Something in Dr.Sears`theory seems to me ilogical. In his book,The Secret Inflammation, hi hails the evolution for the inovation of fat storage. Instead of carryng around a 100 pounds liver, with stored energy in the form of carbohydrates, we carry just 10 pounds of stored fat tissue with the same amount of energy. So, the paleolithic man could survive during the hard times when no food was available.

Well, if this was true, why would also the modern man not do the same. Running around, until most of the fat tissue is burnt, instead of eating every 5 hours!

hmmm, there's a very interesting answer to this question: eating is so satisfying, so much a symbol of nurturing, so much a part of culture and celebration, so sensual, so FUN......that we just keep on doing it.....!!!!!!

oh, but you mean why does Dr. S. have us eat every 5 hrs. It's about keeping the insulin response under control....

OK Janet, but insulin is being secreted only after eating carbohydrates. If we fast, there is no stimulus for the insulin secretion. I also don`t believe the paleolithic man had a problem with insulin resistance and he was starving a lot, for sure!

Don't forget that it's also about maintaining that balance between insulin and glucagon.

But when the paleolithic man was starving, he needed a lot of glucagon to extract the energy from the stored fat!?

there's a rate of metabolism and Sears would have us eat before we feel hungry....remember, we don't feast on a side of bison....because hunger takes us out of the zone. Also eating more than our alloted blks takes us out of the zone. could we duplicate the eating pattern of paleo man? maybe. and maybe it would work. (it wouldn't work for me)
I like your questions cuz you've thought it out well....

Hi Janet

Al my adult life, I exercised a lot. I bought in 1973 the bestseller Aerobics from Dr. Kenneth Cooper and I was his fan since then. Now, I have a small library of his books, including the last one, printed in 2008, Start Strong, Finnish Strong. Mostly, I was running and climbing in the mountains. (I live in the Alps, so it`s quite natural). Because of such living style, I had no weight problems.

Later, I went to live and work to Africa for eight years. I lived on the Indian Ocean sea shore with temperatures normally over 30 degrees C and humidity 100%. I stoped running and climbing (there were no mountains BTW) and swiched to swimming. Food was excellent, always fresh fruits, veggies, fish, game meat (I was hunting myself). However, I also drank a lot, mostly bier and whisky. Slowly, I put on 33 kg (73 lbs). Returning home, I went on a strict fast for 42 days, eating nothing, drinking 3 cups of clear veggie and fruit juice a day and exercising more than 3 hours daily. I felt very well, sheding 20 kg (44 lbs).

Now, I am 36 days on The Zone diet, I liked it very much, but the weight is not going down. So, I`m again playing with the thought of making another starving experiment. Dr. Sears is not endorsing fasting, I know... Well, I will stick for some more time to The Zone to see the results.

In any case, I`ve to shed additional 13 kg. If The Zone doesn`t work, I will turn to paleo man regimen again!

Rejec,

I think there are a few differences between paleo man vs. modern man.

First, paleo man had to fight to survive. He probably went for days without eating any protein, but he probably did find berries and things like that for some food. Obviously, he did not eat every 4-6 hours and he did not worry about balancing meals. One big difference is that he was not eating high glycemic carbs. There was no bread or grain intake in his day. So, his diet-although not always perfectly proportioned, was basically a paleolithic version of the zone diet. As his carbs were low-glycemic, he didn't worry about insulinemia.

We don't have to eat as "paleolithic" as our ancestors did, but we can learn a few things from paleo man. Our bodies have not evolved to the point at which we have been able to tolerate the high glycemic loads of bread and starches, and so we have created this modern disease process which most all chronic diseases are born from these days. The Zone will help us to gain control of our insulin levels. And, eating in the Zone will help us to stay in the Zone all the time--heightens our performance and keeps us healthy.

I don't think that paleo man actually was able to stay in the Zone as we strive to do consistently. I am willing to bet that he probably lost some LBM when he went long periods without protein. But, in today's world, we don't have to go for those long periods and risk using our LBM for energy. We just have to do the Zone, focusing on consuming adequate protein to maintain our LBM, consuming low glycemic carbs to keep insulin levels under control, and adequate fat. That will keep us in a mode of burning fat instead of LBM.

More food for thought, Paleo man wore out his body and died at a very young age as compared to people now.

Sue, I don't think Paleo man wore out his body. I think they lived without the medical treatment for things like infection and also lived a more dangerous life style having to fight for food. They had warring tribes to tend with and wild animals. The studies I have read show that the elderly were actually very healthy if they made it that far.

