There’s a new fad in dieting commonly referred to as the “paleo diet.” The name is short for the “paleolithic diet” and is inspired by caveman — more accurately referred to as Neanderthal — diets.
The diet stipulates the participant eat foods that the Neanderthals hunted and gathered. This includes the consumption of unprocessed meats and plants, fish, eggs, vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds. Therefore, it discourages those on the diet from eating sugar, dairy, grains and processed foods. The diet claims to reduce the risk of heart disease, Type 2 diabetes and chronic degenerative diseases while also increasing weight loss, athletic performance, loss of acne and libido.
Basically, this diet claims to be everything you ever dreamed of and more. Doesn’t this seem too good to be true?
Of course eating unprocessed meats and making natural food choices will result in a healthier lifestyle. UF basketball star Patric Young went on the diet this past year, and have you seen his arms? They’re crazy. But Young is a collegiate athlete who consistently exercises, and I’m assuming the guy could eat McDonald’s every day and still be a thousand times more athletic than most men.
Essentially, the diet seems like a pretty great choice. Some studies show a small amount of weight loss, normal blood sugar levels and overall better health.
It seems the only major health risk one takes while on the diet is missing out on some key nutrients by depriving the body of dairy and grains.
These nutrients, like calcium, are important to growth development in children. There is a reason our agricultural-turned-consumer-based culture is much taller than most of our ancestors.
We get more hormones in our food now, some good and some bad, but for better or worse, these hormones help us grow taller and, subsequently, fatter.
That being said, our hunter-gatherer ancestors did not have a choice when it came to what they ate, meaning they had to work every day to find any bit of food they could and wouldn’t pass up on a meal because it wasn’t healthy. I’m sure if the Neanderthals could exchange a flint blade for a couple of cheeseburgers, they would have done so in a second.
The Paleolithic era was not the time of domestication, therefore they could not access most of the genetically modified foods we have today. This agricultural revolution happened during the Neolithic Era, which started about 10,000 B.C. During that period of time, humans learned how to modify nature to their culinary desires.
This fad diet, although not unhealthy and not too ridiculous in principle, has incited some people to take it up and gloat.
It’s great if people want to try new things to improve their health, but more often than not, when I’m talking with someone who brings up the paleo diet, I get a sense of superiority. Being on a diet from 200,000 years ago is the ultimate hipster move.
Takeaway message: Do whatever makes you happy, but don’t be condescending about it when you make your decision.
Everyone has his or her own path to food enlightenment. As long as you exercise and maintain a healthy diet, you shouldn’t run into too many nongenetic medical problems. Consult with your doctor if you think the paleo diet is something you would consider starting, and be sure to do your research first.
Know before you go paleo.
[Rachel Kalisher is a UF anthropology and classics junior. Her columns appear on Tuesdays. A version of this column ran on page 6 on 4/1/2014 under the headline "Chew on this: Paleo diet isn’t perfect"]
