Should you eat like a Caveman?

Do you feel confused by the endless bombardment of information about good vs bad diets? Camps are drawing deeper lines in the sand on their “sides”. 

Grains are good. Then they are bad. Oil vs No-Oil. Gluten vs No-Gluten.....

One of the largest divisions is around Vegetarianism vs Caveman (Paleo) Diets. Vegetarians insist we are all meant to thrive on a plant-based diet and shun animal proteins. Paleos proclaim we are all meant to exist on the diets of our ancestors in the old stone age which allegedly was high meat and no grains. 

This TedTalk enlightens! An anthropologist studied the Paleo claims compared to those of our true ancestors.

One of the key takeaways of her talk is that our ancestors' diets actually varied significantly based on where and how they lived. Some ate more plant-based materials with very little animal proteins while others ate high proportions of animal protein. Grains were even present in some of our ancestors’ diets, but not all. 

Bottom line: We are all unique! Our take-away: Find what works for YOU and take your life to an entire other level. 

Divisions aside, Paleo and Vegetarians share a lot more common ground than is often noted:

• Eat lots of whole vegetables. Very few will dispute that a high percent of plants is a good thing.
• Cut out processed foods and sugars. This is a tenet of the Paleo Diet and one of their strongest. This is also emphasized by some of the better Vegetarian programs as well.
• Local, seasonal food is always in season. Enter shameless plug for Greenling Organics. Again, this is commonly emphasized in both Paleo and Vegetarian Diets and one most of us can agree is common sense.
• If you do intend to eat animal protein, choosing consciously raised, sourced and well cared for animals is night and day. Grass fed, free range and preferably selected from your local farmers market or a reliable resource such as Greenling.