Stone - 12 Paleo Myths: Eat Better Than A Caveman

Now now, take it easy caveman/woman. I know I have a tendency to drive you Paleophiles up the wall, but hear me out. What you are about to read is simply a tale of reality, not the typical science fiction (more like science out of context) that dominates the fields of health and nutrition in popular books and websites.

For those of you who arent already clued in to what the concept driving the popular Paleo diet is, heres a quick primer

The Paleo Diet is a broad term that encompasses eating pretty much anything other than grains and dairy products and modern, processed foods from Cheetos to Mountain Dew and everything in between.

The basic premise that fuels this concept, which also has an exercise and lifestyle component that typically accompanies it in an attempt to mimic what daily life was probably like during the Paleolithic era, is quite simple. The belief is that humans genetically evolved during this roughly 2.5 million year period, and our DNA or genetic blueprint, was created during this time. Then came the end of the Paleolithic era and a massive amount of changes that our genes simply havent been able to keep up with. In terms of food, this includes many major agricultural products (milk, cheese, other milk-based products, corn, wheat, soy, rice, oats, and so on) with an even more stringent avoidance of the super-modern processed, packaged, and flavor-enhanced foods manufactured by the food industry. You also see the recommendation to avoid nightshade vegetables and legumes due to phytochemicals (plant poisons) contained therein considered to be harmful and inflammation-causing.

Thus, the basic staples of the Paleo Diet are things that can be hunted and gathered. A little leafy matter is good. Meat and fish excellent, especially meat from animals that live and eat similar to their natural diet and lifestyle. Nuts and seeds are an easy thing to gather certain times of year and are championed. And finally, fruit and berries. This grows on trees and bushes at various times of the year and can easily be picked and eaten without any preparation it doesnt get much more Paleo than this.

Sure, this is the basic backbone. And this is basically the premise of one of the first major books written by a Colorado State University professor named Loren Cordain. The title of the book The Paleo Diet of course. Way to keep it simple doc!

But the details are of course relentlessly masturdebated by the Paleo community. Some negative scientific data comes out on say, fructose, and then the Paleo community scrambles to come up with explanations. A couple of common explanations that were served up to explain this were:

Fruits during that era were not hybridized for such massive sweetness like modern fruits in supermarkets today

Paleo man only ate fruits seasonally, and not 365 days per year

And of course others claim that studies, particularly those involving rodents and totally unnatural amounts of fructose in highly-refined form, are not relevant and cannot be equated to fructose found with an abundance of fiber and nutrition found in natural fruits and berries. Im sure little squabbles like this will abound for decades before this modern diet craze starts to fizzle into obscurity. But this kind of describes the sort of limbo that the diet resides in one where scientific discovery is constantly being passed through a sort of Paleolithic litmus test, and the thing just keeps getting more muddled and confused the lines graying more and more as Paleo keeps chugging along and stopping to pick up new passengers.

Since they sort of make up the rules as they go along, Paleo could really be used to endorse just about anything. New discoveries come out and the Paleo community tries to own it by saying Paleo man musta done that! Its in our DNA to fast intermittently! Likewise, any criticisms that anyone might have can be easily deflected. My criticisms of Paleo are immediately met with lines like, Paleo doesnt mean low-carb, or you dont have to fast for it to be Paleo. Pretty soon eating ice cream will be Paleo. Oh wait, Robb Wolf and Mark Sisson, the two biggest Paleo celebs, have already posted a picture of the two of them eating ice cream together.

So, Paleo is one thing in premise. In reality it is something that could be just about anything.

Anyway, thats the basics of what the Paleo diet and lifestyle is. This book is about challenging some of the components of the Paleo diet that are:

Scientifically inaccurate such as the belief that carbohydrates raise blood sugar and insulin levels

Built on assumption such as the belief that the typical human diet from 100,000 years ago MUST be the optimal diet

Built on a false premise such as the belief that if every society eats grains and has inflammatory diseases, the grains are the cause of those inflammatory diseases

And so on

What this book is, is far less important than WHY I decided to write it. I decided to write this book specifically because of the increasing popularity and positivity surrounding the Paleo diet and lifestyle. I am fully aware that a diet that removes either grains, dairy products, nightshade vegetables, legumes, or a combination can be therapeutic for certain health problems certainly in the short-term when it comes to eliminating symptoms. I am also fully aware that many experience substantial and undeniable improvements, particularly in the first 6-12 months of eating a diet based more on meat and vegetables and less on grains and sugars. I am also aware of the benefits many experience from switching from a junk food-based diet, low in nutrients and high in industrial chemicals, oxidized fats, and other nasties to a very nutritious, whole foods diet. Paleo gives them a compelling intellectual reason to try, and to stick with, the diet. Its a fun group, with a great community feel leaving its followers feeling in the know and empowered over the rest of the mortals eating and living normal.

Note I acknowledge, fully, that in some cases a Paleo diet may very well be the IDEAL nutritional, scratch that, MEDICAL intervention for some people and their health problems. Its rise in popularity is something that we should all be thankful for. It has provided solutions to many in need and unable to find it until it rose out of obscurity and more into the public eye. This book is not about negating, downplaying, overlooking, or attempting to take down the Paleo movement.

This book, to be crystal clear, is written to bring attention to some of the negatives of the diet - to highlight the risks and dangers that are either covered up, ignored, or just plain not understood by the top public figures in the Paleosphere. It is written as a slap in the face for those who have convinced themselves Paleo is the way, but are ignoring overt signs that their health is being adversely affected by it especially with prolonged adherence. It is written as a lifeline for those who are not getting answers from the Paleo community about why they are experiencing health problems, or why their health problems are not going away, by fol lowing the Paleo commandments.