The Paleo diet has it wrong: Cavemen did eat carbs?

[jj-]

A University of Chicago study published earlier this month suggests that carbohydrate consumption, especially in the form of starch found in plant root tubers, like those found on potatoes, was vital for the acceleration of brain growth over the last 3 million years. And some nutritionists say this is more evidence that a modern low-carbohydrate version of the Paleo Diet may not be the healthiest alternative, even if it does help people lose weight.

Read the rest.

High-fat paleo advocates often claim "carbs make you fat". There is no statement that is easier to refute. Just look at fruitarians.

 

[Acala]

Paleo man probably did have access to tubers. How much and how often is hard to say. Certainly not enough to live on in most environments. Just look around the world and try to find any tribal people living on wild-gathered tubers. But the real problem with this article is the jump to the idea that dietary carbohydrates were somehow needed for brain development. Not at all. Brains are mostly fat, not carbs, and a type of fat entirely unavailable from land plants. There theory seems to be based on the erroneous ldea that brains need dietary carbs for fuel. Not so. They run very nicely on ketones with just a little bit of glucose that can easily be supplied by gluconeogenesis from fat. In other words, your brain can grow nicely on a diet with animal fat but will shrink on a vegan diet. The advent of big game hunting in man likely had more to do with brain growth than tubers.

 

[The Northbreather]

Many of the paleo peeps don't have a problem with occasional tubers

 

[dannno]

The paleo diet advocates eating tubers, vegetables with carbohydrates and fruit...just not in excess.

It is when you combine your veggies, fruit and tubers with more starches from grains, bread pasta and sugar that carbs become a problem.

It is a misunderstanding of the paleo diet that it is no carb, it is low carb but only low carb compared to the diabetes causing standard american diet. Also, I agree with Acala that the body can create the glucose it needs and good fats are more important than carbs for brain and body functions.

I will admit you may be right that fructose carbs (like fruit) might be handled better by the body than glucose carbs (like grains/bread/pasta). You also get it right when you advocate coconut oil and good sources of grass fed/pastured yogurt, etc.

 

[Acala]

Read the rest.

High-fat paleo advocates often claim "carbs make you fat". There is no statement that is easier to refute. Just look at fruitarians.

Meth addicts are thin too. There are many things that can make you thin, including bizarre forms of diet that omit critical nutrients.

 

[jj-]

Paleo man probably did have access to tubers. How much and how often is hard to say. Certainly not enough to live on in most environments. Just look around the world and try to find any tribal people living on wild-gathered tubers. But the real problem with this article is the jump to the idea that dietary carbohydrates were somehow needed for brain development. Not at all. Brains are mostly fat, not carbs, and a type of fat entirely unavailable from land plants. There theory seems to be based on the erroneous ldea that brains need dietary carbs for fuel. Not so. They run very nicely on ketones with just a little bit of glucose that can easily be supplied by gluconeogenesis from fat. In other words, your brain can grow nicely on a diet with animal fat but will shrink on a vegan diet. The advent of big game hunting in man likely had more to do with brain growth than tubers.

Don't you think they were at a disadvantage by not having glycogen stores in the quantities people who eat carbs do?

Also, gluconeogenesis has a cost. It requires higher stress hormones than just using the available glucose, and using fat as energy results in less carbon dioxide produced, which is protective for many things.

When the body has the choice of using glycogen stores or creating glucose from fat, why does it choose the former? Maybe because it's better for the body?

 

[specsaregood]

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[jj-]

Meth addicts are thin too. There are many things that can make you thin, including bizarre forms of diet that omit critical nutrients.

Yeah, meth=fruit.

Meth and fruit are so different when it comes to nutrition. Please don't go into la la land.

 

[enriquegill012]

I've read a Yahoo! article about this. Well, I must say that healthy eating and regular exercise are still the best way to maintain a body with well physique.