If you want a diet dictated by what our ancestors ate, this one's not for you. And honestly, I don't think you'd want to be in the food environment that our Paleo ancestors were. There seems to be this image of buff cavemen killing mammoths that takes over our mindset when we think of human ancestors. The reality, from what we find in the skeletal record, shows the very hard life a Paleo ancestor lived in. Evolution is all about reproduction - what's ‘selected' for is what allows you to survive to the age of reproduction, to pass on your genes.

Much of the focus of nutrition is looking into reducing age related diseases and conditions. These occur much later in life than would be of concern for a Paleolithic ancestor when the average age was 30. Current nutrition research is focusing on how the human body's cells can benefit from plant nutrients to reduce the risk of disease related to aging. Our current understanding of nutrition trumps anything you could infer from evolutionary nutrition.

What I don't understand is what Paleo ancestor are we trying to emulate here - someone from the Pleistocene or Pliocene? Which of the Australopithecenes and/or genus of Homo sapien are we looking at? This several million year time period is categorized by expansion out of Africa into new environments and drastically new climates. Even the most recent human ancestor, the Neanderthal, appears to have had quite a different diet & metabolism from humans. Our genome is a relic - we have biological processes that date back to 2 billion years ago that we still share with bacteria - which we obviously can’t start sharing a diet with. Some human populations have unique genetic sequences, like the ability to tolerate lactose and allow for starch digestion. We don't know, along the way throughout evolution, which gene networks we retained from which common ancestors with these huminid species and which we didn’t, much less which altered our way of metabolizing nutrients. Based on analysis, we are quite different from Australopitheceans, and even early members of the Genus Homo.

So, the evolutionary theory behind the diet is just really bad biology when you consider the facts. All bad evolutionary biology aside, the Paleo diet really isn't that bad, from a nutrition perspective. The diet focuses on unprocessed foods, grass fed meats/dairy, and tends to be high in fiber and micronutrients. It's hard to make a hugely generalized statement about the diet because of how varied it has become - some don't eat nuts (because nuts have shells and don't want to be eaten *eyeroll*), some eat dairy but only if its raw and others don't, etc.

If you're obscuring dairy, it's imperative that you choose more dark leafy greens. I've seen some Paleo forums talking about eating Paleo on a budget and they recommend relying on spinach and sesame seeds for calcium - these both have high levels of something called oxalic acid, which actually binds calcium and cannot be absorbed by the body.

The diet largely relies on the idea that there are "antinutrients" in foods that have detrimental effects on human health. "Antinutrients" aren't a real scientific concept. Paleo dieters overhype the detrimental effects of phytic acid and lectins, largely to justify that we haven't 'evolved' to eat grains. The science behind these effects on human health still needs to be further understood - but only focusing on the bad ignores the fact that some of these "antinutrients" have positive qualities. Saying grains are inherently bad for you because of lectins is also the wrong conclusion - sprouting grains and soaking beans have been shown to reduce lectin content.

Nothing about the Paleo diet would make me change recommendations about consuming an unprocessed, plant based diet. Also, considering the price of grassfed meats/dairy and the exclusion of cheap sources of good nutrition (beans, whole grains), this diet is hard to recommend to individuals without excess money to spend on pricy foods. The world is also not set up to produce enough grass fed meats/dairy, organic produce, and non-grain sources of calories to feed the world - there would need to be a drastic overhaul in the food production systems of every country and a drastic decrease in the world population to sustain this 'ideal' diet for everyone. If you want to stay healthy, consume a diet rich in whole fruits, vegetables, and grains and eat less processed foods. The Paleo Diet not a diet that reflects human evolution but it can be healthy, if you can afford it.

Want to Learn More?

Check out the TedTalk by Christina Warinner about some of the myths about the evolutionary logic of the Paleo Diet. Click Here: http://tedxtalks.ted.com/video/Debunking-the-Paleo-Diet-Christ

Kevin Klatt, Nutritionist + Assistant Site Manager for: