The world is fast acknowledging the benefits of living a healthy life. Health clubs, fitness programs, nutritionists, diet plans such as the paleo diet plan are fast gaining popularity amongst audiences of all age groups as people are taking conscious efforts to ensure they lead a better lifestyle.
Adapting a New Nutritional Lifestyle – Paleo Diet
The benefits of adopting a conscious and healthy lifestyle are plenty. It strengthens the immune system, leaving you less vulnerable to infections and illness while making you look and feel good. However, in the race to achieve peak fitness in a short span of time with little effort, many people end up falling for popular trends and resort to taking steps such as extreme diets. In the long run, unbalanced eating patterns may lead to low immunity, nutrient deficiencies, and other possible health risks.
One of the most popular diets that top the trends list today is the paleo diet, which promises to help with weight loss, lowering blood pressure, and controlling blood sugar. The premise of the paleo diet regime lies in what our ancestors ate, which is mostly meats, eggs, and vegetables while excluding certain food groups such as grains, dairy, sugar, and legumes. It is a high-protein, low-carbohydrate diet plan mainly aimed at weight loss.
Like any significant dietary change, the body can take time to get used to it.
Side Effects of Paleo Diet Regime
Studies show that certain parts of the Paleo diet can lead to long-term side effects owing to its unbalanced nature.
Let us take a look at a few side effects of paleo diet plan
1. Waning energy levels
A sudden decrease in carbohydrate intake can lead to lethargy and weakness. Being a primary source of energy in our body, staying off carbs through a paleo diet food routine for long periods often causes headaches, fatigue, irritability, and eventually sends the body into starvation mode. With the lack of adequate, the body turns to body fat and muscle for energy, which results in the breaking down of muscle mass.
2. Hypothyroidism
Low-carb diets such as the paleo diet can also overtime suppress the appetite. It leads to the body showing hypothyroid symptoms, such as fatigue, sluggishness, and sensitivity to cold. If the body is losing a lot of weight, it starts to down-regulate the thyroid functions to save and keep up the energy.
3. Affecting gut health
The transition to a paleo diet also triggers changes in bowel habits, as the gut works hard to adapt to a new set of foods to support bodily functions. This causes extreme discomfort in many people. In most cases, this is a temporary phenomenon while the gut gets used to the new food habits.
4. Excessive protein intake by the body
The inclusion of a large amount of animal protein leads to the consumption of foods that are high in saturated fat and cholesterol. This puts people at an increased risk of high cholesterol levels, kidney and heart disease, as well as certain cancers. Excessive protein intake is yet another drawback of paleo diet.
5. Low blood sugar
The consumption level of carbohydrates has varied effects on the blood sugar levels. Adopting a paleo diet may increase the risk of hypoglycemia or low blood sugar, especially in those who consume insulin or similar drugs. It is highly advised to consult a doctor to maintain the required levels while on the diet.
When the goal of any diet plan – including the paleo diet plan, is to achieve health and fitness, it is crucial that any approach one takes should be balanced and sustainable. Each body is unique and reacts differently to diets and exercises, so it is important to observe what works best for you. If the long-term impacts overpower the short-term benefits, it is not worth the while.
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