The "Palaeolithic diet" (Paleo) is a highly popular raw food diet which made its official debut in the mid-1970s. Since then, the evolutionary diet has been promoted and adapted by several researchers and is featured in a number of academic journals.
Of controversial origin, the Paleo diet was first developed and marketed by gastroenterologist, Walter L. Voegltin who advanced the notion that the diet is the ideal food for mankind.
The concept put forward by Voegltin is not new. It is based on the premise that modern humans are genetically adapted to the diets of our earliest ancestors, and diseases which trouble modern man are the result of industrialisation and affluence. In general, the diet of our ancestors had the proper balance of nutrients to reduce chronic diseases and promote health.
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Proponents of the diet:
The diet has received rave reviews and accolades from users and researchers alike; it is described as an invaluable nutritive way of eating, filled with elements to restore tissue cells.
In one study, Loren Cordain, PhD, at Colorado State University, commented: "Clinical trials have shown that the Paleo Diet is the optimum diet that can lower the risk of cardiovascular disease, blood pressure, markers of inflammation, help with weight loss, reduce acne, promote optimum health and improve athletic performance."
Critics of the diet:
Critics of the diet have argued that it lacks credibility and logic. The main views expressed were in disagreement with the facts promoted, that hunter-gatherers were generally free of illnesses unlike their compatriots in "civilized societies" who were beset with common afflictions and ailments.
The critics also dismissed the premise that our human makeup is genetically programmed to eat like our Palaeolithic ancestors. They believe that modern civilization developed due to advanced thinking, and with it inherent biological