I, Caveman ... no thanks!

I just finished watching the second half of Discovery's "I, Caveman" show that takes a group of men & women and put them in a 'caveman' situation.  They are given caveman clothing (pelts and skins), shelter and basic survival training skills like starting a fire.  Then they're left alone (surrounded by cameras of course) to live as 'cavemen/cavewomen' for 10 or 14 days.  At the beginning they were all positive and upbeat, after all how hard could this be?  Well they found out after it took them hours and hours and hours to start a fire.  It went down hill from there.

They were tired, hungry, thirsty and generally complaining most of the time.  They struggled to find enough to eat and when they did, several women (I'm sorry to say) turned away in disgust at the thought of eating snails or having a head on their fish.  By the end, two had enough and gave up; tired, hungry and dejected.

Unfortunately in Paleolithic times, there was no giving up.  You ate or you starved and died.

The reason I found this whole thing fascinating is because of the cult like status of the Paleo diet.  Their thinking is that the major illnesses we face today, including obesity, can be traced back and caused by the start of agriculture.  While some of their 'rules' have some health benefits, the reasoning behind them is suspect.

Here are some points that the paleo people may not be considering.

1. There is no one Paleo diet.  Paleolithic man ate different foods regionally and seasonally.
2. The types of fruits/vegetables, seeds and meats are different today then they were back in the day.
3. There were no doctors back then, so how do we know what diseases they may have had.
4. Their lifespan was a heck of a lot shorter
5. Food was not as abundant then as it is now (feast & famine)
6. If it was edible, they ate it.  They couldn't afford not to.
7. Everything they did required a lot of energy

Calories are energy and everything we do cost calories.  In our 'push button' society, we require less and less calories to do the basic activities of daily living.

In Paleolithic times, everything was work.  Cavepeople didn't have any other job but to survive and it took a lot of energy.  Even the basics of cooking and drinking took effort.  They couldn't just go to the tap or the microwave when they were hungry or thirsty. 

So the industrial revolution and technological evolution over the past hundred years has switch the calorie balance (consuming more energy than we are using) and we are suffering the effect.

Check out a great Ted Talks on the paleo diet and what paleolitic man most likely ate: http://tedxtalks.ted.com/video/Debunking-the-Paleo-Diet-Christ

So what are the good, healthy points about the Paleo diet I agree with:

• eat more lean meats, fish, poultry (if you like free range, go for it, but it can be $$$)
• eat more fruits and vegetables (all of them, even the poor maligned potato)
• avoid added sugar (sugar that's found in an ingredient list, sugar that's easily removed or adjusted in the food, not the sugar in fruit or dairy)
• avoid processed foods (again, check out the label, just cause it's in a box doesn't always mean it's bad, but it's a good start)
• eat health fat (I'd prefer the poly & mono-saturated fats found in nuts, seeds, fruits & vegetables, like avocado or olives)

What I would add to the Paleo plan:

• grains - not necessarily wheat, but whole grains like oats, bulger, barley, spelt, quinoa, etc; what we call ancient grains
• legumes - a great source of fibre, protein and many vitamins/minerals; just make sure to cook the dried ones well or use canned
• consider portion size and cooking methods - it's not always what you eat, but how much and how it's made
• eat local - the $ stays in your community and the produce is likely fresher & tastier as it didn't have to travel far to get to your market

Above all, food is meant to be enjoyed.  Diets are temporary, restrictive and don't work.  Eat for your lifestyle.  One food, one meal, one day will not make you healthier or unhealthier.  It's a pattern of eating over time.