There’s No Such Thing As Paleo

…But I Eat Like There Is 

Let’s get something straight, it is impossible to accurately emulate the diet of our hunter-gatherer ancestors. This is for many reasons: the domesticated animal proteins we eat now are genetically engineered via multiple generations, to be bigger, fattier and complex, beyond recognition of the creatures we called dinner all those millenia ago; none of the produce we have now existed in Paleolithic times - the looks and nutritional value of the modern carrot, for example, looks nothing like the kind of root veggie our cavemen were eating. And there’s evidence that some Paleolithic ancestors were eating grains/ legumes/ starches (a general no-no according to Paleo plans outlined today). And even people who integrate the complimentary fitness regime to the Paleo Diet, involving short and intense bursts of physical activity, can never truly recreate the physical demands our ancestors were facing.

The reasoning behind the diet is fair enough, though - eat whole foods like our ancestors did, get your health back. Cavemen didn’t have access to mountains of processed carbs, they weren’t drinking milk after infancy, let alone other animals’ milk, and they certainly couldn’t get their muddy hands on more than a few grams of sugars a day. (Meanwhile a can of soda, sometimes consumed by the half dozens, are around 40 grams each). The Paleo Diet reasons that our bodies didn’t have enough time to evolve to keep up with the industrialization and introduction to these food products, which is why as a global population we’re fatter and sicker than ever. That’s why gluten and lactose allergies still exist, arguably. Have we discovered all there is to know about what our ancestors eat? No. But you know what? I call myself Paleo anyway. I generally follow the standard Paleo rules of ommitting dairy products, grains, processed foods and products high in sugar (both organic and processed), as the Paleo Lifestyle lists.

It’s the thought that counts.

I use the guidelines of Paleo to eat better and feel better. Struggling to overcome being a chubbykins all through high school and most of college, I didn’t truly start seeing results until I tried the Paleo solution. It’s harder to be overweight when you cut out any food that has a commercial or more than one ingredient. And the biggest contributor to my weight gain all through my teen years? Sugar. That addictive little substance is a major trigger for the brain, and the less you have, the better off you are. An article I wrote for online medical journal, eclaireMD, explains in much better detail as to why.

But these days when people hear you’re cutting out major food groups, they furrow their brows, at the very least. More educated folks went after the diet immediately. There especially was a lot of hullabaloo when Ancient diet researcher, Dr. Christina Warinner, confronted the lifetsyle in a TED Talk, “Debunking the Paleo Diet.” Warinner claimed that the “fad” diet promoted eating tons of meat (among other extremes perpetuated by the media), which was quickly addressed by leading Paleo Diet advocate, Robb Wolf:

“[On the net], you get this really strong straw man kind of sense of what Prof. Warinner is up to. You know, it’s oriented towards men, it’s red meat, it’s bad and masculine and all the stuff… that’s just not true. Now, are there website that cater to that? Yeah, clearly. Nobody is arguing that.”

So no, personally I don’t eat piles of meat. There weren’t any 12oz steaks waiting at home for cavemen. Meat was eaten when you caught it, if you caught it. My primary dishes usually involve lots (and lots) of veggies. Does this take more preparation and foresight on my part? Of course. But if you don’t put in the time for your body, your body isn’t going to put in the time for you. And what I mean by time is the weeks , months, years of time your body won’t have. You eat like crap, you’re losing years of your life, either by dying earlier or having a lower quality of life.

This is fairly close to my Paleo Pyramid.

Though I alter mine a bit:

50% plants
- bright, rich, leafy, crunchy veggies
- unsweetened almond milk

20% animal protein
- whey mix
- eggs
- meats, red and white
- fish

20% fats
- bacon grease
- avocados
- nuts
- coconut oil/ meat / milk/ flour

10% indulgence
- ice cream - beer - chocolate - cereal - more beer - coffee creamer

Notice how I set aside a section for indulgences - why? Because I am a modern human, and the human body has a knack for making fuel out of anything. We are adaptable, let’s no forget ourselves, ever. We’re human, all of us. Chocolate tastes good, always will. End of story. Those training for sports especially need to be careful not to deprive their bodies of carbs and extra nutrition, and let’s face it - working out increases an appetite tenfold. Cavemen weren’t participating in Ironman races or the Olympics, and today’s athletes naturally require boosts now and then. You think I didn’t have a stack of pancakes after finishing my half marathon?

But the diet breeds good habits, there are things in the 21st Century that should never be called food. Just because Twinkies were created, dones’t mean they should be eaten. And my tastes have changed for the better since going on the Paleo diet. I can taste the sweetness in carrots now, incredibly so. 90% dark chocolate is amazingly nutty, sweet and earthy to me, not bitter. When you cut out additives and extra flavorings, your taste buds naturally become more receptive to subtle essences. The cravings for the hyper-sweet and salty-stinging treats I used to gobble have waned, and my cooking skills have improved in the mean time.

As scientific discoveries continue, the diet proceed to unfold and reveal new benefits, as well as demystify first assumptions that formed the Paleo Lifestyle. If you really want to split hairs, the diet could more accurately be called “The Adjusted Diet in Homage of the Paleolithic Era.” Or TAHPE. Regardless, the diet arose in an effort to become healthier, to reject the fattening, life-crippling food habits first world countries have today. That’s why people adopt the lifestyle.

So just let us call it Paleo.