I've recently had several friends bring concerns to be about my Paleo diet. I'd like to address them here for anyone else with similar concerns, with the help of FITBOMB.
Q: Didn't Cavemen die by age 40? Obviously it's cause their diet sucked.
A: Paleolithic humans had shorter average life spans, but what knocked down their average number of years of life? High infant mortality rates, a lack of medical care, living in the wild (that shit is tough), predators, accidents, trauma, etc. If 40 of every 100 prehistoric kidlets died before age 10, even if every survivor lived past age 60, the life expectancy of the group would still be under age 40, just because of basic math. Many studies have been done on the life expectancy of hunter-gatherer societies:
"In most hunter-gatherer populations today, approximately 10-20% of the population is 60 years of age or older. These elderly people have shown to be generally free of the signs of and symptoms of chronic disease (obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels) that universally afflict the elderly in western societies. When these people adopt western diets, their health declines and they begin to exhibit signs and symptoms of 'diseases of civilization'." -Loren Cordain
Q: What about my doctor? He told me low-fat diets are best.
A: Doctor's don't have to complete much coursework on nutrition in their training. A majority of medical schools still fail to meet the minimum requirement of nutritional instruction (a measly 25 hours). Absolutely hear what your doctor has to say on the matter, and then do your own research as well. I tend to be of the habit to never blindly take anyone's advice without doing my own digging as well, and weighing options and sources. And if you find anything conflicting or confusing, by all means ask your doctor about that as well.
Q: Humans need carbs to live! You can't work out without carbs.
A: The Paleo diet isn't carb free - you just get your carbs from vegetables and fruit instead of grains, legumes and added sugar.
Hope this clears a few things up, and if you have any questions, check out FITBOMB. They have an incredibly informative site.
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