Answers to Popular Arguments Against the Paleo and Primal Diets

Ever increasing in popularity, from high profile advocates to a growing number of books, the Paleo and Primal diets have inevitably come under attack by various competitors and detractors.  Unfortunately, many who argue against them misrepresent what they actually consist of.  Some, most likely, do it purposely, while others do it through a genuine lack of understanding of what they are.  Even in the case of the latter group, they are at best irresponsible.  It is a logical necessity that you have an accurate understanding of what you are evaluating, in order to make a fair and competent evaluation.

"But, ancient man did eat grains.  It is known that the Egyptians ate wheat and bread and drank beer."

Yes, indeed the Egyptians did indulge in all of those things.  However, the Egyptian civilization that you refer to is not Paleolithic.  You are not going back far enough.  Both the Paleo and Primal diets refer back to the Paleolithic era.  This time period spans between 2.6 million years ago up until 10,000 B.C.  That is before the ancient Egyptians.  The first humanoid species came into being approximately 2 million years ago.  The Paleolithic era accounts for about 95% of human history and diet.  The Egyptian civilization is old, however it is still part of the Neolithic era.  These diets base themselves on the types of foods humans ate before the birth of agriculture.  Bread is the result of agriculture and modern, Neolithic civilizations.  The same goes for beer.  Those two man made inventions did not exist for 95% of human history.

Eating Paleo and Primal is not good because cavemen only lived to be in their thirties, on average.

While it is true that the average lifespan for the Paleolithic man was approximately 35 years for men, and 30 for women, there are several other variables that were involved.  Before the birth of agriculture and large, complex civilizations, man banded together in much smaller groups.  Before the mass extinction at the end of the last ice age, life in the Paleolithic era was far more dangerous.  Humans, being fewer in number, were more susceptible to both predation, and being killed as a result of attempting to hunt prey.  The Paleolithic era consisted of a plethora of larger, more dangerous animals than modern times.  With fewer people, and with weaponry limited to spears and stones, people could be very badly injured or killed in the course of a hunt.

In addition, medicine was very primitive.  People could die from abscesses borne from acquired injuries or wounds.  Advancements in medicinal health care, as well as understanding of infections and the human body came with time, and larger civilizations with improved methods of communication.  The shorter life expectancy for women was most likely due to the lack of knowledge on how to deal with pregnancy or delivery complications.

Another misconception is that the lifespan gradually increased over time.  According to research by Angel, Lawrence J. (1984) "Health as a crucial factor in the changes from hunting to developed farming in the eastern Mediterranean." In: Cohen, Mark N.; Armelagos, George J. (eds.) (1984) Paleopathology at the Origins of Agriculture (proceedings of a conference held in 1982). Orlando: Academic Press. (pp. 51-73)], the lifespans of Paleolithic man were roughly equal to Neolithic man, up until the 20th century, when vast improvements of science, and the modern industrial economy took root.  There are a couple noted exceptions in the Neolithic time where the age rose into the forties, during the peaks of the ancient Greek civilization and the Roman empire, where advancements in science and good hygenic practices that were later abandoned by medieval people enabled brief rises in longevity.  This lack of advancement in longevity up until the Industrial Revolution speaks volumes when you consider that Neolithic man had the advantages of a complex society that the Paleolithic man did not.

Another thing to take into account on the chart shown in the link is the fact that Neolithic man also did not grow as tall as the Paleolithic man, and also did not have as much of a pelvic inlet depth index.  When the human diet switched to grains and bread as staples at the beginning of the Neolithic era, people shrunk in height, despite the increased abundance of food from agriculture.

"The USDA has ranked the Paleo and Primal diets one of the lowest of all."

The USDA is heavily influenced by politics.  In Washington D.C. there exists a very large and powerful grain lobby that fuels the U.S. government via subsidies.  Ever since the modern food pyramid created in the 1970's, diseases of affluence have become much more prominent.  The obesity rate is higher than ever.  The several millennia track record simply does not favor eating grains and bread as the base of your diet.

If you are curious, if you have not tried the Paleo or Primal diets, here is a highly recommended nutritional information book.