The Paleo diet was written by Dr. Loren Cordain in the year 2000  which is based on the hunter gatherer diet (Cordain, 2012). Hunter gatherer diet was based on the foods that our  ancestors consumed which were mainly animal and plant foods (Cordain et al., 2000). Overall the Paleo diet recommends high amounts of protein, fewer carbohydrates(mostly from fruits and vegetables), large amounts of fibers( non starchy fruits),moderate amounts of fat( monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats) and equivalent amount of omega 3 and omega 6 fats (Cordain, 2012). The Paleo diet also recommends high amounts of potassium consumption in comparison to sodium as well as foods with a higher net alkaline load (Cordain,2012). This diet consists of foods that can be consumed and foods that should be avoided for the period of the diet, but it also has the 85:15 rule which allows the dieter to eat three non-paleo meals a week (Paleo Diet, 2015). 

(Paleo Diet, 2015)

The Paleo Diet (2015) website clearly outlines what foods to consume and to avoid, foods recommended for consumption includes meat,seafood,fruits,vegetable,eggs,nuts,seeds and healthy oils (olive, coconut, avocado, walnut, flax-seed); foods to be avoided include cereal grains, legumes, dairy, refined sugar, potatoes, processed foods, salt , refined vegetable oils.

This 85:15 rule could be helpful for dieters or vice-versa, this depends completely on the dieter as this could prevent the dieters from binge eating since they are limited to the foods allowed by the diet but if the dieters over indulge in fat, sodium and sugar rich foods they are more likely to gain weight (Cordain, 2012). I think this is a good healthy diet and it can be an effective for weight loss as it is not extreme; it does ask dieters to avoid certain food groups like fat, salt and processed foods which I think is a healthy recommendation. According to the Australian dietary guidelines having limited amounts of these foods is beneficial to our health as high amounts of these foods can cause many health issues(National Health and Medical Research Council, 2006).

The ranges recommended by the Paleo diet is not all that different from the acceptable macro-nutrient distribution range, the Paleo diet recommends 19%- 35% of protein intake which is higher compared to low carbohydrate diets which allows around 18%-23% (Cordain, 2012) and the recommended daily intake level of protein is between 15% and 25% (NHMRC,2006); the Paleo diet recommends low carbohydrate levels between 35% and 45% which is a moderate level compared to the low carbohydrate diets which is between 4% and 26% (Cordain, 2012) and the recommended daily intake level for carbohydrates is between 45% and 65%(Ministry of health, 2011); the total fat levels recommended by the Paleo diet being between 28% and 47% which is moderate in comparison to the high levels recommended by the low carbohydrate diets which is between 51% and 78% (Cordain, 2012) and this is high compared to recommended daily intake level of fat which is between 20% and 35%(NHMRC,2006). This shows that the Paleo diet is not very different from the recommended dietary intake levels established by the national reference values found on the NMHRC (2006) website.

This diet benefits dieters by bringing in healthy food into their diet, although it does eliminate some food groups like wholefoods, this will result in a  loss of nutrients which can cause nutrient deficiency problems for long time dieters (Cordain, 2012). Elimination of salt and cereals could lead to iodine deficiency therefore I would recommend dieters to either take a iodine supplement or eat more iodine rich foods like sea vegetables (kelp, seaweed) and cranberries. 

References

Cordain, L. (2012). AARP The Paleo Diet Revised: Lose Weight and Get Healthy by Eating the Foods You Were Designed to Eat. John Wiley & Sons.

Cordain, L., Miller, J. B., Eaton, S. B., Mann, N., Holt, S. H., & Speth, J. D. (2000). Plant-animal subsistence ratios and macronutrient energy estimations in worldwide hunter-gatherer diets. The American journal of clinical nutrition,71(3), 682-692.

National Health and Medical Research Council. (2006). Nutrient Reference Values for Australia And New Zealand Including Recommended Dietary Intakes. Retrieved from https://www.nhmrc.gov.au/guidelines-publications/n35-n36-n37

The Paleo Diet. (2015). What to eat on a paleo diet. Retrieved from 
http://thepaleodiet.com/what-to-eat-on-the-paleo-diet/