Please review research paper and provide critiques and constructive criticism.
Thank you,
Ashly Cabrera
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Ashly Cabrera
Stephanie Olsen
English 102
07/10/2013
Eating Like Our Caveman Ancestors Might Save Our Lives
Most of Americans learned what the Standard American Diet was during elementary school. Posters of the Standard American Diet (S.A.D) can be seen in school cafeterias all over America. It is supposed to represent what we consider as a healthy diet. 6-11 servings of grains, 2-4 servings of fruit, 3-5 servings of vegetables, 2-3 servings of meat, dairy, legumes, and sugars and fats sparingly.(Penn Medicine Wellness and General Nutrition) But is the Standard American Diet really the healthiest way we as Americans should be eating? Recent research shows that eating a Standard American Diet of overly processed foods is the leading cause of many diseases and health problems in Americans and switching to a diet of whole foods or eating Paleolithic can reverse the affects.
Our Paleolithic ancestors were known as hunter-gathers. It was the era before agriculture was created and we based our diet primarily on what we could hunt, kill, and scavenge for. Studies show that even though our hunter-gather ancestors had a low life expectancy, there was a lack of civilization diseases that we see today. (Ex: diabetes, heart disease, obesity, high blood pressure) Main causes of death during this era were famine, accident, or violence. So because of this it is theorized that the reason our ancestors did not die from so many diseases that are common today, is because of their diet. Philippe Chauveau , Denis Fouque , Christian Combe , and Michel Aparicio from the Department of Nephrology, University of Lyon France wrote a paper on the diet and health of our hunter-gather ancestors compared to our modern diet. They were able to show that the main items that our ancestors ate were primarily, animals, nuts, roots and plant life.
"40 to 45% of calories from carbohydrates were provided mainly in fruits and vegetables (over 100 varieties for the latter) that ceramics have not yet been invented, were consumed or undercooked, within hours of picking. Little grain which obviously was not refined was consumed. Lipids accounted for 20-25% of energy intake. Despite a significant cholesterol intake, close to 500 mg / day, due to the consumption of game, blood cholesterol is low in DC, and also that in all primates. As already mentioned, bone marrow and organ meats are a major source of lipids. The protein accounted for 35% of energy intake. Fruits, vegetables, roots, plants and berries Paleolithic were richer in protein than their contemporary counterparts. Animal / vegetable proportion of protein intake depends on the climate and geographical environment" ( Chauveau, Fouque, Combe, and Aparicio ,Changing Diet Paleolithic to Present Day: Progression or Regression)
One of the leading practitioners of the Paleolithic diet Robb Wolf, author of The Paleo Solution also stated in his book that anthropologist and explorers studied the remains of our hunter-gather ancestors and not only found a lack of degenerative diseases, but they also found no traces of near-sightedness and acne. It was also found that our hunter-gather ancestors were "powerfully built, with strength and endurance on a par with modern athletes" (Wolf 39)
Our diets have change significantly since the Paleolithic era. We are now eating products that overly processed and chemically broken down to its purest most biological state. Our genetics have not changed since the Paleolithic era, yet since the agricultural revolution our diet has, when the first signs of malnutrition and infection are seen. Robb Wolf states that the Paleolithic era was the time when our genetics were selected for survival in a hunter-gather life style. We evolved and adapted to be able to with stand that form of living. He also states that "Our genetics are virtually identical to those of our early human ancestors from more than 120,000 years ago."(Wolf 38) If our genetics have not changed since the Paleolithic era, why are we eating so differently? We are eating products that we don't know if our bodies can even process and break down. After our Paleolithic era came the Neolithic era, which came the invention of agriculture. We were no longer relying on what we could capture or find to eat to sustain us during the winter. We could now grow the food that we needed. Our bodies were built to be able to with stand long harsh winters and long periods of fasting, but with agriculture we had food like never before. Unfortunately with the abundance of food also came malnutrition and the decline in our health. Chauveau, Fouque, Combe, and Aparicio go into great depth of the agricultural revolution and the change in our diets.
