Welcome to The Paleo Diet Blog!

The Paleo Diet--the world’s healthiest diet--is based on the simple understanding that the best human diet is the one to which we are best genetically adapted. It is supported by documented scientific evidence and by real-life improvements, even triumphs, of people winning their personal health battles.

The Paleo Diet is based upon the life work of Dr. Loren Cordain. Dr. Cordain is widely acknowledged as a leading expert on the diet of our Paleolithic ancestors. In numerous publications in the world's best scientific journals, he has documented the dramatic health benefits of eating a diet consistent with human genetic evolution and our ancestral, Paleolithic diet. Learn how a diet based on lean meats, seafood, fresh fruits, and fresh vegetables can lead to ideal body weight, optimum health, and peak athletic performance.

This concept represents the "unified field theory" of nutrition that has until now been lacking. The discipline of human nutrition previously had no orienting paradigm to guide research and inquiry, and as such was an immature science. In contrast, cosmology has the big bang theory, which orients all thought regarding the origins of the universe, and geology has continental drift and plate tectonics, which universally guide research into the origins of earth's land mass. In biology, the fundamental, guiding principle is Darwin's theory of evolution through natural selection, which provides a template for the creation of life on earth.

It has only been in the last two decades that a few enlightened scientists have realized that this principle also represents the basic biological principle which determines the nutritional requirements of any organism - including humans. Our genes were shaped by our ancestors' environment, including our nutrtional requirements. Because what we eat today is so far removed from the diet of our hunter-gatherer ancestors, a discordance exists between our genes and our diet, and this factor represents the underlying reason why we are so sick and overweight as a society.

Dr. Cordain has authored three pioneering books that provide specific applications of The Paleo Diet for general health and nutrition, specifically for athletes, and for curing acne.

The Paleo Diet provides the background and basis for the optimally healthful diet. It has been highly praised by researchers, scientists, and readers from all over the world.

The Paleo Diet for Athletes, written by Dr. Loren Cordain and world-class fitness trainer Joe Friel, provides detailed information on how endurance athletes can improve performance, recovery, and health by eating a slightly modified version of the Paleo Diet.

The Dietary Cure for Acne represents the first real cure--not a treatment--a real solution to this pervasive skin disease. It is a natural acne diet program, based on recent research.

We also offer numerous programs designed to help people address particular nutritional and health needs. These programs can enable you to achieve your health goals whether you seek to:

• permanently free yourself from acne
• improve your athletic performance
• enjoy a longer, healthier, more active life
• lose weight without dieting and exercise,
• reduce or eliminate your risk of diseases, including cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and the vast majority of all chronic degenerative diseases that affect humanity

For more information about our team and our products please visit our Paleo Diet web site as well as our Dietary Cure for Acne web site.

You may post comments and questions at the end of most blog posts. Scroll down to the end of a post, type your comments in the text area under the title Post a Comment, and click the Post Comment button.

The Paleo Diet in the News

Dear Readers,

The Paleo Diet and Dr. Cordain's work have been cited in recent articles in the following media:

• Mail Tribune, Medford, Oregon
  
• Daily News, Redbluff, California
  
• The Ledger, Lakeland, Florida
  
• The Press of Atlantic City
  
• A Sweet Life: An interview with a Type 1 Diabetic
  
• Netstrife News - Rapid Weight Loss on the Paleolithic Diet (click on the article to make the pop-up go away).
  
• Medscape - Does Diet Really Affect Acne?
  
• Total Health Breakthroughs - Beating Obesity, The Old-Fashioned Way
  
• Robb Wolf discusses The Paleo Diet in his podcast The Paleolithic Solution. Robb is a former student of Dr. Cordain's, and an advocate of Cordain's work in paleolithic nutrition.
  
• Psychology Today - features an article on The Paleo Diet in their June edition (print), and their own paleolithic nutrition Q &A referencing Dr. Cordain's work on their blog. PT first wrote about Dr. Cordain's work in paleolithic nutrition in 1997!
  
• WBUR.org (Boston NPR affiliate)
  
• Westword
  
• San Jose Mercury News
  
• ArgusLeader.com
  
• AnnArbor.com
  
• ESPN - main article, expanded article
• The Colbert Report - interview with John Durant
  
• The Denver Post
  
• National Post
  
• Voice of America
• Macleans
  
• Politics Daily
• Sun-Sentinel
• AFP
• Spiegel Online
• Independent Online
• The Times Online
• The New York Times
• The Washington Post
• AOL's thatsfit.com
• Book publishing news site Galleycat
• The Examiner
• Medscape
• Huffington Post

Consumption of Nightshade Plants paper now available

Dear Readers,

Dr. Cordain's newest paper "Consumption of Nightshade Plants" is now available from our web store.

