Could The Paleo Diet Be a Lie?

[teflepi]

If you’re a devotee of the modern-day Paleo diet, you might want to make a few changes to your caveman-inspired eating plan after this.

New research has found that carbohydrates have been a key ingredient in the brain’s ability to evolve over time — and experts say that they’re still crucial for brain health.

In a paper published in The Quarterly Review of Biology, scientists say that plant foods containing high levels of starch were essential for the evolution of humans during the Pleistocene period (which lasted about 2,588,000 to 11,700 years ago).

While researchers acknowledge that a meat-based diet was critical to the development of the caveman brain, as previously thought, they argue that easily digestible carbohydrates were also necessary to meet the demands on the growing brain. Specifically, cooked starches increased energy supplies through glucose, which boosts brain development and red blood cells.

Here’s how the scientists’ theory developed: Our bodies begin to convert starch to glucose as soon as it’s in our mouths. Our saliva contains an enzyme called amylase, which starts to break down the starches, but it’s much more effective on those that have been cooked.

Humans have many copies of the amylase gene (more than our closest living relative, the chimpanzee) and, researchers argue, the invention of fire caused a need for us to have more amylase.

Genetic mutations that gave people extra amylase helped them to survive and thrive and, with their ability to break down glucose in cooked starches better, gave them bigger brains.

Related: What You Should Know About The Paleo Diet Trend

But the modern-day Paleo diet famously shuns many common forms of carbohydrates, such as cereal grains, legumes, processed foods (like white bread), and potatoes, per PaleoDiet.com. Instead the diet encourages eating grass-fed meats, fish and seafood, fresh fruits and vegetables, eggs, and nuts and seeds, and recommends eating whole grains “infrequently.”

“Without carbohydrates the pre-modern evolutionary species would have been unlikely to thrive,” study co-author Karen Hardy, PhD, tells Yahoo Health. “Starchy food — carbs — is the main energy source for the brain and the body.”

Neurologist James Leverenz, MD, director of the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health, agrees. “Carbohydrates are important to normal brain health, particularly during development,” he tells Yahoo Health. Leverenz says carbs are probably more important when we’re younger and still developing, but says you still need them as an adult.

New York City registered dietitian Jessica Cording tells Yahoo Health that changing perceptions of carbohydrates is one of her “biggest battles” as a dietitian. “By getting adequate amounts of carbohydrates, the brain is able to function optimally, which helps the body perform at its peak as well,” she explains.

Carbohydrates aren’t just found in bread, potatoes, and pasta, which is a common misconception. They’re also found in beans, bananas, pears, peas, corn, squash, and many other foods that are considered healthy.

Cording recommends seeking out complex carbohydrates like beans, legumes, whole grains, and sweet potatoes, which slow the breakdown of carbohydrates and promote stable blood sugar (as opposed to the blood sugar spike and dip you can experience with simple carbohydrates like white bread, sweets, and chips).

Of course, too many carbs aren’t great for you either. Cording suggests consuming one serving of complex carbs at each meal to keep energy levels stable, hunger at bay, and your brain performing optimally.

And, if you want to accurately eat like pre-industrialized humans, Hardy recommends incorporating potatoes, starchy seeds, and nuts into a diet that also includes protein.

www.yahoo.com/health/could-the-paleo-diet-be-a-lie-new-scientific-126681322322.html

[ttt]

You mean eating the way we are assuming/guessing/pretending people ate hundreds of thousands of years ago when the average lifespan was like 30 years may not be the best??

[cattledogkisses]

Please, anything to make paleo go away. I'm so tired of paleo-evangelizers. Shut up and let me enjoy my bread and pasta.

[elleblue]

Aug 14, 2015 20:53:13 GMT -5 mockingbird said:

:rolleyes: paleo isn't against carbs. It's against processed wheat based carbs. I've never seen a paleo blog without half a dozen sweet potato recipes.

Yeah, I doubt you'll find a nutritionist who'll say getting your carbs from fruits and veggies instead of simple and refined carbs is a dietary concern. I find the concept behind Paleo a bit gimmicky but the food recommendations are not in and of themselves problematic imho. Perhaps difficult for people to adhere to, but not a health concern. 

