vegan paleo as honey is not vegan<\/a>). The level of processing that is tolerated also varies, whilst the use of salt, dried herbs and spices is also an issue on which some paleo eaters disagree.<\/p>\n None the less, at its core a paleo diet has a lot of similarities with a raw diet, whilst also taking some elements of a keto eating plan. So, a vegan paleo diet is simply as described above but without the non-vegan elements, chiefly meat, eggs and fish, as well as other animal-derived foods, such as honey.<\/p>\n Vegan paleo is possible, of course. As we have alluded to it is possible to eat only vegan chocolate if you want. Quite how long you will live and how healthy those years will be is, of course, another matter. Better questions, therefore, might be: is it advisable for a vegan to follow a paleo diet and is a vegan paleo diet healthy?<\/p>\n As a general rule, most nutrition experts believe that eating as varied a range of foods as possible is the healthiest way to be. Any restrictive diet that says you cannot eat certain foods is, therefore, typically treated with a little caution. Of course, veganism itself is a restrictive diet and whilst we cannot say with absolute certainty that a non-vegan diet, with very small amounts of animal-based foods, is not perhaps the healthiest option, many vegans are not solely motivated by health.<\/p>\n That said, there are many excellent health reasons<\/a> for going vegan and vegans do avoid many of the negative health outcomes associated with eating animal products. In general, they have a lower BMI and most importantly of all, there is little doubt that a well-planned, healthy, varied vegan diet can and does provide all the key nutrients we need for optimal health.<\/p>\n But the paleo diet is far more restrictive than a vegan diet and, to make matters worse, many of the nutrients that we require are caught at the intersection of the two. By that, we mean that there is a range of vitamins and minerals that are found in meat and other animal products that vegans typically get from the very foods that the paleo diet excludes.<\/p>\n Various micronutrients, as well as protein<\/a>, are often consumed by vegans in the form of legumes and grains. Even the pseudo-grain quinoa is off the menu for a paleo dieter, whilst other vegan staples such as chickpeas, lentils, peas, kidney beans and the wonderfully versatile and magnificently nutritious soyabean<\/a> are also off limits.<\/p>\n Given the above, it is hard to envision a vegan paleo diet that would truly be healthy. However, if you do want to give the vegan paleo diet a try, how should you go about it? Well, it is not without its benefits.<\/p>\n On a vegan paleo diet, it would be virtually impossible to avoid consuming lots of fruit and vegetables, especially many of the ones considered to be among the healthiest, such as leafy greens. In addition, nuts and seeds would provide various healthy fats and also decent amounts of protein.<\/p>\n Clearly, avoiding refined and processed foods is also a benefit as these typically contain unhealthy levels of sugar, salt and\/or fat. In addition, minimal processing means more of the nutrients remain intact. So far, so good.<\/p>\n However, the fact remains that this is a restrictive diet and many of the foods that cannot be eaten are widely considered to be among the healthiest foods there are. Just about every major, respectable health and nutrition authority, including the NHS<\/a>, advises eating substantial amounts of starchy carbohydrates, including grains and cereals. Equally, they similarly advise eating the very legumes that are out of the question for paleo followers.<\/p>\n Indeed, the NHS specifically state (not even concerning vegans or vegetarians, just as advice for a healthy diet) that \u201cPulses, such as beans, peas and lentils, are good alternatives to meat because they’re lower in fat and higher in fibre and protein, too.\u201d Having two broad types of healthy foods unavailable is a severe limitation to a diet that already avoids animal products, so how do vegan paleo dieters get on?<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The vast majority of western diets consume plenty of protein so it is rare for this to be an issue. However, a vegan diet with no legumes, grains or cereals could be an issue, especially as paleo eating rules out processed foods, such as vegan protein powders and shakes<\/a>.<\/p>\n Well, the key foods in this regard are nuts and seeds. These are foods that most people should be eating every day but only in moderation due to their high calorie and fat content. However, if you want to follow a paleo vegan diet then you could certainly eat them in greater quantities. It is often recommended that we eat an ounce (28g) of nuts per day, with some sources saying up to two ounces is fine.<\/p>\n Two ounces of almonds, for example, would provide around 12g of protein. Seeds often have even more protein and less fat, so eating two or even three ounces of these a day would also provide a nice protein boost, with pumpkin seeds serving up over 9g of protein per ounce. According to the British Heart Foundation<\/a>, the average woman needs 45g of protein and they could get 39g of that through the nuts and seeds we have detailed above.<\/p>\n Many vegetables permitted on the paleo diet also contain small but significant amounts of protein and as your diet is going to consist of a lot of veg, this soon adds up. The table below shows how you can easily get more than 50g of protein on a vegan paleo diet. Note that a typical \u201cone of your five-a-day\u201d serving of veg (or fruit) is usually 80g but we have used 100g servings here due to the nature of this diet\u2026 and mathematical convenience!<\/p>\nWhat Is Vegan Paleo?<\/h2>\n
The History<\/h3>\n
Walter L. Voegtlin<\/h4>\n
Key Principles<\/h3>\n
\n
Similar to a Raw Diet<\/h3>\n
Is Vegan Paleo Possible?<\/h2>\n
Eating a Varied Range of Foods is Advisable<\/h3>\n
The Paleo Diet Can Be Restrictive<\/h3>\n
How Do Vegans Eat Paleo?<\/h2>\n
The Benefits<\/h3>\n
The Downside<\/h3>\n
Ensuring Sufficient Protein<\/h3>\n
Nuts & Seeds<\/h4>\n
Vegetables<\/h4>\n