Q & A Library

Updated 1/27/2005

At first glance, the Paleolithic diet of our prehistoric ancestors may seem appealing and healthy. They ate what they could hunt and gather: lots of wild game, fish, some wild fruits, nuts and tubers. They managed without salt and vegetable oils. Given the average modern diet filled with processed foods, it would seem that our ancestors had a pretty healthy way of eating although it is unlikely that we would find their foods very tasty.

Here's what I consider the main advantages of the Paleolithic diet:

• No processed foods with their unhealthful forms of carbohydrates, fat, and high content of additives.
• Meat and fowl with less fat and better fat than modern versions and none of the residues of drugs and hormones found in much of the meat and poultry available today.
• A very favorable ratio of omega-6 fatty acids (from seeds and nuts) to omega-3 fatty acids (from fish and wild game).
• Some wild seeds and nuts for fiber and micronutrients.
• None of the high-glycemic carbohydrate load of the modern diet, which is full of fluff bread, pastry, chips, and other snack foods, etc.

   

However, the Paleolithic diet has some significant drawbacks:

• Insufficient carbohydrates for continuous maintenance of glycogen stores (energy reserves made from glucose and stored in the liver and muscles).
• Insufficient fruits and vegetables for an adequate fiber intake or an optimal amount of micronutrients (the Paleolithic diet is especially lacking in protective phytochemicals).
• Excessive animal protein, which places a strain on liver and kidney function.

   

It is important to remember that few people in Paleolithic times lived long enough to develop the degenerative health problems (such as heart disease, arthritis and cancer) that affect human beings today. It is also unrealistic to think that you can permanently give up carbohydrate staples of the modern diet, like bread and pasta. Instead, you would be much better off learning to eat smaller amounts and better forms of carbohydrates. Those low on the glycemic index are best.

If you're intrigued by the Paleolithic diet, you might try doing without processed foods and making an effort to incorporate into your own diet a desirable ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids. For more information, see my book, Eating Well for Optimum Health. Also see the book The Paleolithic Prescription by Eaton, Shostak, and Konner (Harper Collins, 1988) or get on the www.paleodiet.com Web site.

Andrew Weil, M.D.