The Paleo diet references the Paleolithic Era, even though it actually refers to the diets of the Neolithic Era. It suggests the period in human development from 2.6 million years ago until 10,000 years ago.
“Primal” implies an earlier time after the last ice age. Collagen profiles prove humans consumed massive amounts of protein; more than other predators that shared our environment. We had the smarts and technology to bring down a woolly mammoth.
Many plants in primal times were too complex to easily harvest for meals. They don’t provide many calories. Only certain parts of the plant were edible. Many plants required cooking to neutralize poisonous compounds. Raw tubers would pass through the digestive tract as unusable. They weren’t useful to the body unless cooked.
The human digestive tract is small and isn’t designed to get as much nutrition from plant food as a chimpanzees. We are designed to get most of our caloric content from fat.
Listen as Nora Gedgaudas joins Dr. Pamela Peeke for an in-depth discussion on a primal diet for women.
Nora Gedgaudas is a board-certified nutritional consultant and a board-certified clinical neurofeedback specialist with over 20 years of clinical experience.