The Paleo and AIP, (which stands for Autoimmune Protocol), diets address these additional concerns. So what is Paleo? What is AIP? I stumbled upon this blog that has a really great write-up on the history of Paleo that I am going to share:
The basis of the Paleo Diet emerged from the application of evolutionary reasoning to dietary habits. In the 70s, gastroenterologist Dr. Walter L. Voegtlin published The Stone Age Diet, in which he reasoned that over the course of human evolution, humans have primarily consumed wild game, fruits and vegetables. Logically, the result was a digestive system that had evolved to accommodate such a diet.
The Biological Basis of the Paleo Diet-Voegtlin pointed to biological features designed for consuming meat such as canines, molars and incisors, as well as stark differences between the human digestive system and those of herbivorous species. Humans have small stomachs, negligible digestive bacteria, acid heavy digestive processes, a highly developed gall-bladder, and quick digestion times. These are all consistent with carnivorous diets and quite different from digestive systems adapted to herbaceous diets, Voegtlin argued.
His conclusion was that humans were better adapted to a pre-agricultural, more carnivorous diet. This was an obvious deduction from evolutionary logic, in his view. After all, agriculture emerged only about 10,000 years ago, while the human digestive system has evolved over several millennia on a radically different diet.
The Agricultural Revolution-Benefits of the Paleo Diet
The agricultural revolution occurred when humans discovered that cooking otherwise inedible plants could make them fit for human consumption—most importantly grains, beans and potatoes, which contain toxins in their raw state that render them inedible. There were major advantages to this discovery as these foods were calorically dense, could be stored for long periods, and were easy to propagate. Farming quickly became a ubiquitous practice that made it possible to transition from hunter-gatherer societies to more populous agricultural civilizations. However, our digestive systems have not yet had time to thoroughly adapt to this diet, potentially causing health problems including heart disease, diabetes, and chronic inflammatory diseases.
The Modern Paleo Diet-Contemporary dietitians have since elaborated on Voegtlin’s “Stone Age Diet,” and helped make it practicable in the context of the supermarket. Founded on the basic macronutrient composition that Voegtlin proposed (namely a high ratio of protein to fat and carbohydrates), the modern Paleo Diet has become increasingly popular, offering a dietary regime that could help address a number of health issues. (Courtesy of SmartDiner.com)Some of the most popular Paleo advocates' websites include, The Paleo Diet, Nom Nom Paleo, Everyday Paleo, and of course, The Paleo Mom. But the basic premise of Paleo seems to be:
Good Bad
Fruits Dairy
Vegetables Grains
Lean Meats Processed Foods and Sugars
Seafood Legumes
Nuts and Seeds Starches
Healthy Fats Alcohol
Soy
There is plenty of criticism of the Paleo eating plan, including this article by Scientific American, that takes issue with the Paleo claim that man's physiological evolution has not kept pace with our diet evolution. So, Paleo is, by no means, the final word on nutrition. (Next post, I'll be taking a look at AIP. Talk about restrictions... but it is supposedly very beneficial!)
The truth is, there is no one size fits all when it comes to ones diet, so I take a trial and error approach for myself. I mean, it's only food, right? If I eat something that seems like it doesn't agree with me, I limit or eliminate it. If I eat something that seems to give me a boost or makes me feel satisfied with no ill-aftereffects, I add that to my list of stand-by ingredients. We all have different chemistry and genetics, so we have to find a set of ingredients that work for us. And I am learning that it is a long and ever-evolving process.
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