CHAPTER 2 – THE REVITILIZATION OF
THE PALEO DIET
As we have discussed, the paleo diet is based on ancient diet of man which included animals and wild plants that were consumed 2. 5 million years ago during the Paleolithic era.
It is preservative and gluten free. It is commonly centered on foods like eggs, fish, grass fed pasture raised meats, vegetables, potatoes, roots, fungi, fruits, nuts, potatoes, dairy products, grains, refined salt, refined sugar, legumes and processed oils. But let’s now retrace the steps and cover how this diet came back from extinction and learn the history of it
The history of the paleo diet can be traced back to 1975 when Walter L. Voegtlin a gastroenterologist published a book that highlighted the modern version of the diet. He arrived at his revelations after studying eating habits of the Paleolithic age while looking for a cure for Crohn's disease, colitis and irritable bowel syndrome. Diet from early man seemed to have adverse effects on the conditions where patients improved quickly without any side effects.
His version on the diet was based on the fact that there has not been much human genetic change since the Paleolithic era. He was more interested in the carnivorous history of man. He confirmed that humans are supposed to primarily feed on fats, proteins with little carbohydrates.
A decade later Professor Melvin Konner an anthropologist took the concepts to the scientific community with the assistance of an associate called Boyd Eaton. They did this by publishing a paper on the concepts in the New England Journal of Medicine. Professionals in the medical field started discussing the diet which is a very important stage of the history of the paleo diet. A high percentage was convinced about the advantages of the diet.
Three years down the line Eaton, Konner and Marjorie Shostak published a book on the diet. The book was however written with a twist. Instead of focusing on the foods that should not be included in the diet, they talked about the importance of eating same portion of carbohydrates, fats and proteins similar to the Paleolithic era diet.
Their version had some foods that were not allowed by Voegtlin. Their diet allowed permitted agricultural foods like whole grain bread, brown rice, potatoes and dairy products like skimmed milk that were not featured on the original diet. They work on the rationale that the nutrient proportion and not food choice was what made the Paleolithic diet healthy.
Momentum for the diet continued to grow even in the 1990s as more nutritionists and medical professionals began to back the theory. More doctors started recommending it to their patients as part of a healthy eating plan for the sick patients and even the ones who were well. Most of them relied on the original concept where the diet consisted of the foods present before the introduction of agriculture.
As the years went by more people were drawn to the diet. Although it was hotly debated, it was still accepted in various circles. Today there are very many books and websites written on the diet as more and more people embrace it. At this point, it does not show any signs of dying away.