"The western diet and lifestyle and diseases of civilization"

The Paleoverse (Primalverse?) has been exploding today with a report called "The western diet and lifestyle and diseases of civilization" by Pedro Carrera-Bastos, Maelan Fontes-Villalba, James H. O'Keefe, Staffan Lindeberg, and the author of The Paleo Diet, Loren Cordain. This paper scientifically details how eating the way our Paleolithic ancestors did improves your health and how food created thanks to the Agricultural Revolution harms it. It ultimately concludes "...a diet composed of meat, fish, shellfish, eggs, fresh fruit and vegetables, roots, tubers, nuts, and seeds may be superior to the so-called healthy diets such as the Mediterranean diet." This is precisely why we Paleo/Primal/Caveman enthusiasts eat this way!

Abstract: It is increasingly recognized that certain fundamental changes in diet and lifestyle that occurred after the Neolithic Revolution, and especially after the Industrial Revolution and the Modern Age, are too recent, on an evolutionary time scale, for the human genome to have completely adapted. This mismatch between our ancient physiology and the western diet and lifestyle underlies many so-called diseases of civilization, including coronary heart disease, obesity, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, epithelial cell cancers, autoimmune disease, and osteoporosis, which are rare or virtually absent in hunter–gatherers and other non-westernized populations. It is therefore proposed that the adoption of diet and lifestyle that mimic the beneficial characteristics of the preagricultural environment is an effective strategy to reduce the risk of chronic degenerative diseases.

I strongly encourage you to read this paper to explore precisely why this lifestyle works so well and why so many people are so enthusiastic about it! The western diet and lifestyle and diseases of civilization

From this paper, page 19:

Quote of the Day:

"It is highly unlikely that genetic adaptations that allow us to thrive on a western diet and lifestyle have occurred." -Carrera-Batons, Fontes-Villalba, O'Keefe, Lindeberg, and Cordain

What's a Bagel?

In case you didn't catch ABC's Nightline last night, check out this article/video. I'm really excited that information about the Paleo/Primal/Caveman lifestyle is spreading-- it's so healthy, easy to follow, and allows the most delicious and nutritious food in the world.

For those of you who are reading this and are new to/wondering about this lifestyle, here's my suggested reading list:

-The Paleo Diet by Loren Cordain

-The New Evolution Diet by Art DeVany

-The Paleo Solution by Robb Wolf

-The Primal Blueprint by Mark Sisson

-Exuberant Animal by Frank Forencich

-Why We Get Fat by Gary Taubes

If you don't have time to read a whole book, I highly recommend these sites:

-Cordain's The Paleo Diet

-DeVany's Evolutionary Fitness

-Wolf's Paleo Solution

-Sisson's Mark's Daily Apple

-Forencich's Exuberant Animal

-Sebastien Noel's Paleo Diet Lifestyle

-Jenna Shannon's Lean Machine NYC

-Andrew Badenoch's Evolvify

-Dr. Ben Balzer's Introduction to the Paleo Diet

Quote of the Day:

Reporter: When was the last time you had a bagel?

Art DeVany: What's a bagel?

Cool link: I'm currently taking American Sign Language, and my professor sent around this link from The Wallstreet Journal today, which has to do with our evolutionary history and language. It's certainly possible the cavemen signed too!

Paleo Food Pyramid (taken from here):

If you prefer some more explanation (from here):