3 ms·

We've had these foods for no more than the past 10,000 years when agriculture was invented, yet Homo Sapiens have existed for the past 200,000 years 10,000 yea

by m_eiman 15y ago

We've had these foods for no more than the past 10,000 years when agriculture was invented, yet Homo Sapiens have existed for the past 200,000 years 10,000 years is about 400-500 generations, which sounds like quite many to my genetically untrained eyes. Since the human population boom has occurred during those 10k years and more or less wholly thanks to agriculture, pretty much everyone alive now is a descendant of people who did much better on that diet than they had been doing on previous foods. Maybe someone who knows genetics could share an opinion on this: aren't 400-500 generations enough to filter out genes incompatible with agricultural food from the gene pool?

Homunculiheaded 15y ago
I've never understood why so-called "paleo" dieters have to push this point so hard, which as far as I've ever read is pure speculation (in roughly this time milk drinking populations have evolved a lactose tolerance). I'll easily buy the idea that we eat way too many refined carbohydrates and that has an ill effect on our health. Why harp on the "we're not evolved to eat grains!", if this were definitively proven to be false would paleo dieters jump back to eating bagels? I doubt it. This seems more to be the case of people taking up an extreme position and then cliaming "science!" Eat more fruits and veggies, and less refined grains? sounds great. "Science" tells us to stop eating all wheat products! Sounds more like fanaticism.
- SkyMarshal 15y ago
  >I've never understood why so-called "paleo" dieters have to push this point so hard, which as far as I've ever read is pure speculation... You're right that it's probably unneccessary to even mention that aspect, the salient point is to avoid foods that spike your glucose, and as a result your insulin. It just so happens that anthropologists realized that once you eliminate those foods from your diet, what you're left with is the exact diet of paleolithic era man. >Science" tells us to stop eating all wheat products! Sounds more like fanaticism. Read the Intro and first chapter of Arthur De Vany's book, The New Evolution Diet. It explains the science.
jcampbell1 15y ago
The problem with the paleo theory of obesity is that it doesn't match the facts very well. Obesity has been an issue for the past 50 years, not 10,000. I prefer the technology explanation for modern obesity. Like, "Smart people at frito-lay have scoured the earth for ingredients and chemical processes to make hyper-palatable and inexpensive foods like nacho cheese Doritos. Humans are not evolved to eat these foods in reasonable portions." The industrialization of food production aligns with the facts of obesity much better. That being said, a "paleo" diet is a great way to lose weight and maintain a strong and healthy body. It is just not a very good explanation for modern obesity.

by m_eiman 15y ago

Homunculiheaded 15y ago

I've never understood why so-called "paleo" dieters have to push this point so hard, which as far as I've ever read is pure speculation (in roughly this time milk drinking populations have evolved a lactose tolerance). I'll easily buy the idea that we eat way too many refined carbohydrates and that has an ill effect on our health. Why harp on the "we're not evolved to eat grains!", if this were definitively proven to be false would paleo dieters jump back to eating bagels? I doubt it. This seems more to be the case of people taking up an extreme position and then cliaming "science!" Eat more fruits and veggies, and less refined grains? sounds great. "Science" tells us to stop eating all wheat products! Sounds more like fanaticism.

SkyMarshal 15y ago
>I've never understood why so-called "paleo" dieters have to push this point so hard, which as far as I've ever read is pure speculation... You're right that it's probably unneccessary to even mention that aspect, the salient point is to avoid foods that spike your glucose, and as a result your insulin. It just so happens that anthropologists realized that once you eliminate those foods from your diet, what you're left with is the exact diet of paleolithic era man. >Science" tells us to stop eating all wheat products! Sounds more like fanaticism. Read the Intro and first chapter of Arthur De Vany's book, The New Evolution Diet. It explains the science.

jcampbell1 15y ago

The problem with the paleo theory of obesity is that it doesn't match the facts very well. Obesity has been an issue for the past 50 years, not 10,000. I prefer the technology explanation for modern obesity. Like, "Smart people at frito-lay have scoured the earth for ingredients and chemical processes to make hyper-palatable and inexpensive foods like nacho cheese Doritos. Humans are not evolved to eat these foods in reasonable portions." The industrialization of food production aligns with the facts of obesity much better. That being said, a "paleo" diet is a great way to lose weight and maintain a strong and healthy body. It is just not a very good explanation for modern obesity.