Not to hijack this thread and turn it into a discussion on the merits of paleo eating, but a few points in defense of my way of eating for about 3 years, and something that has really changed my life for the better:
- The paleo diet/primal blueprint is a way of eating, not a religion. While our evolution as humans provides a good framework to start the conversation, we don't eat things just because cavemen had them, and we don't shun them simply because cavemen didn't have them. We're not trying to reenact paleolithic lifestyle; we're trying to use observations about paleolithic peoples to ask questions about modern diet and optimize it. Paleolithic peoples were largely devoid of any of the "diseases of affluence" which plague us today. We use that observation as a starting point to ask why. All of it is backed up by science, not a desire to live like a cave man.
- igliashon, I agree that traditional preparation of grains is 1000% better than consuming the standard american diet, but those grains and legumes (even in their traditionally prepared state) still have in impact on gut health. That's obviously a huge discussion on its own, but that's why we don't eat them. Gluten is the largest offender, so I try to focus on that, rather than the other grains we use in gluten free brewing, since I'm not drinking gluten free brew every night.
- Beer is ancient, and people have been consuming it for thousands of years (I think mead is probably older), but as I said above, the idea isn't historical reenactment. Beer still isn't good for you, no matter how delicious it is.
- The life expectancy of paleolithic peoples may not be as short as you think, and although it's certainly shorter than it is today, a small cut that got infected could easily have killed them, dragging their average life expectancy lower. Their diet wasn't the problem.
- I've been eating this way for about 3 years (with frequent "cheats"; I still drink alcohol, and can't resist a good batch of mac & cheese, although I definitely feel it afterward), and I've seen a dramatic turnaround in all bloodwork and markers of health and disease. Granted that's completely anecdotal, but I've also gone off of it for a few months, and saw both my waistline and heart disease markers increase.
There're smarter folks than me that can answer many of the questions you guys raised, but if you want to learn more, including the studies that back it up, I would check out
www.marksdailyapple.com ,
www.robbwolf.com , and
www.thepaleodiet.com . I would suggest reading up on those studies before chalking it up to a fad.