Pro Protein Paleo Plan: What is it and Does it Make Sense? Perils, Pros, Pitfalls and Particulars

The basis of the Paleo plan is adopting the eating habits of our Paleolithic ancestors. The notion of the modern Paleo diet plan is that our digestive system has not evolved enough to process present day agricultural progress food production. Given how unhealthy and sickly our evolved culture is it is not difficult to resonate with the logic in this notion. agricultural food production. According to the Paleo Plan, it is too difficult to digest legumes and grains of the agricultural revolution.

Technically our Paleolithic ancestors were hunter-gatherers so naturally this eliminates post agricultural foods. The present day Paleo Plan eliminates legumes and grains and encourages vegetables and fruits in unlimited quantities. Many of the vegetables we cultivate are part of the agricultural revolution, but may be closer to our origins then grains and legumes. Corn is the epitome of the genetic manipulation and human fabrication of the agricultural revolution. In my reading I have not seen any indication of eliminating corn in the Paleo Plan. (please feel free to sight a reference where I would stand corrected) In my own exploration of the Paleo Plan I have relished the concept of getting carbohydrates from tubers, such as sweet potatoes and squashes. Spaghetti squash is a wonderful substitute for soba noodles, very tasty and every bit as gratifying. I was pleasantly surprised that I did not miss noodles and rice and lost weight replacing these foods.

My research on the paleo plan reveals meat as a major component of the diet stirring up considerable controversy and causing outrage among the vegan community. As a vegan who eats only eggs from chickens I have met personally, I have both praise and criticism of the meat emphasis. To understand my viewpoint I have to explain own vegetarian history.

I became a vegetarian when I was nine years old in 1977. I made the choice based on humanitarian feeling towards animals. When I left home for college I relocated to a predominantly vegetarian community and had the experience of living in a strictly vegetarian household. In this household and through the many health food stores I learned the right way to be a vegetarian. Previously I had eliminated meat but only had a very basic knowledge of what to replace it with. The paleo plan consists of a large portion of protein, which is generally not plausible to a vegetarian. My pre-secondary education taught that humans only need two servings of protein. To this day, I have heard many opinions professional or otherwise about how much protein is needed a day. I believe the high protein recommendations can be traced to the power of the meat and dairy industry.

A positive aspect of the Paleo Plan is the requirement that the meat is organic grass feed. Organic and grass fed may be a closer approximation to our Paleolithic origins than factory farming which is also inhumane, unhealthy mass production. However, the modern Paleo plan fails to take into consideration significant distinctions in our modern day meat consumption. Domestic livestock, even if grass fed and organic, is still a vast departure from paleolithic primitive hunting of wild games. Early human ate large portions of meat because of the tremendous labor of procuring and preparing their meat. Paleolithic people hunted and processed their meat with primitive means consuming far more energy than a trip to the meat counter at the grocery store. What I have seen in this modern day Paleo movement is an excuse to over-consume meat. It is a positive step to lean towards grass fed and organic, but the lack of labor involved in procuring the meat has to be considered in smaller meat portions. I also have limited faith that everyone who has climbed on the Paleo bandwagon bothers to only eat organic grass fed meats. Few people understand the entire concept of organic foods and consider buying organic to be too expensive and inconvenient. There is little understanding of the devastating environmental impact of commercial farming.

The questionable aspect of the Paleo Plan is the meat portions. Since the Paleolithic era, our meat eating habits have drastically changed. We used to hunt and gather as a small nomadic population sustaining the environment and ourselves. Our meat practices are based on unsustainable factory farming. Cattle raising involves the consumption and destruction of resources for a society that insist on eating more meat than is required. The consumption and destruction far outweigh the output of food that any human can survive without. Even if one does procure meat by hunting as our once ancestors, the discrepancy is still too wide. Modern hunting rifles are a significant departure from primitive hand to paw combat of the paleolithic era. The tools and methods of slaughtering meat have drastically reduced the work involved therefore the portion must be significantly modified.

Furthermore, much of the changes in anatomy we have seen are dictated by the daily needs of our lives in the present, though many years behind. For example, I have no wisdom teeth. Most of my generation did grow wisdom teeth and a handful never did such as myself. It would seem wisdom teeth are fading slowly, even if it has been 1000s of years since they have been necessary.   

My part in the progress of the evolutionary cycle is choosing to survive as a vegetarian. Meat is not necessary for my survival as it would have been had I lived in the Paleolithic time period. In my paradigm meat no longer has the utility which is evident in the evolutionary phasing out of wisdom teeth and millions of people living full healthy lives as vegetarians. I can also consider the notion that my digestive system is more suited to nuts and seeds. Common sense can also tell me that tubers and squashes are a healthier source of carbohydrates then starchy grains. I can also reason, that I can eat grains and legumes in moderation and survive even if I am not a nutritionist or expert on a modern digestive system.

Part of evolution is education. Since I am sophisticated in my life choices and educated I know how biologically close to humans and rabbits are. The human digestive system is very similar to that of rabbits, something the meat and dairy industry won't allow to be common knowledge. The diet of a rabbit consists of hay as a staple and vegetables and fruits. Our primate cousins sustain themselves on a similar vegetarian diet, so it is odd to think that early human labored so extensively to obtain their meat. At the same time, as evolved humans we can educate ourselves about our biology and the instinctive habits of closely related mammals and make choices.

If one is truly aspiring to gather as our ancestors did, we may not need to go as far as the nearest grocery store. Vegetation can be gathered from our own back yard providing we haven't doused it in weed killer. Tragically in California one of the most nutritious weed, which is not a weed at all. The flowers and the greens of the Dandelion are indigenous, nutritious, prolific and have a tasty zing. Dandelions also speed metabolism, are an intestinal cleanser, curb hot flashes and aid skin disorders. I am unable to comprehend how so many people can destroy free food and an entire field of dandelions are very attractive and food for native species. I have not seen a single person embracing the paleo plan foraging their backyard and neighborhood for native edibles.  I am guessing that these same folks get in their car to go to work and the grocery store without a single thought.

My exploration of the Paleo diet plan, as a vegetarian has led me my own assessment somewhere in the mid-range of the controversy. In my opinion, there are aspects of our progress as evolved human beings that are true progress and other aspects that are detrimental, defying our biology. Is it possible that we have evolved to process a very moderate amount of grains and legumes when you consider the health benefits in these foods? Legumes are an inexpensive source of protein a practical consideration for a vegetarian and some grains provide complementary nutrients to legumes. I am not an expert on nutrition or the paleo plan, but I suspect that we consume grains and in some instances legumes in great excess. Change in lifestyle is inevitable with the passage of centuries though I say this without another civilization to compare ours with. I have lived in third world countries where most aspects of the Paleo diet are naturally occurring, but the manual labors are also very close to the Paleolithic Era.