Thank you for your continued readership.

Report Issued on the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans

by Patrick Baker, Editor

On June 15, 2010 the US Federal Government announced the release of the Report of the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2010, a solicitation for written comments on the report, and an invitation for testimony at a public meeting to be held on July 15, 2010 in Washington D.C. Links to this announcement, the report, and instructions for submitting written comments or attending the public meeting are available at the Dietary Guidelines for Americans web site (www.DietaryGuidelines.gov).

Federal legislation requires that the most recent edition of the guidelines (last published in 2005) be reviewed, updated if necessary, and published every five years. The current report contains the recommendations of the 2010 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (DGAC) to the Secretaries of Agriculture and of Health and Human Services for use in updating the Guidelines.

The Current USDA Food Pyramid. Source: www.health.gov.

In the introduction, the 2010 DGAC report states that two-thirds of the American public is overweight or obese. It goes on to say that "Americans are making dietary choices in a highly obesogenic environment and at a time of burgeoning diet-related chronic diseases affecting people of all ages, ethnic backgrounds, and socioeconomic levels. The DGAC considers the obesity epidemic to be the single greatest threat to public health in this century."

The introduction goes on to discuss the role of diet and physical activity in attenuating the risk of chronic diseases, as well as identifying population groups of particular concern. These include: children, pregnant and lactating women, and older adults.

Dr. Cordain was asked to comment on the report, and stated "I really don't see how these ‘new’ recommendations vary substantially from prior USDA Food Guidelines." Cordain states that the recommendations to consume whole grains and skim milk "obviously vary from the human ancestral diet, and upon closer scrutiny, these two foods are not necessarily healthful."

Dr. Cordain’s cites evidence from his book The Paleo Diet, as well as his and other published research, that whole grain products frequently may contribute to an elevated glycemic load because of the quantity of total grains the USDA recommends (8 ounces per day, equivalent to 8 slices of bread). Wheat in particular is problematic because it contains the storage protein gliadin, shown to increase intestinal permeability in celiac patients as well as in healthy persons.

Cordain notes that increased intestinal permeability promotes passage of a gut borne bacterial substance called lipopolysachharide into the bloodstream, producing a low-level chronic state of inflammation called endotoxemia (see Maelán Fontes’ article on Type 2 Diabetes and Endotoxemia). Endotoxemia likely underlies many chronic disease states, particularly cardiovascular disease and a number of autoimmune diseases, according to Cordain.

Dr. Cordain goes on to say that, "In the U.S. alone, it is estimated that 1 in 100 people or about 3 million US citizens have celiac disease. It is irresponsible to make across-the-board dietary recommendations to the entire population given the high incidence of celiac disease."

Cordain notes that while skim milk is promoted by the USDA because it contains much lower concentrations of saturated fat, it has been shown to be highly insulinotropic – "meaning that it raises blood insulin concentrations, similar to eating candy or a chocolate chip cookie." Dr. Cordain states that, "Work from our laboratory substantiated this effect for both skim and whole milk. In a recent study of young boys, they became insulin resistant after seven days on a high milk diet, compared to seven days on a high meat diet. This study has not been replicated in adults, but there is no reason to believe that the response would vary." Consumption of milk elevates a hormone called IGF-1 - which increases growth in children, resulting in an increased adult stature. However, says Cordain, "it also increases the risk for breast, colon and most particularly prostate cancer."

The Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee is accepting written comments on the report until July 15, 2010. The public meeting to solicit oral comments on the report will be held on July 8, 2010, starting at 9:00 am EDT. Details are available at the Dietary Guidelines for Americans web site (www.DietaryGuidelines.gov).

Audio Interviews with Dr. Cordain

Dear Readers,

A collection of audio interviews with Dr. Cordain (MP3 format), including his March 30, 2010 guest appearance on Seattle's The Soul's Edge radio program, have been published on our web site. Visit our web site to download the recordings.

Radio Interview with Dr. Cordain

Dear Readers,

Dr. Cordain was a guest on the The Soul's Edge radio program on KKNW Alternative Talk Radio, 1150 AM, in Seattle on March 30. You may listen to an MP3 recording of the interview from our web site. The segment with Dr. Cordain begins at time index 15:23 in the MP3 recording.

Ancestral Health Symposium

Dear Readers,

Dr. Cordain, Pedro Bastos, and Nell Stephenson have all been invited to participate in the first ever Ancestral Health Symposium to be held at the University of California at Los Angeles during the summer of 2011.