"The transition to the Neolithic is not exactly the "great leap forward" often mentioned. The transition from DC to the farmer-breeder balance is a general decline in health is confirmed by the study of skeletal remains found at archaeological sites of the old and the new world. The most obvious signs are a decrease in the size of ten inches and indirect signs of malnutrition and infection that promotes micronutrient deficiency of certain essential amino acids. In summary, physical inactivity, agriculture and livestock, consumption of cereals and dairy products, higher consumption of carbohydrates are big news this time. Obvious progress of social life is tempered by the emergence of health problems previously unknown." (Chauveau, Fouque, Combe, and Aparicio, Changing Diet Paleolithic to the Present Day: Progression or Regression)
Now after looking at our hunter-gather ancestor's diet and health, how does it compare to that of the modern American's diet and health. The Standard American Diet now consists primarily of processed foods, grains, legumes, and sugars. Even though it is recommended to eat vegetables fruit and meats, the serving size is half of the total amount of grains recommended. Most times the grains that we are consuming are overly processed. For example, white bread and rice has been bleached and stripped of any nutritional value. Now we are eating foods that are high in calories, but significantly low in macronutrients and micronutrients. Several articles, papers books and films have been created, attempting to bring this information to light and to show the link between the rise of processed foods and the rapid decline in American's health.
"The Standard American Diet (SAD) has long been implicated in contributing to the health challenges experienced in the United States. Significant changes to the SAD have occurred since the 1950s, including a greater abundance and accessibility to calorie-dense and nutrient-poor food and beverage choices. The disparity of present consumption patterns to diet and nutrition recommendations from the Dietary Guidelines for Americans are addressed." (Grotto and Zied, Invited Review: The Standard American Diet and its Relationship to the Health Status of Americans.)
Some are a little more drastic in trying to push a new tax on processed foods. Mark Bittman with the New York Times wrote an article stating that the U.S Government should implement a new tax on all processed and fast food products. With this new tax he hopes that Americans will be less likely to follow a Standard American Diet and reverse the degenerative diseases. He states that "one-third of all Americans either have diabetes or are pre-diabetic, most with Type 2 diabetes, the kind associated with bad eating habits." (Bittman, Bad Food? Tax It, and Subsidize Vegetables)
Unfortunately most Americans are unaware of some the harmful ingredients that are in a lot of our processed foods that we eat on a daily basis. Taking an ordinary item from the grocery store off the shelf and staring at the ingredients, one might become confused of what some of the ingredients even are. For example a basic "fat free" sherbet ice container has ingredients like high fructose corn syrup, mono and diglycerides and methyl cellulose(sawdust). All of the stated ingredients are ones that have been made in a lab. They did not come from the land or from an animal by product. There is nothing natural or whole about these products. In 2012 film directors James Colquhoun and Laurentine Ten Bosch released a documentary called Hungry for Change. In this film they looked closely at the foods that we are eating and the health issues they are causing. They have a plethora of nutritionist, authors, and doctors talk about the items that are in our processed foods. Four of the ingredients that they focus on are MSG, Aspartame, Sugar and Propylene Glycol. They state that MSG and free glutamates are not only used to enhance the flavor in over 80% of all processed and fast foods, but can be hidden behind over 50 different names. MSG is known to be dangerous to our health and also a very addictive substance. It's the reason why that Cheeseburger taste so good and why you instantly want another one after you're done. Another well known product, Aspartame is known to cause stroke, cancer, and contribute to weight gain. Aspartame is an artificial sweetener and is used in several products on the market; some you wouldn't even think would contain it, ex Chewing Gum, Cereal, Ketchup Ice cream and most diet and weight loss products. In Hungry for Change Dr. Christine Northrup states exactly what Aspartame does to the brain when we consume it, "Nothing else does it in your brain quite like a diet cola. There is a deadly combination of Aspartame and Caffeine, and those two together create a very unique blend of excite-toxin that kills off brain cells." (Dr. Christine Northrup, Best-Selling Women's Health Author, Hungry for Change) Artificial sweeteners may however be the lesser of two evils. Sugar and high fructose corn syrup are both products that are purified, extracted and concentrated products from corn and sugar cane. They are no longer anything like the original product. The number one source of calories in America comes from sugar or high fructose, which is highly addictive and causes imbalances in the brain. On average we as Americans are eating anywhere from 120-150 grams of sugar a day. It is in everything that we consume, ex breads, rice, muffins, cereals, milk, fruit juice, soda, pasta sauce, corn, potatoes, crackers, and even sushi. Once sugar enters the blood stream it is instantly broken down into fat. It may not be labeled as fat, but our body treats it as that. When we are in a famine state, our bodies crave fats and sugars, so when we eat it our body thinks it is in a state of starvation, so it stores the sugar as fat. Some of the ingredients that we are eating have names that we have no idea what they are. Manufactures have created names for these products so we don't know what they truly are and the other uses they have. For example cellulose is sawdust and is used in shredded cheese to keep the cheese from sticking. Propylene Glycol is a chemical used to create the blueberries you see in blueberry muffins. It is also used to winterize an R.V or it is used to clean out your colon before a colonoscopy.(Mike Adams M.A Nutrition Health Journalist and Author, Hungry for Change)
Processed foods are not the only villains in this; fast food restaurants place several items in their foods that we as consumers have no idea about. When we think of healthy fast food, we might think of Subway or Wendy's with their sandwiches, salads, soups, and chilies. Well Subway serves only processed meats which are made of a pink slime that is parts of pork, beef, and chicken, processed into a paste like product. Wendy's serves a chili that looks like it may be healthy with beans, tomatoes, and ground meat, but it also contains a chemical called silicon dioxide also known as sand. It's perfectly stated by Dr Alejandro Jurger from Hungry for Change "We are not eating food anymore; we are eating food like products that are made to look better, smell better...they are made to have a long shelf life.
