Paleo Diet Debunked

Would eating the same foods as our human ancestors have a dramatic impact on our health? That’s the idea behind the Paleo diet, which encourages people to eat like the hunters and gatherers we used to be. By limiting processed foods, preserved foods, and anything that our ancestors wouldn’t have been able to eat, the goal of those using this diet would be to lose weight, stay strong, and trim out. Those are great goals, but there’s one fact being ignored: the Paleo diet is a hoax.

Here are some facts to consider about the Paleo diet that are normally not taken into account by those who follow it.

Paleo diet followers rarely hunt and gather their own food

Part of the reason why our ancestors were able to stay so “lean and mean” is the fact that they burned a ton of calories in order to survive. Imagine having to spend all day out in the woods, hunting a beast, just so your family could live? Or wearing heavy water skins as you walk through the woods to gather the fruits, nuts, and other edibles that are produced in it? In following a hunter-gatherer diet, shouldn’t there also be a hunting and gathering component to it?

To their credit, some people attempt to simulate this through a rigorous exercise program. Many, however, simply change their eating habits and hope that’s enough to lose weight.

Humans have changed since the Stone Age

We are not the same as our Stone Age ancestors. They may have been more in touch with nature, but that’s because they had no other choice. They came together in villages, built homes, and lived life as best they could. Over the years, humans have begun to live longer thanks to medical science, consume lactose for prolonged periods of time thanks to an increased tolerance, and some people have even developed genetic immunities to difficult diseases, like malaria. Their community was very different from our community.

The foods we are eating today are nowhere near what our ancestors ate

If you are eating animal protein today, then you’re eating food that was bred to be consumed. Animals have become profitable. The same is true about the fruits and vegetables that we are growing. We have taken the seeds from the best plants over the years, grown only the best of the best, and shaped them over the generations to become sweeter, healthier, and free from toxins. We’ve even eliminated all of the seeds that used to be in bananas.

What does the Paleo diet get right?

We need to be limiting the refined grains that are in our diet and making sure that we’re eating the foods that are required for our energy output. Being smart about food choices means managing portion sizes, eating the right proportion of foods, and avoiding high levels of sugar like a soft drink has.

The Paleo diet can help get someone off of bad eating habits, but for many, it isn’t a complete lifestyle choice because it doesn’t provide all of the vitamins and minerals the body needs. That’s why the Paleo diet is a hoax.