Debunking the Paleo Diet

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First of all what is the Paleolithic or Cave man diet?

1. The Paleo-Diet for short can be summed up in the definition that processed foods are the reason that the majority of American population is riddled with illness and overweight. 
2. We need to abandon the age of agriculture and stop eating things like grains, legumes, and dairy because our bodies are not made to biologically process these foods. 
3. Paleolithic peoples diet primarily consisted of large amounts of free-range game, including primarily red meat.

So now for the myth busting!

Myth #1- Humans are evolved to eat meat and Paleolithic peoples consumed large quantities of meat.

The truth is humans have no known anatomical, physiological, or genetic adaptations to support large amounts of meat consumption.

For example: Carnivores can create their own vitamin C making it so they do not have to eat large amounts of plants to gain the antioxidant and nervous system support that we do. Another indication is that our bodies produce cholesterol, a biological mechanism used for long periods of time without fat from animal meat surviving on plant based foods. We have longer digestive tracts like other herbivores that are rich with microbes to help break down this matter. We have big molars to crush and grind plants, as well as a jaw that can shear back and forth unlike other carnivores. Some of our ancestors have been even been shown to have adapted to organic or microbe rich dairy and milks, examples are the African and European cultures who traveled with milk producing animals. As far as elaborating on the large quantities of meat consumption  I think a caveman would have loved that but unfortunately wild game can be, well a bit gamey! The meat was very lean and tough, and most cavemen ate what was nutrient dense soft and more pleasing to the palate: the bone marrow and organs.  

Myth #2- Paleolithic peoples did not eat whole grains or legumes.

Tools made from stone that resemble mortar and pestles (the tools used to grind grains and herbs) 30,000 B.C. 20,000 years before the agricultural age. Archeologists have also begun to study the fossilized plague on the teeth of our Paleolithic counterparts. This plaque has a unique story to tell, in it is the portrait of what was on this man’s menu. Guess what they found? Remnants of mostly legumes, plant roots and even barley!

Myth # 3- The foods in the conventional Paleo-Diet today are the foods that Paleolithic peoples ate.

Actually it is the complete opposite. 

Allow me to elaborate:

Agriculture is what made it even possible for these staple diet food to even be consumed!

Bananas were full of seeds and have been bred to be completely fruit. This fruit can now only be grown from clippings but without this human modification would be nearly inedible. See where I am going with this? Apples have been bred to be much less bitter, as well as lettuces. Lettuce derived and modified from wild lettuce was tough and contained latex which was nearly indigestible, not to mention their natural spines! We have made so many varieties and modifications to lettuce, making the leaves bigger and softer. Tomatine and solanine found in the primitive ancestors to the common tomato or eggplant are glycoalkaloid poisons in species of the nightshade family. Cyanide bred out of almond and apricots. Eggs, carrots and blueberry are bigger.  Wild olive and avocado had only a millimeter of fruit next to a highly inedible hard seed and just try getting the natural oils from these babies without a modernized oil press! To say that this was a staple of caveman diet is a far cry from the truth! Even the so loved broccoli is a farmer’s food! There were however plenty of kale, brussel sprouts and cabbages to pick from.

Here is my opinion on the Paleolithic Diet:

      In my opinion the Paleolithic Diet is essentially the Atkins Diet without the chemicals. I agree that chemicals and pesticides are devastating to our health but I also think that large amount of animal fats and proteins to the body are toxic.

      I think that organic farming has created sweeter, less tough, vitamin packed and easy to access superfoods! I don’t agree however with modern farming modifications such as Monsanto’s Round-up ready crops. This invention within our decade was the DNA modification to crops such as corn and soy ,that when sprayed with large amounts of round-up would not die. Only the weeds would die allowing for a swift harvest. Did I forget to mention the DNA modification that causes bugs stomachs to explode when eating the crop? This is what you are buying in the supermarket when it is labeled non-organic. In almost every box or container there contains some derivative of genetically modified wheat, soy or corn. So I do agree that we should probably leave behind things like modern agriculture, fat-free movement and the flavoring/artificial flavoring inventions. To give you an example if you consume diet soda not only has Monsanto’s aspartame been linked to certain cancers. Okay so let’s switch it out with your typical soda size a 34oz regular soda. It would take our caveman ancestors eating 8.5 feet of sugar cane to have the equivalent sugar found in one of these soda drinks! I also agree with the raw milk movement, which say that if/when we consume dairy it should be raw dairy with probiotic strains intact. Microbiota or probiotics are coming more and more in the scientific spotlight as to their impact of health. Studies have proven that not only does beneficial bacteria health the immune system and digestion but also recently  the brain function and behavioral health.

Although the commercialized Paleolithic Diet might not be biologically correct.

So what was the Real Paleolithic Diet like in a summary?

Regionally Variable- Each paleolithic diet was different based on where they lived because different ecological environments.

Seasonally Variable- They never ate the same foods for long periods of time. Herds would migrate, fish would spawn, foods would be less or more available depending on the season.

High Mobility-They had to change and migrate through environments to be able to keep finding food.

Small Portions- They ate very small portions because food was not easily found, gathered or yet domesticated.

Tough, Woody, Fibrous- Many of the foods where very fibrous and took vigorous chewing and a long tract of digestion to assimilate.

Marrow & Organs- Small amounts of lean meat, when eaten mostly bone marrow and organs were utilized for vitamins and minerals.

Toxins & Phytochemicals-Some phytochemicals and bioidentical toxins are beneficial to the body having an anti-cancer effect.

What can the Real Paleolictic Diet teach us about biological dietary needs?

1.       It is important to ingest whole foods! Food is more than merely a sum of calories but that the body requires certain fiber and vitamins because of their functions in improving overall health. Try to avoid food that is processed and comes out of a box. Eat less wheat, corn and soy products. Eat more fruits like berries,vegetables like leafy greens, legumes, seeds/nuts, and ancient grains like quinoa. 

2.       Seasonal fresh fruits and vegetables are best and if these foods cannot be accessed than traditional forms that use of vinegars, simple fermentation like the processes in traditional canning, freezing or dehydration can be used to preserve your foods while providing added health benefits. 

3.       No one diet can provide all of the nutrients needed to be completely healthy. We need nutritional diversity. The good news is in this day and age I am here to lead you to all of the superfoods your body needs for nutritional diversity and integral whole food health!

I was inspired to write this blog after watching the TedX Talk by Chistina Warinner.

 For the complete talk and science behind the majority of this article,
 click on the YouTube video below: