The Primal Diet Primer You Need

1. Primal vs. Paleo?

Many people believe that Primal and Paleo diets have important differences, but the eating styles are much the same. They both focus on consuming foods that early peoples ate, and they both incorporate modern science to encourage optimal nutrition and minimal toxicity from foods. Contrary to commonly held assumptions, both diet plans maintain the same stance on dairy and saturated fats.

Loren Cordain, who wrote The Paleo Diet in 2002, initially argued that saturated fats from dairy are unhealthy, a perspective in line with contemporary medical knowledge. In 2010, however, he published a revised edition in which he retracted his statements on these fats. Further, Cordain and Mark Sisson both agree that raw or fermented full-fat dairy products are completely compatible with their plans. One difference, though, is that the paleo diet discourages caffeine consumption while the primal diet allows moderate intake.