Episode 5 of the Eat Better podcast looks at the origins of the Paleo diet, why that’s different from what people on the paleo diet are eating nowadays, and whether that matters.
Find it on iTunes HERE or listen below. Find the YouTube version HERE, or at the bottom of the page.
Find it on iTunes HERE or listen below. Find the YouTube version HERE, or at the bottom of the page.
Notes
This discussion revolves around an article on my blog, which can be found HERE.
It’s interesting to note that the original "Paleo" diet, as described by Eaton and Konner, differed from what we talk about today:
Surprisingly, many of the original recommendations could potentially be considered outdated. Most people nowadays agree that those are not necessarily important aspects of a healthful diet. However, these are the recommendations largely followed by the scientific trials of the paleo diet that we have seen to date. Despite this, we now know that saturated fat is an important precursor to normal hormonal function, which is underlined by the fact that when we restrict fat in the diet, the body makes extra saturated fat to compensate. Too much salt restriction is also implicated in worse levels of heart disease. The original paleo diet was also often high in carbohydrate, and included pulses.
Importantly, I think this shows two things:
A video of Boyd Eaton discussing the last 30 years of his personal version of the paleo diet can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C6ORzcIybag
Later on, we mention an article I wrote about the Horizon Sugar vs Fat programme, which you can find HERE.
We also discuss a lecture given by Dr. Georgia Ede at the Ancestral Health Symposium in 2012 about the lack of evidence of the necessity of vegetables in the diet: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YdRBFiBWQZQ
This discussion revolves around an article on my blog, which can be found HERE.
It’s interesting to note that the original "Paleo" diet, as described by Eaton and Konner, differed from what we talk about today:
- It was low in saturated fat
- It was low in sodium
- It was “alkaline”
Surprisingly, many of the original recommendations could potentially be considered outdated. Most people nowadays agree that those are not necessarily important aspects of a healthful diet. However, these are the recommendations largely followed by the scientific trials of the paleo diet that we have seen to date. Despite this, we now know that saturated fat is an important precursor to normal hormonal function, which is underlined by the fact that when we restrict fat in the diet, the body makes extra saturated fat to compensate. Too much salt restriction is also implicated in worse levels of heart disease. The original paleo diet was also often high in carbohydrate, and included pulses.
Importantly, I think this shows two things:
- People are still seeing great results from paleo despite having moved away from the original paleo descriptions of Eaton and Konner, and later Loren Cordain.
- We have the ability to thrive on a huge spectrum of varied diets, some of which include things traditionally excluded on the paleo diet.
A video of Boyd Eaton discussing the last 30 years of his personal version of the paleo diet can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C6ORzcIybag
Later on, we mention an article I wrote about the Horizon Sugar vs Fat programme, which you can find HERE.
We also discuss a lecture given by Dr. Georgia Ede at the Ancestral Health Symposium in 2012 about the lack of evidence of the necessity of vegetables in the diet: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YdRBFiBWQZQ