Most notably, this means grains of all kinds, beans, potatoes, sweet potatoes, yams, and dairy are out of the question completely for the strict Paleo Dieter. Now, if youre thinking that it doesnt make much sense that tubers like sweet potatoes and yams have been crossed off the list youre right. These were around long before the agricultural revolution, right Even by a Paleo gurus own logic, these tubers should be green listed. After all, yams are an African crop that have been eaten by humans since the beginning of time. Why shouldnt you be allowed to eat them Potatoes have been around for 3. Paleoer. This is interesting however, since Turkey is acceptable to eat on the diet, although it was only introduced to Europe in the 1. Perhaps the most shocking inconsistency that I came across was on the topic of grains. Yep, a publication by the Oxford University Press called People, Plants, and Genes The Story of Crops and Humanity tells us there is indeed evidence that shows the nasty gluten containing food staple known only as cereal grain has been processed and consumed by humans as early as 2. A far cry from the Paleo Diets claim of 1. Really puts a dent in the whole havent had enough time to get used to grains theory. How to Follow the Paleo Diet. The Paleolithic or Paleo diet also sometimes referred to as the Caveman Diet is based on the idea that our bodies are better. Halibut Halibut consistently ranks as one of the healthiest fish you can eat, and it makes a great addition to the Paleo diet. This is because it is rich in. Paleo-Diet-Meal-Plan.jpg' alt='Paleo Diet Menu' title='Paleo Diet Menu' />Some of the inconsistencies are obviously more important than others, but they all tend to discredit the logic of the Paleo phenomenon. Needless to say, I wanted to find out more about Paleo after learning the above. Heres what I found. Holes and Science Dissecting the Paleo Diet. Spicy Mashed Sweet Potatoes. Fundamental Hole 1 The Caveman Diet. One of the first holes that comes to mind when I think of the Paleo Diet is the fact that it relies so heavily on things that are unproven, and to date, unprovable. The Paleo Diet is based on what some experts believe the cavemen ate. They look at historical studies and modern day hunter gatherer societies and combine this with a whole lot of theory. But, do we really know what caveman ateIs there any definitive evidence that details a cavemans universal dietary menu The answer, unfortunately, is no. We use conjecture, educated guesses, and speculation, with only hints of science. But science is not made of probablys or quite possiblys. Rather, its proven, reliable, documented, and peer reviewed. If only Bob the cavemen left his darn cookbook for us. Fundamental Hole 2 Location. Not only is much of what cavemen ate is still open to interpretation, but its highly location dependent. Just because the cavemen of modern Europe that the Paleo Diet models itself after are thought to have consumed a diet relatively high in meat due to a lack of plant availability, doesnt mean that early man in other areas of the world didnt have a vastly different looking diet. Katharine Milton talks about the Kung people in an editorial in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. She says that the Kung, an African people who live in an almost ideal hunter gatherer environment, live on a diet that consists of approximately 6. Paleo Diet. Likewise, hunter gatherers in other parts of the world like southeast Asia, for example, no doubt had a very different looking diet again. Due to things like geography, weather, and local vegetation and animal life, what was available to the cavemen was likely highly location dependent. Fundamental Hole 3 Alternatives. Another glaringly obvious issue with the Paleo Diet is the fact that we cant accurately replicate it. We are at the mercy of modern food production and distribution systems that, quite simply, are a far cry from what the caveman would have had access to. These things we find in our supermarkets have been refined over the centuries. The meat were buying is not fresh grass fed mammoths, theyre cultivated hybrids nurtured on artificial fertilizers yes, even the grass fed variety. I had a conversation with a Paleo friend of mine the other day at a breakfast restaurant. It went something like this. Me Why are you eating so much bacon with your eggs Friend It was as close as I could get to Paleo on the menu. Sausage is too processed. Me Fair enough. But surely, eating that much bacon cant be healthy Friend Well, its the healthiest Paleo meat that I saw on the menu. I had a bowl of oatmeal with berries sitting in front of me, and forgive me Paleo Gods for saying so, but I think that is a whole lot healthier than mowing down a heap of fried bacon. But, thats just the predicament that Paleo forces people to confront these days. Youre not going to find freshly killed wild boar to eat uncooked. So, you do the next best, modern day alternative. What Are the Benefits of the Paleo Diet A form of a low carb diet, the Paleo way of eating recommends consuming only the foods available more than 1. Paleolithic era. This means cutting out foods such as grains, dairy, refined sugar and legumes, and focusing on meat, fruits and vegetables. Although there are critics of the Paleo diet, it has the potential for offering a number of benefits to your health. Dr. Loren Cordain published The Paleo Diet in 2. Research has also been done on this type of eating under other names, such as the hunter gatherer diet, the Stone Age diet and the caveman diet. A study published in 2. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition concluded that a Paleolithic type diet improves blood pressure, glucose tolerance and lipid profiles even without weight loss and increases insulin sensitivity while decreasing insulin secretion. In 2. 01. 0, Nutrition Metabolism published a study stating that, per calorie, the Paleolithic diet is more satiating than the Mediterranean diet. It also has an affect on Type 2 diabetes. A study published in 2. Cardiovascular Diabetology concluded that the Paleo diet improved glycemic control and cardiovascular risk factors in those with Type 2 diabetes.