No Research Behind Paleo? Excuse Me?
I am always pleased when my google alert directs me to an article that I believe will be accurately discussing Paleo, or someone who’s had success with Paleo, or a great new source for Paleo recipes.
So yesterday, when I received an alert to read a piece in the Tampa Bay Times about Paleo ‘gaining support by those who want to get healthy and lose weight’ I expected to read an intelligent article about the merits of Paleo.
While there was some of that, there was also some glaring errors.
The following paragraph, and last statement (from an RD) in particular, is perhaps one of the worst:
“Even with a growing legion of adherents, the Paleo diet has its detractors. Some nutrition experts are concerned with increased consumption of saturated fat from the meat-centric diet and a lack of calcium from the elimination of dairy. Also, there is much research that shows legumes and whole grains help fight some diseases of aging and keep blood sugar at appropriate levels. Neither is part of the Paleo diet.”There’s no real research behind it,” Lisa Sassoon, a registered dietitian and assistant clinical professor of nutrition at NYU, told the Huffington Post last year. “And it eliminates things that do have research behind them: grains, beans and low-fat dairy.”
Pardon me?
I had to reread it: “There’s no real research behind it.”
Perhaps what should have been written was that “There’s no real money behind it.” (As there is behind the Dairy Board and the entire agricultural industry.)
It’s one thing to say one doesn’t agree with the principles of the diet, but please, get the facts straight. What about the decades of research from Dr. S. Boyd Eaton, Dr. Cordain, The Doctors Eads and Gary Taubes, just to name a few?
To say there is no research behind Paleo would liken it to some gimmicky fad diet created by someone with zero knowledge or expertise and that’s simply not fair. It does a huge disservice to anyone interested in learning about how to follow this healthy lifestyle.
How can it be argued that the idea of eating plenty of fresh, local, organic veggies, along with lean, wild meats and healthy, natural fats and avoided processed, refined junk be a great idea?
