Eat the Caveman Way!
Samantha Rummans
MWF 9:40-10:35
WRI 1100 K / Youngdale
Due: April 26, 2013
Last Updated: April 22, 2013
Eat the Caveman Way!
It is common knowledge that incorporating grains into one’s meals is a great way to eat a balanced and healthy diet. In fact, most cultures around the world typically eat diets that include carbohydrates such as grains as a base. Grains, therefore, are typically the main source of calories in most cultures worldwide. Over time, experts have noticed this trend in the average human diet and combined them into a basic food pyramid. For example, the most widely known food pyramid was introduced by the United States Department of Agriculture in 1992 and has since been the general guide for eating in the United States and many other countries worldwide (Lewis). The pyramid depicts grains, especially whole grains such as cereals, breads and pastas as the base of a healthy diet. Therefore, most will agree that whole grains are an important part of a healthy lifestyle. Some, however, have recently come to recognize why grains are not necessarily part of a healthy diet and have also proposed a new diet movement. The movement is called the “Paleolithic” or “caveman” diet. While the Paleolithic Diet explains that our ancestors did not consume many of the foods we eat today, grains and dairy are the two main food groups the diet aims to eliminate. The Paleolithic Diet encourages the consumption of lean meats, nuts, fruits, and vegetables, while discouraging the consumption of dairy and grains. The Paleolithic Diet encourages and discourages these particular foods for health benefits and its main argument is that the human body evolved a time when foods such as dairy and grains were not part of our early ancestors’ diets. Since these foods were not being eaten by our early ancestors’ and during a time when the evolution of the human body was still underway, our bodies are just simply not made to digest and process these
MWF 9:40-10:35
WRI 1100 K / Youngdale
Due: April 26, 2013
Last Updated: April 22, 2013
Eat the Caveman Way!
It is common knowledge that incorporating grains into one’s meals is a great way to eat a balanced and healthy diet. In fact, most cultures around the world typically eat diets that include carbohydrates such as grains as a base. Grains, therefore, are typically the main source of calories in most cultures worldwide. Over time, experts have noticed this trend in the average human diet and combined them into a basic food pyramid. For example, the most widely known food pyramid was introduced by the United States Department of Agriculture in 1992 and has since been the general guide for eating in the United States and many other countries worldwide (Lewis). The pyramid depicts grains, especially whole grains such as cereals, breads and pastas as the base of a healthy diet. Therefore, most will agree that whole grains are an important part of a healthy lifestyle. Some, however, have recently come to recognize why grains are not necessarily part of a healthy diet and have also proposed a new diet movement. The movement is called the “Paleolithic” or “caveman” diet. While the Paleolithic Diet explains that our ancestors did not consume many of the foods we eat today, grains and dairy are the two main food groups the diet aims to eliminate. The Paleolithic Diet encourages the consumption of lean meats, nuts, fruits, and vegetables, while discouraging the consumption of dairy and grains. The Paleolithic Diet encourages and discourages these particular foods for health benefits and its main argument is that the human body evolved a time when foods such as dairy and grains were not part of our early ancestors’ diets. Since these foods were not being eaten by our early ancestors’ and during a time when the evolution of the human body was still underway, our bodies are just simply not made to digest and process these