The downsides of a “modern” Western agro-industrial diet of starchy, sugary, processed foods are well-known thanks to the writings and activism of many food-wise non-scientists such as Michael Pollan, Alice Waters and Jamie Oliver. Their advice to eat fresh, locally grown food whenever possible is nutritionally sound, though not always feasible.
A more extreme rejection of the industrial diet is the so-called paleo-diet. The outlines and benefits of a paleodiet were first proposed by three anthropologists — S. Boyd Eaton, Marjorie Shostak and Melvin Konner — in their 1988 book, The Paleolithic Prescription. In 2002, Loren Cordain hit pay dirt with his best-selling book, The Paleo Diet.
Proponents of a paleodiet point out that 99 percent of human evolution occurred when we were foragers (a.k.a. hunter-gatherers) and ate only lean meats, fish and seafood, nuts, fresh fruits and fresh vegetables. Our bodies have adapted to these foods over several million years. The agro-industrial diet goes against our biological base, in this view, and causes a host of health problems such as heart disease and obesity.
An article in today’s Washington Post style section, “Hunter-Gatherer Gourmet” (alternatively titled “Paleolithic diet is so easy, cavemen actually did it“) profiles a young D.C. woman who follows a paleo-diet along with a rigorous exercise plan. She eats no grains, salt, sugar, legumes or dairy products (her one concession is dark chocolate from time to time). In nine months, she has lost 10 pounds, no longer gets migraines, sleeps better, is allergy-free and her mood has improved.
A recent archaeological discovery in sub-Saharan Africa has major significance for paleo-dieters.
Julio Mercader, Canada research chair in tropical archaeology in the University of Calgary and Mozambican colleagues have discovered that stone age hunter-gatherers at one site in Mozambique were harvesting, processing and eating wild sorghum by 100,000 years ago (see this PDF article from Science magazine, which requires a login).
So it’s time to revise the paleo-diet books and welcome whole grains to the neo-paleo-table!
Image: “Paleolithic Food” by Flickr user Roberta Maria, licensed by Creative Commons.
anthropologyworks 
Great news!! I am impressed with the report about the young DC woman who lost 10 lbs and has improved her life. With so many of us trying to lose weight – I know how difficult it is to shed even five lbs. Maybe things remain much the same – what was good one hundred thousand years ago (seems like awhile) remains good today … what goes around, comes around.
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