The Paleo diet has a big focus on balancing your
omega-6-to-3 fatty acid ratio, which is often 20 to 1
in people following the standard American diet, but
should be more like 4 to 1. An easy way to lower
your inflammatory omega-6 fats is to avoid cooking
with vegetable oils, as well as to avoid foods made
with processed fats such as chips, cookies and
crackers. Another thing to watch out for is factoryfarmed animals, which have a high ratio of omega-6 to
omega-3 fats compared to their grass-fed or pastured
counterparts.
4. Wild seafood: People living in the Mediterranean
region have access to a variety of wild fish at
reasonable prices—especially small fish such as
sardines, sustainably raised nutritional powerhouses
that are high in fat-soluble vitamins and minerals and
low in mercury. Many people in North America don’t
emphasize eating seafood, which can lead to problems
such as low iodine and vitamin D deficiency. When
people do eat seafood, it is often farmed and grain fed,
which diminishes omega-3 levels and negates most of
the benefits of eating fish.
5. Sweets are treats: One of the guidelines of the
Mediterranean diet is that sweets are eaten on
occasion and in moderation. Sometimes Paleo diets
can become skewed with too many natural treats,
especially when people first make the transition and
seek replacements for comfort foods. There is wisdom
in reducing treats to every now and then because our
ancestors would have had reduced access to sweets
due to seasonal changes. Sugar was not abundant
and affordable until the past 50 years, so before then
people would have been more likely to eat fruits or
honey-sweetened desserts—and a lot less often.
6. Lifestyle factors beyond food: The Mediterranean
diet suggests that people stay active and engage in
moderate physical exercise such as walking, dancing
and group sports to maintain weight and support
health. It is also suggested that people eat in groups
to increase social connection, and there is a great deal
of research that supports the importance of a feeling of
community for health. Our cavemen ancestors would
have lived in small groups and spent many hours
together around the fire eating and telling stories.
In the Paleo lifestyle, physical movement is also
emphasized, with activities that mimic our natural
patterns such as lunging, squatting, pushing and
pulling. Paleo principles also highlight the importance of
connecting with the earth through walking on grass or
swimming in bodies of water. Ancestral health experts
go a lot further with lifestyle recommendations such as
high-quality sleep and stress-reduction techniques like
yoga and meditation.
The Missing Piece
A big element missing from the Mediterranean diet
idea is an emphasis on food quality. People in the
1950s in southern Italy would have had access to
infinitely more nutritious foods than we have today. They
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would have produced or been able to find raw dairy
products, pastured eggs, grass-fed meats, and organic
vegetables and fruits, and would have had much less
access to processed foods and oils. If they did eat grains,
they may have soaked or sprouted them first to make
them more digestible.
Soils today are depleted and crops are sprayed
with chemicals, creating foods deficient in minerals
and vitamins; this adds up over time, contributing to
malnourished people. Genetic modification—when novel
bacterial genes are created in labs to be inserted into
natural seeds and create new organisms (that are often
untested)—is also something people from traditional
Mediterranean cultures did not have to contend with.
An excellent approach today is to look to our ancestors
from the Paleolithic era as well as to a Mediterranean
regional diet for traditional dietary wisdom, and craft our
own plan that nourishes us for long-term health.
Want more of the flavors
of the Mediterranean diet
recipes with a Paleo twist?
Our book has over 400 pages of Paleo recipes
inspired by the Mediterranean regional diet. You will find
favorites such as grain-free pasta, pizza, kebabs, falafel,
and cauliflower hummus, with tempting desserts such as
flourless chocolate cake, madelines and stuffed dates.
We show you how to make slow cooked tajines at home
without special cookware and spice blend recipes to keep
on hand to add special flair to your weeknight dishes.
The book includes recipe modifications for
autoimmune Paleo/protocol (AIP), SCD/ GAPS, low-carb
and low-FODMAPS plans, with nut-free and egg-free
guidelines provided in a majority of recipes. Also included
are shopping guides and grocery lists with a 30-day meal
plan for AIP and a standard Paleo plan.
See a 90-page preview of the book
here or order your copy here.