The paleo diet is nothing new under the sun. Also know as the hunter-gatherer diet, the paleolithic diet or simply the caveman diet, the paleo diet advocates a return to the eating habits of our ancestors. The paleo diet is based on the logic that for most of human evolution, humans did not have access to the processed food that today make up the bulk of the caloric intake of the modern civilized person. The paleo diet is based on research into modern-day hunter gatherer societies, specifically the work of anthropologist Weston Price, who do not appear to suffer from many of the degenerative diseases that plague modern society.
Paleo Diet Food
The paleo diet seeks to return modern eating habits to those of ancient humans who inhabited the Earth for millions of years. For most of human history, humans did not eat dairy products, sugar or salts, so those are banned from the paleo diet, as are beans, grains and potatoes because they are toxic in their raw state. These food are also mostly carbohydrate-rich and raise the glycemic index. Foods that are recommended in the paleo diet include lean meats, eggs, fish, vegetables, mushrooms, fruits and nuts. Root vegetables like carrots and beets are especially encouraged under the paleo diet plan as are organ meats such as liver.
History
The paleo diet was first brought back into popular culture in 1975 by author and gastroenterologist Walter L. Voegtlin. Voegtlin advocated a mostly meat-based diet that seemed to help him treat his patients' many digestive disorders like colitis and irritable bowel syndrome. Since then, numerous anthropologists, nutritionists and health advocates have argued for a return to a pre-agricultural diet plan as the remedy for many of today's degenerative diseases. Many of the modern advocates of the paleo diet refer to anthropologist Weston Price, who traveled the world in the 1920s and '30s, studying and photographing groups of humans that lived outside of the influence of modern society. Price was the former head of research for the American Dental Society and became convinced that modern dental diseases were the result of modern diets. In his book, "Nutrition and Physical Degeneration," Price presented his findings after studying indigenous societies worldwide and concluded that not only dental but also heart disease, asthma, cancer and many other degenerative diseases were absent in populations that ate an indigenous diet.
Types
There are several different books and authors who present differing theories as to why and how one should partake of a paleo diet. Dr. Loren Cordain, who wrote the latest book titled simply "The Paleo Diet," argues that paleo food is the food that humans were designed to eat. "The Paleolithic Prescription," written by a doctor, an anthropologist and a nutritionist in 1988, backs up extensive claims about the health of our ancestors with anthropological research that was groundbreaking at its time. Basically, all of the advocates of the paleo diet advocate a return to the diet that was prevalent through most of human evolution and differences of opinion due to lack of complete historical accuracy are the only points of contention.
Benefits
Advocates of the paleo diet argue that returning to humanity's ancestral eating habits will rid you of degenerative disease like heart disease, arthritis and high blood pressure as well as help you lose weight and gain energy. Studies of paleolithic humans by anthropologist have indeed revealed that our ancestors had healthier bone structures with little to no evidence of bone loss or decay and very little joint inflammation. Studies of modern humans that live in primitive conditions without much contact with modern living styles, like Weston Price's book, do seem to reveal that indigenous societies suffer less degenerative physical and mental diseases than their contemporary counterparts.
Considerations
In the 1988 book, "The Paleolithic Prescription," the authors cover in depth the fact that our early ancestors also lived an extremely active life and the fossil record shows that the average paleo human had the musculature of an athlete. Many of the degenerative diseases that plague modern society from bone loss to heart disease have been linked at least partially to lack of an active lifestyle, so anyone interested in the paleo diet should take into account the whole picture of what early human's life was like before expecting miracles from any diet formula.
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