Another reason for the low life expectancy is the child mortality was so high. If infant mortality is high it really affects the average.

Check some of the work by Staffan Lindeberg.

Here is a piece from thepaleodiet.com faqs. Dr Loren Cordain

"Since hunter-gatherers lived a "nasty, short, and brutal life," how can we know if their diets were healthful or not? Don't their short life spans suggest a poor diet"?

It is certainly true that hunter-gatherers studied during modern times did not have as great an average lifespan as those values found in fully westernized, industrial nations. However, most deaths in hunter-gatherer societies were related to the accidents and trauma of a life spent living outdoors without modern medical care, as opposed to the chronic degenerative diseases that afflict modern societies. In most hunter-gatherer populations today, approximately 10-20% of the population is 60 years of age or older. These elderly people have been shown to be generally free of the signs and symptoms of chronic disease (obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels) that universally afflict the elderly in western societies. When these people adopt western diets, their health declines and they begin to exhibit signs and symptoms of "diseases of civilization."

"Are hunter-gatherer diets practical to feed the world's population"?

There are more than six billion people alive on the planet in the 21st century. Cereal grains provide more than half of the energy required to feed the world's people. Without cereal grains, there would be massive starvation of unprecedented proportion on the planet. We have walked down a path of absolute dependence upon cereal grains -- a path that cannot be reversed. However, in most western countries, cereals are not a necessity, particularly in many segments of the population that suffer most from Syndrome X and other chronic diseases of civilization. In this population, a return to a Stone Age Diet is not only possible, but highly practical in terms of long-term healthcare costs.

Now I am not saying we need to only feast and famine like they may have but I do think the Paleo foods are much better and we should stay away from the "frankeinfoods". Recently I have been avoiding the designer proteins, anything fat free, egg beaters anything heavily processed. When I do it I feel great. It is hard to get used to. The conveinience factor of many of these processed foods makes them more acceptable in todays fast paced times. I also avoid farmed fish, I only eat grass fed beef and cage free Omega eggs "gasp" yes I eat the yolk. "double gasp" According to Robb Wolf the resident nutrition expert at CrossFit they have "none of the arachadonic acid issue of regular eggs".



Matt

Interesting take, Matt! I haven't done my homework as far as paleo man goes, but I do tend to agree with you on your current dietary choices. I also believe that the less processed, the better. That is one rationale for my dropping zone bars from my food plan. Now, I am not perfect, certainly not eating paleo, but I have been making progress towards a diet that is from foods in the form that they were meant to be eaten. So, if I am going to eat eggs, I, too, will eat the eggs and yolk. I am really pleased to hear that the cage-free eggs have no AA issues (and I think you have a typo in your last paragraph, I figured you were stating that you only eat grass fed beef). I have also been considering other products, like full fat yogurt (which, by the way, is VERY difficult to find). Who ever heard of a cow producing fat free milk? LOL!

The downside to all of this is the expense, and the scarcity of some of these foods. I don't find these products where I shop, and would have to travel 60+ miles to find them, then add in the cost. But, eventually, I sure hope that these products become easier to get.

I corrected my typo.

I understand about the cost. In today's economy you have to be careful.

The eggs are Omega vegetarian cage free from Costco. They are twice as much as the regular eggs. Since I eat the yolks it costs me the same as eating wites only and throwing away the yummy yolk.

I am by no means 100% paleo but I try. I think it is better for you.

Matt

Oh, that is a good point. Since we are tossing the yolk... I don't know why I wasn't thinking of that!

I do the best I can, some of it is cost prohibitive, but at least I am starting by moving away from most processed foods.

I am planning a garden this year, but have been short on time to get it in. Maybe next weekend, though.

Hi Matt!

Enjoy your yolks. :-) I prefer to listen to Barry and keep discarding most of mine. I want to maintain the best possible AA/EPA ratio. There are probably contradicting opinions and studies out there, but here are a couple that do not support there being less AA in cage free eggs.

http://www.sciencedirect.com/scienc...33c3169048

http://ps.fass.org/cgi/reprint/81/1/30.pdf

I don't understand why yolks from eggs are so bad! Yes, AA...

But, if chickens are fed the way that they were meant to be fed, i.e. cage free and grass fed, then I think it would make sense that the studies would support reduced amounts of AA. And, man has been eating eggs for a long time throughout history, hasn't he?