The so-called palaeodiet (and now even the palaeo-epigenetic diet) has come under a lot of scrutiny of late for making wild and unsubstantiated claims and for being downright dangerous to our health.
If we’re serious about the palaeolifestyle, then just how far are we prepared to take this obsession with our Stone Age heritage and its claimed benefits? If it really offers a panacea for good health, shouldn’t we all become cave-dwellers again and consume the full variety of foods our ancestors actually ate?
Are we really willing to eat the “real” palaeodiet, even if it means munching on grandma when she passes away?
Being Preyed Upon by Palaeodieters
Palaeodiet advocates prey on the deep-seated anxieties we all share about health and longevity, as well as our cultural fixation with body image and the idea of naturalness and a sentimental connection to our past.
Its highly selective and unscientific interpretations of human biology should be a massive pause for thought.
But, of course, this is a naïve view of the real world: the fad diet industry makes its money from sales fuelled by ill-informed celebrity endorsements and publishing companies that fail to give health claims proper scrutiny.
And, importantly, making cash from diets that by their very nature cannot work is what the fad diet industry is ultimately all about....
