The Paleo diet focuses on the type of diet our ancestors may have consumed and is based on lean meats, seafood and unlimited fruits and vegetables. It takes a step back in time when their were no convenience foods – and thus no prevalence of trans fats, high glycemic carbs, overly-salted, processed foods. And we know high consumption of these foods to be cause of weight gain, cardiovascular disease and various other health problems. Replacing dairy and grain products with fruits and vegetables make this a clean, lean diet rich in beneficial phytonutrients.

Check out this link to see which foods are avoided on the Paleo diet.

It suggest that certain foods need to be cooked for edibility and thus wouldn’t have been avail to the hunter/gatherer. But since you can soak and sprout chickpeas and oat groats (a whole grain) and enjoy them raw, I don’t see these foods as a problem (I enjoy them raw or cooked. Though RAW foodists suggest the nutritional value is greater when eaten sprouted / uncooked). Understandably, the hunter/gatherer likely didn’t have the time to stay and soak these foods. But just because of the limitations of their time, doesn’t mean these foods won’t have value to us. Whole grains and legumes provide heart-healthy B-vitamins, protein and dietary fiber – and add healthy variety to our diets.

In line with Paleo, I am certainly a fan of including rich in vegetables and fruits that also includes lean meats and seafood. And I agree that it is important to wean off of highly processed foods. But I like to include whole grains and legumes, too. So I’d take this diet and run with it, but add in some heart-healthy whole grains, like my fav’s quinoa and oats, and a variety of legumes (lentils, edamame, chickpeas to name a few).

BTW: I recently discovered the power of raw and made a delicious raw hummus salad – including chickpeas, arugula, cilantro, lemon and parsley – so this does include a lot of veggies/herbs and no highly processed items (all natural and no preservatives).