[AJL]

I'm annoyed by any kind of evangelism (paleo, Atkins, crossfit, running, Weight Watchers, any kind of gimmicky bullshit, Christianity, whatevs.)

I don't think the paleo diet in and of itself is a bad diet. I do hate sweet potatoes, though.

[ttt]

All these different diets seem to just be trademarked, franchised, heavily promoted ways of essentially saying "don't eat a lot of carbs and eat more vegetables." Which is good advice, but they all act like they've discovered something TOTALLY NEW AND REVOLUTIONARY!!!!!

[alexis]

Aug 14, 2015 20:53:13 GMT -5 mockingbird said:

:rolleyes: paleo isn't against carbs. It's against processed wheat based carbs. I've never seen a paleo blog without half a dozen sweet potato recipes.

It's against all other cereal grains, potatoes and legumes too.

[alexis]

Aug 14, 2015 21:28:15 GMT -5 mockingbird said:

Aug 14, 2015 21:13:42 GMT -5 alexis said:

It's against all other cereal grains, potatoes and legumes too.

Right. But there are still plenty of healthy carbs without those things. I think the problem the article picks with it is not accurate issue.

Sure, there are plenty of other healthy carbs, but this article is specifically talking about the need for starchy carbs in Paleolithic man's diet, which the paleo diet largely bans.

Anyway, I've always found the idea that Paleolithic man had access to sweet potatoes but not white potatoes weird.

[alexis]

Aug 14, 2015 21:45:58 GMT -5 @littlemoxie said:

Aug 14, 2015 20:53:13 GMT -5 mockingbird said:

:rolleyes: paleo isn't against carbs. It's against processed wheat based carbs. I've never seen a paleo blog without half a dozen sweet potato recipes.

I thought it was also against rice?  Which I thought was not wheat based?  And corn?

Listen, no hunters in paloelithic times were so prolific that they constantly had meat at every meal.  Wheat, barley and other grains grew in the wild, then people had the idea of domesticating and farming them because they were like, "look at that edible stuff growing right there!!  How convenient!!  Much better than stalking an animal that might kill us and will only provide food for 1 week - or a month if we really stretch it (did they even know about smoking meat to preserve it then?)!!"

I really don't see how it's somehow bad to eat wild rice but OK to eat apples.  I mean, they realize apples nowadays come from orchards (ie, are farmed).  Do we really think that all current varieties are just like in paleo times and came about totally by nature?  Um, no, some were domesticated.

The basics of the paleo diet are not just "don't eat processed carbs" so much as it is "avoid starches and binge on protein."  It seems highly unlikely to me that this is actually what anyone ate then.  Even if they did, we have NO idea if it's a good diet long term because 35 was considered ancient then.

Let's be real.  Probably about 80% of people following the paleo diet want to be skinny, not healthy, and that is part of why they look up to humans during paleo times.  

This is a very interesting Ted Talk about the paleo diet by an archeological scientist who specifically studies the diet of Paleolithic humans.

Pretty much nothing in our grocery stores is anywhere close to what they would have eaten. Also, they are a lot of legumes, which the paleo diet forbids.

m.youtube.com/watch?v=BMOjVYgYaG8

[Velar Fricative]

So I don't do paleo and I think extreme no-carb believers exist, but I think it's important for people to know that you can get the carbs you need from legumes, fruits, veggies, etc. Grains are fine, but not really necessary if you are following a typical healthy diet of unprocessed foods.

I mean, grains are totally yummy but they are not the best for me and it took me a long time to realize that. I will acknowledge that cavepeople weren't eating bagels. Yummy, delicious bagels.

[truckentruck]

The cheesiness of the label paleo is a turn off, but most of the paleo recipes I've seen seem to use plenty of vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, and healthy fats. I don't think it's as meat and protein centric as it's perceived to be. Also, a large portion of those who follow paleo to some extent have autoimmune or digestive issues and find relief through "paleo" . I think it's unfortunate that fact gets overlooked.

