Loren Cordain's Criticism Of The Paleo Diet

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As its name suggests, the Paleo Diet gets its inspiration from the Paleolithic era, when man survived as a hunter-gatherer. The diet, originated by Loren Cordain, health professor at the Colorado State University, is based on a radical line of thought. Professor Cordain argues that since the human genome has not evolved in the last 50,000 years or so, there is reason to believe that the most natural diet for man is what his caveman ancestors ate. In other words, for good health one should survive on fish, meats and eggs from grass-fed and naturally raised livestock, vegetables, roots, fruits and berries, nuts and seeds.

What Is The Paleo Diet

The foods omitted from this diet include every food item that was added on to the human diet after
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First of all, naturally raised meats and eggs and natural oils are expensive, and a lot of people cannot afford them on a daily basis. Also, the diet is rather extreme and will make most people feel severely restricted and even stifled. Imagine giving up pasta, breads, rice, cereals, sausages, bacon, potatoes, dairy and cheese, legumes and beans, as well as juices, coolers and alcoholic beverages altogether. Rather than weight loss, the Paleo Diet is more likely to cause depression, withdrawal symptoms, uncontrolled binges and a lot of guilt.

It is more advisable to take a practical approach to this diet and limit your consumption of agricultural, dairy and refined food products, rather than trying to give them up completely. Also keep in mind that whole grains and dairy offer some vital nutrients to your body and are quite healthy in their own right. It is unfair to club them with refined foods, alcohol and sugar. At the end of the day, there is no doubt that the Paleo Diet can work for weight loss, but the question is can you handle the challenge of such an extreme diet?

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