Get Marie Claire feeds directly to your desktop
Print
Share
CommentClick on a link below to share this article with your favourite link sharing site
Caveman diet best for weight loss
Rex Features
Forget fad diets, if you really want to lose weight for summer, start eating like a caveman.
A new study has discovered that a stone-age-style diet, including lean meat, lots of vegetables, berries and nuts, not only reduces the risk of heart disease but also helps you lose weight.
20 healthy volunteers tested the diet for three weeks, eating only foods that could have been hunted and speared or picked from trees and plants.
That meant no cereal, bread, milk, butter, cheese or sugar, nor pasta, rice, fruit juice or alcohol. Instead, their diet could include fresh or frozen fruit and vegetables, including canned tomatoes (although we're not entirely sure how cavemen opened the tins), lemon and lime juice, spices and tea or coffee, but only drunk without milk or sugar.
The volunteers were also allowed a weekly treat of dried fruit, cured meats and a portion of fatty meat, plus up to two potatoes a day.
The results were impressive. Of the 14 individuals who kept to the diet plan, the average weight loss was five pounds.
Systolic blood pressure also fell.
However, if you do fancy going prehistoric in preparation for summer, make sure you include some sources of calcium in your diet.
'A short-term intervention with a paleolithic diet had some favourable effects on cardiovascular risk factors,' notes Dr Per Wandell, who led the study.
'But one negative effect was the decreased intake of calcium (from dairy goods), which could be a risk factor for osteoporosis later in life.'
DISCOVER THE BEST SUPER FOODS FOR YOUR BODY HERE
Friday 9 May 2008
Rate this ...
-
Next Article
Women able to abort without two doctors' consent Read more...
-
Last Article
Big bottoms are good for health Read more...
Have your say ...
Add your own comment
This is my diet but I eat some fat free yogurt. I go daily to gym for cardio and second day for strength and I have at least 10000 steps walking, but I don't lose 2 pounds weekly.
Comment by florin on May 11 08:13