Paleo diet leader bans 'caveman' label, says healthy eating plan widely misunderstood

The Paleo Diet CEO Trevor Connor told Fox News Digital why some nutrients tied to long-term health may not be fully understood — and why whole foods remain essential.

As more and more Americans look to cut ultra-processed foods, a paleo diet leader says many are already moving in that direction.

Trevor Connor, CEO of The Paleo Diet, a company founded by the diet's creator Dr. Loren Cordain, said many people who cut ultra-processed foods are effectively following a paleo-style diet.

The paleo diet is an eating approach based on foods believed to have been consumed before modern agriculture. Its name is a reference to the Paleolithic era.

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It means focusing on whole foods like vegetables, fruits, meat, seafood, nuts and seeds — all with minimal processing.

The diet discourages participants from eating grains, legumes, dairy and ultra-processed versions of food.

Trevor Connor of Colorado says cutting out ultra-processed foods often leads Americans to follow a paleo-style diet without realizing it. (Fox News Digital; iStock)

Connor, based in Boulder, Colorado, told Fox News Digital the paleo diet is not an all-or-nothing eating plan. 

"I've always said, if everybody moves toward the paleo diet, and they never use the term 'paleo diet,' I'm absolutely fine with that," he said. "And that's what is going on right now."

"If you are moving from a Western diet to a healthier approach, get the beginner plan."

Ultra-processed foods have been the subject of intense scrutiny for their potential negative effects, including hindering weight loss and raising the risk of chronic disease.

"Dr. Cordain did an analysis and [found that] 70% of the food ... we eat now has been introduced in the last 200 years, and our bodies just haven't had time to get used to that," said Connor.

The paleo diet "is basically getting a lot of these ultra-processed foods out of your diet."

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"Those are new, and our body just can't handle them," he said.

Long known as the "caveman diet," the paleo diet has invited skeptics who accuse the diet of promoting a primitive, meat-heavy way of eating — but Connor strongly rejects that label.

The paleo diet emphasizes whole foods like vegetables, fruits, meats and seafood with minimal processing. (iStock)

"I have one thing that I've absolutely banned at the company, and it's the term 'caveman,'" he said.

"I hate the term. I think it gives the wrong connotation of some brutish guy with a club living in a cave who just eats nothing but raw meat."

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Instead, Connor believes the diet is achievable and increasingly in line with how many Americans are already eating.

"If you get ultra-processed foods out of your diet, and particularly if you get ultra-processed [foods] and a lot of the processed foods out of your diet, you are necessarily eating a paleo diet," he said.

Ultra-processed foods often contain preservatives, additives and flavor enhancers that can contribute to slower weight loss. (iStock)

"So that is the direction that we're seeing everybody moving, and I'm absolutely loving it."

While he welcomed the shift, he said the typical Western diet remains a major concern.

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"The message I will have for everybody ... [is] the Western diet is about as unhealthy a diet as you can possibly eat," he said.

"So any improvement is good improvement."

The diet, rooted in pre-agriculture eating habits, excludes grains, legumes and dairy products. (iStock)

Connor added, "If I hear somebody moving from a highly processed Western diet to ... [a] Mediterranean diet or a healthy plant-based diet, I'm generally going to go, ‘Good for you.'"

Even if the paleo diet seems difficult, he warned against extreme dieting, recommending instead that people start with frozen produce and healthier cuts of meat — and generally keep it simple.

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"I always tell everybody it is about steady improvement. It is not about [going] cold turkey. You're generally gonna fail at that," he said.

Connor, a former cycling coach who has worked with Olympic-level athletes and later studied under Cordain, the paleo diet founder, said he views dietary changes in a similar way.

Consistency — not variety — may be key when it comes to weight loss, researchers found. (iStock)

"You don't take the brand-new athlete and say, 'Here's my Olympic athlete's plan, go do that.' It's not gonna work for them," he said.

"And diet is very much the same thing. If you are moving from a Western diet to a healthier approach, get the beginner plan."

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Fox News Digital reached out to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics for its take on the paleo diet. 

Andrea Margolis is a lifestyle writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business. Readers can follow her on X at @andreamargs or send story tips to andrea.margolis@fox.com.

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