The podcast series examines popular diets and their impact on health, with host Jonathan Wolff and Professor Christopher Gardner from Stanford University.
In this episode, they discuss the Stone Age diet, which involves eliminating foods introduced since the beginning of farming.
Christopher Gardner is a leading researcher in diet and health impact.
Christopher Gardner explains that the paleo diet eliminates dairy, grains, and certain beans because they weren't available during the Paleolithic period.
The diet is based on the idea of eating what humans evolved on thousands and millions of years ago.
Gardner highlights that the appeal of the stone age diet lies in the fact that it aligns with what humans evolved on.
Christopher Gardner explains the difference between modern meat consumption and that of our Stone Age ancestors, highlighting the negative effects of feeding livestock corn and soy in factory farms.
He discusses the potential health benefits of a paleo diet, such as cutting out added sugars and refined grains, while expressing reluctance to give up nutrient-rich beans.
Gardner also points out the downsides of a paleo diet, including increased saturated fat intake from processed meats and reduced fiber for the microbiome.
Christopher Gardner emphasizes that the Hadza people in Tanzania have a very different diet and lifestyle from the paleo diet, involving a lot of physical activity and consuming tubers for fiber.
He points out that the reality of the paleo diet is at odds with how people actually ate in the past, as it's not feasible to eat paleo in today's world due to the unavailability of certain foods.
Gardner expresses his lack of support for the paleo diet, highlighting that most people don't follow it in a healthy way, focusing only on eating meat and neglecting overall healthy choices.