Mission: The Ancestral Health Symposium fosters interdisciplinary collaboration and translational efforts between research scientists, physicians, health experts/professionals, and patients who study and communicate about the human ecological niche and modern health from an evolutionary perspective to develop innovative solutions to our current health challenges.

For more information please visit: ancestryfoundation.org.

Dr. Cordain's Latest Paper

Dear Readers,

Dr. Cordain, et al, have published a new paper entitled "Diet-dependent acid load, Paleolithic nutrition, and evolutionary health promotion,"available for download on our web site.

Autographed Copies of The Paleo Diet for Athletes Now Available

Dear Readers,

Dr. Cordain's hard cover edition of The Paleo Diet for Athletes (available exclusively from our web store) may now be purchased as an autographed edition signed by Dr. Cordain! Please visit our web store to obtain your copy.

Paleo Diet Article in The Washington Post

Dear Readers,

The Paleo Diet, Dr. Cordain, and Chris LaLanne are cited in a January 2, 2010 article in The Washington Post entitled "Paleolithic diet is so easy, cavemen actually did it."

Dr. Cordain Comments on New Evidence of Early Human Grain Consumption

Dear Readers,

Dr. Cordain was recently asked by a reporter from the journal Nature to comment on an article entitled "Mozambican Grass Seed Consumption During the Middle Stone Age" by Julio Mercader in the journal Science, citing evidence that humans consumed grain much earlier than was previously thought. In addition, one of our readers asked Dr. Cordain to comment on an article in Scientific American entitled "Humans feasting on grains for at least 100,000 years," by Katherine Harmon.

Dear Dr. Cordain,

I am a huge fan of your books and have been eating a paleo diet for years. I've had your graph of the land/water meat/fish, and fruit, nut, seed % breakdown taped to my fridge for years, although I'm so familiar with it that i no longer need to look at it for reference.

The Paleo Diet is predicated upon the fact that humans did not have grain cultivation and consumption until 5,000-8,000 years ago, which coincides with the advent of 'modern' civilization diseases. Up until now, this hypothesis have not been challenged as the archival evidence of grain agriculture matches it.

However, the current issue of Scientific American has an article stating archaeological evidence that humans were eating lots of grains 100,000 years ago.

http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/post.cfm?id=humans-feasting-on-grains-for-at-le-2009-12-17

I am most curious about your opinion about this and how it effects the paleo dietary theory.

Thanks!

Dr. Cordain's response:

This is an interesting paper ( Mercader J. Mozambican grass seed consumption during the middle stone age. Science 2009;326:1680-83) as it may push probable (but clearly not definite) cereal grain consumption by hominins back to at least 105,000 years ago. Prior to this evidence, the earliest exploitation of wild cereal grains was reported by Piperno and colleagues at Ohalo II in Israel and dating to ~23,500 years ago (Nature 2004;430:670-73). As opposed to the Ohalo II data in which a large saddle stone was discovered with obvious repetitive grinding marks and embedded starch granules attributed to a variety of grains and seeds that were concurrently present with the artifact , the data from Ngalue is less convincing for the use of cereal grains as seasonal food. No associated intact grass seeds have been discovered in the cave at Ngalue, nor were anvil stones with repetitive grinding marks found. Hence, at best, the data suggests sporadic use (and not necessarily consumption) of grains at this early date. Clearly, large scale processing of sorghum for consumption for extended periods seems unlikely.

Further, It should be pointed out that consumption of wild grass seeds of any kind requires extensive technology and processing to yield a digestible and edible food that likely did not exist 105,000 years ago. Harvesting of wild grass seeds without some kind of technology (e.g. sickles and scythes [not present at this time]) is tedious and difficult at best. Additionally, containers of some sort (baskets [not present at this time], pottery [not present] or animal skin containers are needed to collect the tiny grains. Many grain species require flailing to separate the seed from the chaff and then further winnowing ([baskets not present]), or animal skins] to separate the seeds from the chaff. Intact grains are not digestible by humans unless they are first ground into a flour (which breaks down the cell walls), and then cooked (typically in water – e.g. boiling [technology not present]) or parched in a fire which gelatinizes the starch granules, and thereby makes them available for digestion and absorption. Because each and every one of these processing steps requires additional energy on the part of the gatherer, most contemporary hunter gatherers did not exploit grains except as starvation foods because they yielded such little energy relative to the energy obtained (optimal foraging theory).

