The Primal Raw Diet

In his book, "Adventures in Diet," Arctic explorer Vilhjalmur Stefansson tells about his life when he lived with Eskimos. The diet that he consumed is the basis for a primal raw diet, also known as a Palaeolithic or Stone Age method of eating. Followers claim that weight loss is not a factor. Instead, the diet is a theoretical program for better health.

Identification

• Vilhjalmur Stefansson claims that "he ate almost exclusively fish and seal meat, for years, often raw or fermented, and almost no vegetables," according to the Dr. Bass website. However, Paleo Diet's website contends that you can eat fruit and vegetables, "as long as they are paleo." This means that they have to grow wild in nature and not be a product of agricultural intervention. All foods are consumed in raw form, including meats and fishes, and they should be wild-caught or organic.

Features

• The staples of this diet are lean and unprocessed fish and meat along with Paleolithic, or organic, vegetables, fruit, roots and nuts. Acceptable oils are those from fruits such as olive, avocado, coconut, walnuts and others. A wide variety of natural herbs and spices are also recommended. Spring and coconut water are the only beverage choices. Any type of supplementation is negative, except possibly for Vitamin D, but only if the Primal Raw food dieter does not experience direct sun rays very often.

Considerations

• Almost as important as what you can eat on this diet is what you cannot consume. Sweetness of any kind is discouraged, although raw honey, coconut palm sugar and very diluted maple syrup is allowed in very limited amounts. Paleo Diet's website says that it is "best to get all sweets out of your diet and get over it." In addition, cereals, dairy products, salt and processed fats are banned. Finally, foods should be eaten only when hungry, and not on a three-meal schedule.