Why Paleo Diet Sucks
The title may be a little harsh, but I wanted to get your attention. Lately many in the “fitness” world have been jumping on the paleo diet bandwagon. For those that don’t know the paleo diet is supposedly based off the way that our ancestors ate during the paleolithic era (starting millions of years ago and lasting millions of years). It’s proponents claim that we as human beings were designed/adapted to eat certain foods over millions of years, and the relatively new use of eating foods that are cooked, and processed as well as eating dairy, grains, etc are all bad. The paleo nuts basically blame the agricultural revolution for the downfall of human health, and claim that by going back to our pre-historic roots of eating we will shed fat, get strong, perform better, and be free of all medical ailments. The bottom line is that there is no scientific research to back these claims up. However, the paleo crowd seems to try to gain followers using logic/philosophy, rather than hard scientific data. So lets look at a few of there main tenants and refute this stupid trend using better logic than what it’s proponents are capable of.
1.CLAIM: This is the way people ate for millions of years, with the agricultural revolution diets changed too quickly and our digestive systems couldn’t adapt. TRUTH: People’s diets varied greatly, just as they still do based on where they lived on the planet, what foods where available to them, and the culture of their tribe (hunters, gatherers, etc.) On top of this it is widely debatable that we have even been around for millions of years. I know I’m going to loose some readers after that, but the bottom line is if using methods other than carbon dating there is a good deal of evidence that supports a much younger earth and human species.
2.CLAIM: The agricultural revolution has destroyed our health. TRUTH: If that’s the case then how is it that the average lifespan of people has greatly increased over the past several hundred years? Granted there are many things that affect this, but there is definitely nothing to justify the claim that agriculture has ruined us.
3.CLAIM: Milk and Grains are no good. TRUTH: Unless you are one of the few individuals who have a lactose (and even then there are lactose free options), or gluten intolerance, these food groups have many benefits and use in your diet regardless of your goals.
4.CLAIM: Paleo maximizes performance. TRUTH: All respectable authoritative organizations out there (ACSM, NSCA, etc.) advise a carbohydrate intake of 65% of daily calories. I would love to see somebody who isn’t extremely restricted in calorie consumption take in 325g of carbohydrates (based on 2000kcal diet) using nothing but fruits, and veggies (no potato’s unless you eating them raw). Believe me you wouldn’t feel strong, or perform well.
On top of all of this paleo proponents will often recommend supplements, and there are even paleo frozen dinners you can buy. If the whole premise is to eat natural the way people did millions of years ago both of these things are obviously out of the question. Now don’t get me wrong, paleo is fine and dandy for general health and well being and can be healthy. However, it is not the end all of diets. It is not needed to be healthy and fit, and it really falls short as far as maximizing performance, size, or strength.
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