Will paleo fix me?

“Paleo” is a diet trend that arrived with a bang, was met with huge success, and – unlike so many diet fads – has actually survived the test of time. It’s often heralded as a cure for most every diet-related ailment. So what is it, really, and can it help IBS sufferers?

What is the paleo diet?

The Paleo Diet is an effort to eat like we used to eat back when we were living in caves and leading a “hunter gatherer” type lifestyle. If it wasn’t around for cavemen to eat, then it’s not part of a paleo diet.

Can have: meats, fish, nuts, leafy greens, regional veggies, seeds.

Can’t have: pasta, cereal, and anything that’s been farmed or processed.

Diet vs lifestyle

Another element of the paleo diet’s success is the fact that it’s bundled together with a certain sort of lifestyle. Although most diets that have ever existed have been accompanied by a disclaimer along the lines of “you need to exercise too”, paleo has succeeded in marrying the two. It’s not just about counting calories, it’s a lifestyle decision.

Paleo vs fodmap

So, to the point – is paleo a good substitute for a low-FODMAP diet? We pulled a basic paleo shopping list from http://paleogrubs.com and checked it against our FODMAP chart. A lot of items on the list were perfectly fine, but a lot weren’t. Your answer therefore is, you can’t substitute a low-FODMAP diet with paleo, but you can do both (if you dare!). Although following a paleo diet will inherently cut out a lot of the “bad stuff”, it’s not a great way to manage your IBS.