When agriculture and grain production became a regular part of human life, we embraced it. Why wouldn’t we? Processed grains and breads were tasty! They were also a plentiful source of nutrients that could last longer and travel farther than fruits, vegetables and meats could at that time. Grains took off in popularity and became essential to almost every aspect of our lives: our economies, cultures, migration patterns, and cities all took shape around them.
But one thing really never did: Our biology. As humans, we have the ability to rapidly reshape the world around us. Just a short time ago, cars were a rarity and cell phones were unimaginable. But as easy as it is for us to change some parts of our lives, we don’t have the power to accelerate our evolution or the basic design of our digestive systems. Our stomachs are still designed to expect unprocessed plants, fruit, eggs, roots, and nuts, and our livers are designed to manage the blood that flows from the stomach carrying a specific set of nutrients that our metabolic systems can process and absorb.
The so called ‘paleo diet’ isn’t one person’s invention, and it’s not a product available for sale or a single book that a single group or corporation pitches to us, hoping we’ll buy. It’s just a nutrient-based lifestyle built on the idea that our bodies have not yet figured out to handle the demands of processed grains, refined sugar, or the newer foods that have arrived on store shelves due to chemical innovations and the demands of convenience and shelf-life.
The paleo diet tries to match the foods we eat with the foods our ancient bodies can handle. Our digestive systems are millions of years old, and processed foods have arrived on our plates in just the last blink of evolutionary time. Until we find a better way to align the two, those who try the paleo diet often report better overall health, which can include weight loss, better sleep, and clearer thinking.
Of course, no sudden diet change is necessarily right for everyone, so if you’re interested in exploring the benefits of a paleo lifestyle, arrange a consultation and talk to our nutrition experts first. We’ll help you understand what you can and can’t expect from paleo, how long you might like to maintain the diet based on your results, and why some healthy people and nutrition gurus swear by its benefits. Contact our AALI team today!