What do you think of Dr. Jenkins’ take on paleolithic diets?

Dr. Jenkins and Plant-Based Diets

Image Credit: woodleywonderworks / flickr

I was surprised to see you reference a paper by Eaton on so called “Paleolithic nutrition.” These folks are part of a group who argues that we (humans) need to eat lots of meat to be healthy because that is built into our genes…..despite the overwhelming evidence that eating less (or no) meat promotes better health and that there are no nutrients except B12 not effectively obtained from a plant based diet. David Jenkins is more convincing in arguing our genetic heritage is more likely rooted in the Miocene, with a diversity of plant foods at the root of our diet.

CapeBreton / Originally posted in So Should We Drink Beet Juice Or Not?

Answer:

I have tremendous respect for Dr. Jenkins and his “ape diet” (also known as the Portfolio Diet) that I refer to in Low Fat or Whole Food. He was the guy who came up with the glycemic index concept. He was a co-author of the seminal review I covered in Egg Cholesterol in the Diet and my zombie-themed Avoiding Cholesterol is a No-Brainer. He’s also the one behind the plant-based “Eco-Atkins” diet (Plant-Based Atkins Diet). The full text of the commentary you mention is available at The Garden of Eden: Plant-Based Diets. More in my video Paleolithic Lessons.

Image Credit: woodleywonderworks / flickr

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