The Hype
Currently being hailed as “the world’s healthiest diet”, the Paleo (caveman, stone age, primal, etc.) is one of the fastest growing diet trends in America right now. It appears to be marketed primarily toward men, “Eat like our ancestors did” and “Be strong like a caveman” with many pictures of beefy muscle men in pictures. I’m sure you’ve seen the ads.
The Paleo diet theory is basically that we should be eating like our ancestors, the paleolithic hunter/gatherer man, ate around 10,000 years ago. Supporters of the diet state that if we eat a ‘paleo’ diet, it will alleviate many chronic degenerative diseases of today’s society. They argue that our genetic make-up is the same as it was 10,000 years ago and therefore our diet and lifestyle should be the same too. Some serious advocates of the diet and lifestyle also advocate for periods of intermittent fasting, as would happen to the paleolithic man while waiting out a storm or when there was not a beast to hunt. In general, most paleo style diets follow these food guidelines:
Do Eat – grass-fed meats, fish, eggs, some fruits and vegetables, and nuts.
Don’t eat – grains, legumes, potatoes, many oils, dairy, and anything processed.
So, is this a healthy and realistic diet to follow?
The Science
What I find while researching the diet of a paleolithic man is that archeologists report that current paleo diet trends do not accurately depict the diet of paleolithic man. According to Christina Warinner, an archaeological scientist who did a TED talk on the subject, the Paleo diet trend “has no basis in archeological reality” (1). She purports that the diet of a paleolithic man consisted of what was available regionally and seasonally. They were foragers eating nuts, legumes, grains, and fruits they found in the wild; along with wild game. After catching wild game, they would consume everything possible, including the meat, marrow, and organs. Additionally, it is not assumed that wild game was caught daily or even regularly. Their diet was supplemented with tubers, grains, and legumes, and insects.
So, it does not appear that the trend itself is a completely accurate representation of what a paleolithic man actually ate. The current diet trend appears to be using the idea of ‘paleo’ men and ‘cavemen’ to market the diet/lifestyle and books and supplements. A seemingly successful marketing campaign, but alas, another dietary trend.
Let’s review the nutrition of the Paleo diet. It is protein-heavy and restricts all grains and beans and peas and many fruits and vegetables. Right there I will stop and say there is a lack of balance. It appears very similar in diet strategy to the Atkins diet, which was also restrictive and unbalanced in my nutrition perspective. I do not believe that one should restrict fruits, vegetables, nuts, legumes, whole grains, or oils. These foods provide lots of essential nutrients for the human body, in addition to the high protein foods promoted by the Paleo diet. Some people may loosely follow this diet and remove processed foods from their diet, and experience weight loss and health benefits. Others are too restrictive, in my opinion, eating an excess of protein while missing certain vitamins, minerals, fatty acids, and fiber.
My two cents
What I have learned is that there really is no way to realistically simulate a paleolithic lifestyle where one is consuming the same type of wild-grown vegetation and wild game of 10,000 years ago. In our agricultural society, both plants grown and animals raised have been farmed for too long to bear close resemblance to their ancient ancestors of long ago. The Paleolithic man hunted and gathered food in the wild; we go to the store and buy it. They foraged to meet their needs and we are exposed to food in excess almost daily. Paleo diet supporters are assuming that the Paleolithic man was healthier and better off than we are today, which is a notion that evolutionary scientists and anthropologists aren’t buying into. Neither am I.
That said, there are some beneficial components to the Paleo diet. Processed and refined grains have contributed to our society’s chronic and degenerative diseases, and eliminating them from one’s diet will improve one’s health. This is not news, we’ve know this for decades. However, this does not mean that unprocessed whole grains are ‘bad’. Whole grains and processed grain products are two completely different foods from a nutrition standpoint. The diet also supports increased physical activity. I doubt anyone would argue that is not good for one’s health. Again, not a new concept, but sound advice.
We already have science that tells us what we need to eat to maintain health. We know we need to have physical exercise to support muscle mass and physical health. Why are diets always trying to reinvent the wheel? We know what we know and it is unfortunate that through marketing the rest is assumed and made up to create a new and exciting cultural phenomena. The Paleo diet is certainly enjoying it’s heyday. Like all diet trends, it’s popularity will eventually wane and in will come the next latest and greatest thing.
References
Christina Warriner, ‘Debunking the Paleo Diet’ on youtube