What is the “Paleo” argument?

As I mentioned in my last post, Professor Loren Cordain is the man responsible for the nutritional theory known as “The Paleo Diet.” The Paleo Diet recommends that people eat like our evolutionary ancestors did: a non-processed balance of meats, vegetables, and few whole grains.

In “The Protein Debate,” Cordain reports benefits such as reduced gut size and metabolic activity, as well as an expansion in brain size for those who eat as he recommends. He also reports that the Paleo Diet allows for a better blood lipid profile, lower blood pressure, insulin sensitivity and glycemic control.

Another mainstay of Cordain’s argument is that meats have more of everything (different proteins and nutrients) packed into them whereas a vegetarian diet requires many different foods to provide the same nutritional content as one piece of meat.

Another interesting tidbit to consider about Cordain’s Paleo Diet is that Cordain supports the reductionist approach to studying diet. This means he supports the method of dietary study where the scientist studies one nutrient at a time as opposed to studying diet holistically and observing how everything works together an affects the human system.

So what is Campbell’s argument? And why do I subscribe to the vegan approach, even though Cordain makes some interesting points? Read on this week to find out more.

Bean out.

For your own research purposes, check out the full debate: http://www.catalystathletics.com/articles/downloads/proteinDebate.pdf