The Paleo Diet Review

 

The Paleo Diet goes by a slew of different names, among them: Neanderthin, The Paleodiet, The Paleolithic Diet, The Caveman Diet, The Stone Age Diet, The Pre-agricultural Diet and The Hunter Gatherer Diet. They're all singing the same song, though "The Paleo Diet" seems to have become the most common, and is the title of the biggest selling book on the subject.

This book, written by Dr. Loren Cordain - member of the Department of Health and Exercise Science at Colorado State University - is borne from Cordain's two decades of research on the relationship between diet and human health, and specifically from his study of the link between modern diets and disease.

The Paleolithic era preceeded the advent of modern agriculture. So the Paleolithic diet is that which early humans ate until about 10,000 years ago. Their vegetable sources were plants, roots, berries, fruits and nuts. Note that this does not include grains and grain products. Their animal sources were wild animals (including the muscle tissue, fat and organs, and remember that the fat found in wild animals is quite different - and generally quite less - than that found in modern domestic animals), fowl, insects, fish and eggs. It does not include dairy, as Cordain posits that there was no such practice as milking wild animals in that era. Note also that there is a percentage of the world's population who continue to survive just fine without it.

So the theory behind the Paleo Diet as a solution for optimum health is that over a 2 million year period, human genetics adapted to a diet in which food had to be hunted, fished or gathered from the natural environment. And though the environment has changed, the human genome has really not. It is reported to have changed less than 0.02 percent in the past 40,000 years. Therefore, Cordain and his adherents assert that most of us eat a diet that is not compatible with our genetic needs, causing us health problems that are, in fact, largely preventable.

Apart from the dairy and grain ban, the Paleo Diet is similar Mediterranean and Asian diets, with the focus on fish, plants, etc. Cordain himself says that a Stone Age diet most resembles eating a Japanese-style diet - and there is no disputing the health benefits of that approach.

Critics argue that withholding whole grains is detrimental to an overall healthy diet. They also argue that the larger issue with a modern versus Paleo diet is less about (modern) high calorie foods, and more that Paleo man was always on the move and modern man is a couch potato. They say that no matter what he eats, modern man just doesn't burn enough calories in a day to stay naturally slim.

So is it a good plan? We think everyone would agree that whole, natural foods are a smart dietary choice, and omitting processed foods, refined sugars, etc. will lead to weight loss and better health. The whole grains ban is sketchy, and if adhered to you must be concious of getting adequate amounts of fiber from other sources. If you adhere to the dairy ban be concious about taking a calcium supplement or getting it from other sources. (If you're lactose intolerant you're already living this way, so no problem.) But overall, it's not a bad dietary plan. Further, if you're an advocate of organics and free-range/grass-fed farming, this is right up your alley.

Cordain is also the author of "The Paleo Diet for Athletes" and "The Dietary Cure for Acne."