[Velar Fricative]

Aug 15, 2015 7:24:46 GMT -5 @littlemoxie said:

Aug 14, 2015 22:26:24 GMT -5 Velar Fricative said:

So I don't do paleo and I think extreme no-carb believers exist, but I think it's important for people to know that you can get the carbs you need from legumes, fruits, veggies, etc. Grains are fine, but not really necessary if you are following a typical healthy diet of unprocessed foods.

I mean, grains are totally yummy but they are not the best for me and it took me a long time to realize that. I will acknowledge that cavepeople weren't eating bagels. Yummy, delicious bagels.

But the diet doesn't allow for legumes.

Crap, I always mix up these legume/no-legume diets.

[kadams767]

Aug 15, 2015 7:24:46 GMT -5 @littlemoxie said:

Aug 14, 2015 22:26:24 GMT -5 Velar Fricative said:

So I don't do paleo and I think extreme no-carb believers exist, but I think it's important for people to know that you can get the carbs you need from legumes, fruits, veggies, etc. Grains are fine, but not really necessary if you are following a typical healthy diet of unprocessed foods.

I mean, grains are totally yummy but they are not the best for me and it took me a long time to realize that. I will acknowledge that cavepeople weren't eating bagels. Yummy, delicious bagels.

But the diet doesn't allow for legumes.

I think it does if you follow the version that panders to vegetarians. Not that this proves that Paleo is a gimmick or anything like that...

But I'm totally sure there were tons of vegetarian cavemen, and that's who was eating the wild rice and lentils.

[chedifuen]

Is paleo the diet that recommends all the coconut oil and water/milk? If so, how were the cavemen getting coconuts but avoiding legumes?

Legumes are incredibly nutritious, I can't follow any diet that tries to say differently.

[wambam]

My take on this as someone who's "in" the paleo community: Yes, the original Paleo Diet TM as originally written by Loren Cordain was very anti-carbohydrate, with a weird kind of caveman reenactment, and incredibly inflexible and strict. That Paleo Diet TM is basically hardly ever practiced anymore.

Many people have seen the benefits of a diet based on the paleo template where each meal consists of protein, fat, and copious vegetables and fruits (the MEATMEATMEAT thing you see in articles like this is just simply not accurate). But in practice, most people in the lifestyle are figuring out what works best for their specific needs. Examples: dairy, legumes, grains like rice and oats, etc - are all areas where people who start off with a paleo template branch out and figure out what works for them and their individual needs. In summary: the subset of paleo eaters following the strict rules laid out in this and other articles is very small.

Most of the current paleo personalities (bloggers, podcasters, and the like) just don't care exactly what Paleolithic man ate because that's not the point. The point is eating whole, nutrient dense foods as close to the form that they are found in nature and figuring out what "non paleo" foods works for you as an individual. I think most of us in the paleo world roll their eyes at stuff like this. It's just not representative of me and most other paleo people.

That being said, I'm sorry on behalf of "my people" that there are a vocal minority that are so bull headed and preachy.

For the record, I eat rice, oats, and full fat dairy daily and gluten free treats with some regularity. If my H weren't allergic and I didn't find them vile, I might experiment with legumes as well.

[Deleted]

I had a guy chide me at work once for heating up homemade vegetable lasagna. Meanwhile he was microwaving, lierally, a plate of seasoned ground beef because "paleo". Look dude. We're both just gonna get to our cardiac events from different angles. Ok?

Also, doesn't everyone at this point know that almost nothing we eat is the same as the wild variety that our ancestors would have found? They did not stumble across heirloom tomato plants with an average 8 lb annual yield. They found like... tiny fruit/vegetable things and then for years and years and years bred them.

Everyone needs to just eat what makes them feel best, within reason. That's one of the reasons I don't eat meat. I don't like the way it makes me feel anymore. Some people feel the same about spicy food. And yet we all survive.

[rugbywife]

You can eat white potatoes and rice when eating Paleo, they aren't recommended for those trying to lose weight.

The legume thing in the paleo diet has something to do with how they are digested. I can't remember all the details from the book so I can't really elaborate beyond that, lol, but I think it partially has to do with how most legumes can't be eaten without being cooked. Of course, I don't eat rice or potatoes raw, so there's that.