In this week’s podcast, we discuss the caveman diet. This episode was inspired by an article in Science titled, Neanderthals Carb Loaded, Helping Grow Their Brains. This article triggered a discussion around the validity of a low carb diet. Stating that carbs have always been a major part of our diet and restricting them under the guise of some sort of ancestral diet was wrong.

I couldn’t disagree with this more!

The caveman diet is a low carb, whole food based diet that consist mainly of meat. With these guidelines in mind, we believe that humans should be classified as facultative carnivores and not simply omnivores. Meaning, we can survive off of plants but not thrive. The only way to truly thrive from a dietary standpoint is to get the bulk of your nutrition from animals. They offer the most vitamin rich foods packed with all the essential amino acids and fatty acids we need to thrive. 

Our ancient ancestors couldn’t go to a grocery store or buy groceries on amazon. They were forced to live with nature and feed off of the land. Therefore, they didn’t have access to a large amount of carbohydrates for the vast majority of the year. Cavemen, however, had access to animals all year round and this is what made up the bulk of their diet. 

To learn more about the diet humans evolved to eat and why the article claiming we ate lots of carbs throughout our evolution was completely false, listen to this week’s podcast. 

Link To Paper Referenced on Podcast

The evolution of the human trophic level during the Pleistocene