The concept of eating a Paleolithic diet versus a Standard American Diet has only been around since 1989, and has received much scrutiny by many dietitians stating that we need the fiber in grains and legumes and eating too much animal meat is bad for our cholesterol. However there have been studies and testimonials from people who have tried the Paleolithic and are thriving. Some have even reversed the effect of degenerative diseases they were once plagued with.
"I read up on the Whole30 and decided to participate. I have type 2 diabetes[and wanted to get off my meds] By the fifth day of my program, my blood sugar was in the normal range...I have been off my diabetes medication since completing the program, and my doctor is very happy with the results." -Maricel B., Sugar Land, Texas (D. Hartwig M. Hartwig, It Starts With Food)
From Hungry for Change Kris Carr, director of Sexy Crazy Cancer speaks about her experience with an incurable cancer and how she was able to not only break her addiction to sugar and processed foods, but also survive and live with a chronic disease. Robb Wolf also was once a vegetarian/vegan and was constantly sick. He tried everything he could to change his health. Only juicing, eating a high grain and fiber diet, cutting animal products from his diet completely and could not get better. Finally he started eating protein again and cut all grains, dairy, and legume from his diet. The change was so dramatic and he wanted to spread the knowledge and help others to beat their chronic illness. Since writing his book he has been able to help several people, like Dr. James Curtis:
"I was sixty-nine years old and had been following popular diets for about fifteen years with a serious lack of success...My blood pressure was high and stayed around 140/89. Eventually this deteriorated physical state led to two heart stents about two years ago...I attended the Robb Wolf Paleo Seminar on January 31, 2007, and have done the pale diet religiously ever since. My blood pressure is now 115/69." -Dr. James Curtis, DDS (Robb Wolf, The Paleo Solution 24-25)
Testimonials are not the only proof now that a Paleolithic diet is better than a Standard American Diet. With the slow growth of Paleolithic diets in America, research studies are now able to show the long-term results. Ian Spreadbury with Gastrointestinal Diseases Research Unit, Queen's University wrote a medical article about the medical research he was able to find about the long term effects of the Paleolithic diet.
Although the literature of clinical studies of this dietary pattern in Westerners is currently small, it is also unanimous. Each published experimental comparison of a diet containing grains with one excluding grains has found significant favorable metabolic effects in the grain-restricted groups, with beneficial effects large enough to render the studies adequately powered despite their small test groups. The randomized clinical trials have shown significantly greater reductions in weight and waist circumference in an ad libitum Paleolithic-style diet compared with the consensus "Mediterranean" or "Diabetes" diets and significant improvements over the Mediterranean diet in blood glucose control, independently of the superior waist-circumference reduction. (Spreadbury, Comparison with Ancestral Diets Suggests Dense Acellular Carbohydrates Promote an Inflammatory Microbiota, and May be the Primary Dietary Cause of Leptin Resistance and Obesity)
He also makes a great point in stating that non-westerners are great proof that the modern Paleolithic diet works and that grains, legumes, processed foods and dairy are truly the reason of Western obesity. (Spreadbury, Comparison with Ancestral Diets Suggests Dense Acellular Carbohydrates Promote an Inflammatory Microbiota, and May be the Primary Dietary Cause of Leptin Resistance and Obesity)
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that from 1998 through 2003, the prevalence of obesity increased from 13.05% to 15.21%, and the prevalence of extreme obesity increased from 1.75% to 2.22 %.(Overweight and Obesity) Those figures are staggering and on the fast track to higher numbers. To reverse these numbers and to get back to health, we Americans need to look towards the past. Our bodies are designed to be healthy, and we need to let our bodies do what it was designed to do. To remove all processed foods from our diets and return to the whole food diet of our hunter-gather ancestors.
