The Paleo Diet

The Paleo Diet: Why Should We Eat Like Our Ancestors? Many people believe we should eat like our ancestors, because the Paleo diet has dramatically risen in popularity during the last decade. With modern medicine highlighting many illnesses and disabilities related to lack of a healthy lifestyle, more people are turning to alternative diets to cut out unhealthy foods that they consume. The Paleo diet cuts out many unhealthy foods that people consume in excess. My research paper will illustrate the origins of the Paleo diet, use scientific evidence to describe the benefits of the diet, reveal what opponents have to say against the diet, and will ultimately show why the Paleo diet is the best diet to partake in. Also, it is important to note …show more content…
Christina Warinner, in her TED Talk on debunking the myths of the Paleo diet, raises some very interesting criticisms of the diet. First she argues that the diet itself is not historically accurate. She claims that scans of fossilized teeth show plaque, or residue, from wild grains, and she also makes the claim that these bones scans may not be accurate because wind and air could have affected these bones over time (Warinner). Personally, by making these two statements I believe she contradicts herself. She claims one scan of teeth, which are a type of bone, is accurate, and the other scan is not. Essentially, she is only using the evidence which supports her argument without considering the accuracy of the other. Additionally, Ms. Warinner states that due to the fact that modern humans do not go and hunt and gather food in the wild, the diet is not needed. She also claims that genetic modification to grow bigger, more resilient foods invalidates those used in the diet (Warinner). I believe that by making this assumption, Ms. Warinner fails to recognize that the Paleo diet is an adaptation of the Paleolithic diets of our ancestors, not an exact …show more content…
For example, a study by Jacek Bujko showed that between two groups, the ones that strictly followed the Paleo diet had healthier heart and lung systems and glucose control, than the group that did not (Bujko). In another study by C.A. Martin, two groups were again compared in their dietary habits, in the end, the groups that ate paleo had lower blood pressure levels (Martin). Additionally, Alex Vasquez followed a scientific five step paleo diet plan to live a healthier lifestyle, and she personally reported that the diet had numerous benefits, and she felt much healthier than before (Vasquez). All these three studies use scientific findings to illustrate the benefits of the Paleo diet. They show that by reducing unhealthy fats and carbs in one's lifestyle and eating habits, the body can become so much healthier on a biologic level. In addition to scientific studies performed on human volunteers, many studies have been done to illustrate the benefits of the foods consumed in the Paleo diet. For example, a study conducted by L. Cordain compared the brains and muscle fibers of wild elk and deer to cattle. The study found that lean meats, which were the wild elk and deer, generally have higher protein content than the cattle, which actually ended up having higher fat content (Cordain). Concerning the