Blog Post 3

        The topic I chose was the paleo diet. I had heard of the diet before, but I know little to nothing about it. That was one of the reasons I decided to use it- I wanted something different, something that would require new information. I also chose this topic because as an anthropology major, I am deeply interested in the ancient world and prehistory, and though it is a stretch to connect the two, the paleo diet does have a little to do with prehistoric life. The basic idea of the diet is to recreate the hunter-gatherer diet of early humans during the Paleolithic era. The major argument for this diet is simple- since this was the original diet that early human beings ate, it is the diet that humans were built for and meant to eat. The converse argument to this is that human beings have evolved away from that diet for a reason.
        I hope to go into depth regarding the foods permitted for the diet, how they affect the body, and what the modern human being needs to be healthy. I will then look at the paleolithic human and research their diet regarding plants, animals, and other environmental factors affecting diet. The primary focus of my paper will compare the paleolithic human body to the modern human body to see why or if humans have evolved away from ancient food towards modern food. Since modern diets are highly composed of genetically modified foods, the body has had to adapt. We also face a lot of pesticides and preservatives that are not only unnatural but possibly toxic.
         I personally eat a lot of meat and starch, and I know it isn't necessarily healthy, but since I'm anemic (not iron deficient), I have to eat a lot every day or else I don't have the energy to function. I've had very rough drops in blood sugar if I don't eat enough, so part of me wants to know if this paleo diet could ever sustain me if I decided to try it. I'm happy with my weight, so it isn't as much desire to try the diet as it is curiosity, but it piqued my interest in ancient things as well so I decided to give it a try. I realized that we don't really think about food that much, especially when it comes to prehistoric earth. Many of the foods we eat didn't exist- it was just fruit, roots, and meat when you could get it. I love food, so I'm not sure if I'd make it in a world with no pizza or pasta or ice cream, but ancient humans did, so it makes me wonder if it's really for the best.