What is the Paleolithic diet?
Q: What is the Paleolithic diet?
A: The Paleolithic diet, also known as the 'caveman diet', 'Stone Age diet' or 'hunter-gatherer diet', is a modern way of eating based on the wild plants and animals which humans ate in the Paleolithic era. It does not include grains, legumes, dairy products, salt, refined sugar, and processed oils.
Q: How long did the Paleolithic era last?
A: The Paleolithic era lasted about 2.5 million years until around 10,000 years ago when people began farming.
Q: What foods make up most of the modern paleo diet?
A: Meat, fish, vegetables, fruit, roots and nuts make up most of the modern paleo diet.
Q: Who made this modern version of the paleo diet popular?
A: Walter L. Voegtlin first made this modern version of the paleo diet popular in the 1970s.
Q: What is it based on?
A: The idea behind paleolithic nutrition is that modern humans are genetically adapted to how their ancestors ate during this period and that human genetics have not changed much since then so a good way of eating today would be like how people ate then.
Q: Have there been any studies done on its effects on health?
A: Yes two studies have shown positive effects for people's health from following this type of eating plan.
Q: Is it controversial among nutritionists and anthropologists?
A: Yes some argue that if hunter gatherer societies did not suffer from certain diseases it was because they ate food with fewer calories or for other reasons and they say it may not be how people really ate in the Paleolithic era so there is some controversy surrounding this type of eating plan among nutritionists and anthropologists.
