By Jennifer Babisak
WHILE IT’S BEEN a couple of million years
since our Paleolithic ancestors made their
first crude stone tools, some people claim we
could learn a thing or two from those cave
dwellers. Specifically, Paleo lifestyle proponents believe that adopting the dietary practices of our Stone Age predecessors could
largely curb many health problems swamping
America, such as obesity and Type 2 diabetes.
The Paleo diet (aka the Primal, Stone Age
or Warrior diet) eschews post-agricultural
offerings such as grains and legumes, instead
focusing on meats, vegetables, fruits and nuts.
Although not without its critics, who believe
that the Paleo diet can present health problems, proponents of the diet believe that processed foods, refined sugars, grains and
sedentary lifestyles contribute to many of the
plagues of modern civilization.
“We’ve created an easy lifestyle with junk
foods that taste too good and chairs where we
never move around,” says Costco member
Mark Sisson, a former Ironman competitor,
Stone-age
cuisine
The Paleo diet:
a blast from the past
MICHELLETAM/HENRY
F
O
NG
cuisine
MI
CHELLETAM/HENRYFONG
Winter Kale &
Persimmon Salad
Slow Cooker
Kalua Pork
liaison to the International Olympic Committee and author. “We’ve screwed it up with technology and civilization and hedonistic
adventures. There’s a huge list of health problems affecting people, but almost all of these
are lifestyle related, preventable and even curable if you provide the right inputs.”
Adjusting to Paleo
Sisson believes that just about anyone
could benefit from adopting the Paleo style of
eating, though he cautions that people should
expect a period of adjustment as the body
adapts to deriving its energy from fat stores
instead of carbohydrates.
“It takes about 21 days for enzymes to
shift,” he says. “By cutting back sugar and
increasing healthy fat, you create more enzyme
systems to burn fat and down-regulate those
designed to burn sugar. Until you get to that
point, you may have a little wooziness—the
feeling of needing more sugar. Just keep some
high-fat snacks around, like macadamia
nuts or hard cheese.”
Some of these intro-
ductory hurdles can be
overcome by slowly inte-
grating Paleo foods into
your diet. Begin by pur-
chasing as many fresh
ingredients as possible and cooking the
majority of your meals at home. “Learn one
or two new recipes a week that you can mas-
ter and make yourself,” says Diane Sanfilippo,
a certified nutrition consultant and author.
“The recipes in my book and in most Paleo
cookbooks are very simple for the most part.
Just avoid things that have a lot of ingredients
and keep it simple.”
Affordability
Skeptics of the Paleo lifestyle assert that
it is financially infeasible for most Americans
to afford a diet composed of high-priced
meats and vegetables. However, Paleo proponents say there are sources for affordable,