If indeed the grinder/core axes with telltale starch granules were used to make flour from sorghum seeds, then the flour still had to be cooked to gelatinize the starch granules to make it digestible. In Neolithic peoples, grass seed flour most typically is mixed with water to make a paste (dough) that is then cooked into flat breads. It is highly unlikely that the technology or the behavioral sophistication existed 105,000 years ago to make flat breads. Whole grains can be parched intact in fires, but this process is less effective than making flour into a paste and cooking it to gelatinize the starch granules. Hence, it is difficult to reconcile the chain of events proposed by the authors (appearance of sorghum starch granules on cobbles or grinders = pounding or grinding of sorghum grains = consumption of sorghum). I wouldn’t hang my hat on this evidence indicating grains were necessarily consumed by hominins at this early date. To my mind, the Ohalo II data still represents the best earliest evidence for grain consumption by hominins.

Cordially,
Loren Cordain, Ph.D., Professor

Dr. Cordain Quoted in December Issue of Science

Dr. Cordain attended and addressed the conference Evolution and Diseases of Modern Environments, at Charité University Medicine Berlin, Humboldt University, 12–14 October 2009. He's quoted in the latest issue of the magazine Science, 11 December 2009, www.sciencemag.org, in the article "What’s for Dinner? Researchers Seek Our Ancestors’ Answers."

Paleo Diet Q & A - 5 December 2009

Dear Readers,

Thank you for continuing to post your comments and questions. Here's today's edition of Paleo Diet Q & A.

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Q: Dear Dr. Cordain,

I am a PhD student, and I am starting to study how our instinct should lead us to enjoy the foods best suited for us, as it seems it does for any known animal.

Some of the first things I have found are your works. The point I am trying to get at is that we should have in us this instinct. So just one question. Do you know about, or have you read works of any authors that have made research on this point?

Best regards and many thanks.
Alfis.

A: Hi Alfis,

Off the top of my head, I can't remember any specific papers on the topic. However, there are thousands of papers on taste & humans have a proclivity towards sweet, salty and fatty. Under stone age conditions in which these tastes were associated with foods that limited and difficult to procure these tastes led us to foods that conferred survival value. In the modern world in which we have completely dissociated energy expenditure from energy intake we can eat anything that our taste guides us to in virtually unlimited quantity. Hence our hard wired tastes which once conferred survival value in a Stone Age environment now represent a liability in our western world of food abundance.

Best wishes,
Loren Cordain, Ph.D., Professor

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Q: I understand the Paleo Diet to be primarily a removal from the diet of all grains, dairy products, and man-processed sugars. But what about potatoes, corn, and legumes (all of which cannot be digested raw and are high in starch), and natural sugars like maple syrup and honey? Do they fit into the Paleo Diet?

I bought and read the book years ago, but cannot remember the exact teachings on these particular foods, and cannot find clear teachings about them on the website. Perhaps I am looking in the wrong place?

A: Potatoes are not part of The Paleo Diet because they contain some harmful substances, namely saponins (solanine and chaconine) which can't be degraded by digestion or cooking. They can contribute to an increase in intestinal permeability which is associated to many chronic diseases.

Regarding legumes, they are also sources of saponins as well as lectins. Lectins are also toxic substances for the intestinal barrier, and they can adversely stimulate the immune system.

Corn is a cereal grain which is also a source of lectins (see Dr. Cordain paper entitled "Cereal grains: Humanity's double edged sword" in our published research section).

Sugars were part of our Hunter-gatherers ancestors' diet but not year round. So, use them in moderation.

Radio Interview with Dr. Cordain - download the podcast!

Dear Readers,

The podcast for the radio interview with Dr. Cordain conducted by Dr. Ron Hoffman at WOR Radio in New York on December 3, 2009 is now available on the WOR Radio web site - www.WOR710.com - their Podcasts on Demand Section. You may also download the podcast from our web site.

Dr. Cordain Interview on CBS Sunday Morning - 11.22.09

Dear Readers,

We invite you to watch a recorded interview with Dr. Cordain on CBS Sunday Morning with Charles Osgood Sunday, November 22. Follow the link below to view the show's air time in your area (US readers).

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/04/17/sunday/main1502683.shtml?tag=contentMain;contentAux

Why is there an epidemic of short-sightedness?

Dear Readers,

Dr. Cordain's research on myopia and diet has been quoted in an article in The Guardian. Please click one of the links below to view the full text.

Why is there an epidemic of short-sightedness?

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2009/nov/12/short-sightedness-myopia

Sweet tooth harms eyesight

Dear Readers,

Dr. Cordain's research on myopia was quoted in the November 7 edition of The Australian newspaper. Please follow this link to read the full text:

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/sweet-tooth-harms-eyesight/story-e6frg8y6-1225795723097