More on the Paleolithic Diet

My last two blogs talked about the whys and hows of the hunter/gatherer diet.

In this blog I want to clear up some misunderstandings. The Paleolithic Diet always is concerned with foods we humans have adapted to through prolonged esposure. There are three distinct metabolic types this diet covers: the Protein/fat type, carbohydrate type, and the mixed or omnivorous type. This diet regardless of your type is centered upon eating foods our ancestors ate and avoiding those foods that recently entered the human diet such as grains, legumes, potatoes, sugar, white flour, artificial sweeteners, transfats, and all prepared foods (modified foods like TV dinners, packaged snacks,etc.). All of us are adapted to one form or another of this primal diet. Genetic anthropology has proven this and also that in the last 50,000 years our genetics have changed very little compared to our Paleolithic ancestors. The hard cold truth is that much of what we eat is not suitable for our genetic makeup.

There is also no doubt that humans evolved as omnivores who need animal products in their diet. However, the amount of animal products varies with your metabolic type. Carbohydrate types can get by with the least amount of animal products in the diet. They are best suited to adopting a vegetarian lifestyle, but only if they take supplements or ocassionally eat animal products. Most of us need plenty of high quality protein in our diet to avoid age-related muscle loss and strength loss. Only animal products like meat and fish contain high quality protein. Meat, even lots of it, and high fat intake have not been liked to disease. According to Fossel, Blackburn, and Woynarowski, authors of the authoritative new book The Immortality Edge "To date there has been no study linking red meat uniquivocally to any disease process."In fact the entire lipid hypothesis that most doctors rely on to prescribe cholesterol lowering drugs is not valid according to Walter Willet, MD, PHD at Harvard Medical School, who happens to also be the most quoted doctor in the medical literature.

Lastly, I want to mention salt as another substance to avoid in your diet. Never add salt to your food. Salt contributes to hypertension and cardiovascular disease. Many people are addicted to it and heavily salt their food. Don't do it.