To vegans and vegetarians, what is your opinion of the Primal diet?!

Stone age humans had a lifespan of 20. 30 if you were lucky. Look how long Ramesses II lived when wheat & barley was available. Grain isn't bad. The problem is eating too many carbs/calories that the agriculture can provide. And the reason grain farmers throughout history had poor health is because grains are work-intensive crops. That's why nobles (or slavemasters) lived long. How hard is it to grow an apple tree or a pomegranate? You don't need to do anything, unless if you work in an orchard. Anyway, now mechanization keeps you healthy. Rice farming isn't back-breaking anymore.

These paleo or carnivorous diets are based on pseudo-science. Early Europeans and native North Americans may have lived on a poor diet of seal blubber, fish and deer during those short periods of ice age, but humans evolved for hundreds of thousands of years to survive in sunny Africa. If you wanna see what is our actual natural diet, look at what the San people eat.

While there is some evidence that natural selection is affecting humans since the start of agriculture 10.000 years ago, most certainly our health haz been going upwards & it made civilization possible. Life expectancy today is 80 years. We, this young generation, will have a life expectancy of 100 (if you live healthy, workout, eat right), while 140 will be the standard by the end of the century (if predictions are correct and the whole world doesn't adopt the obese-inducing western diet).

But if you wanna live healthy in a simple way without arguing or looking at science, just eat an okinawan diet which is filled with vegetables & tofu. Although don't fall for the calorie-restriction diet. It only works if you have a certain gene, which is rare.

I would say no. I don't think grains are unhealthy. After all, if you were a historic human and you ate raw oats, for example, I couldn't see the harm in that. It's still a plant, right? Plus, grains provide energy to vegetarains and without them, it could be difficult to get enough energy. I follow a vegan diet, and I completely encourage it. I looked up Primal diet, and it seems to be carnivorous. Now, if meat is unhealthy, then it is certainly going to hurt you in large quantities.
I hope this helps.

I would say that it probably doesn't matter all that much. I know people who've eaten those things for their entire lives and are perfectly fine.
Maybe it's slightly better for you (not really sure) but in the end i don't think it matters. It's not going to kill you or anything.

Oh and @Jock-
Guess you're a Cannibal then?

Been eating corn, rice, and other grains all my life and i'm a lot healthier than most of the people i know.

I'm also a vegetarian, but I think the Primal diet is unnecessary and unhealthy. You could always try more natural forms of chocolate, like organic dark chocolate, and grind your own fresh coffee beans. See, because chocolate comes from the cocoa bean, I don't believe it matters to your dietary habits. Good luck! And check out www.frysvegetarian.com for great vegetarian food!

Even cavemen ate veggies, berries, etc. Your friend is probably overweight, has high blood pressure, etc and has no business talking about nutrition. Oats(in their natural form, not the processed stuff sold in packets with sweetener), are also very good. I often eat raw oats in coconut milk.

Yes, I think you should go on a primal diet.

Grab a spear, go out on the African plains, and hunt yourself a gazelle or a tiger. I am eager to find out how much your health has improved.

To the previous answer-- Do you eat humans? Humans are made out of meat?

I've not heard of the primal diet. ETA: However, I'm not into the fad diets. They all seem to be gimmicky and out to make money. Like almost anybody in modern America, I"m pretty much relegated to the modern grocery stores (including Whole Foods and Trader Joe's). However, I read labels. I try and avoid anything with white (enriched) flour, corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup, partially hydrogenated oils, hydrogenated oils, artificial colors, artificial flavors and anything that looks as though it was created in a lab by humans and not in nature by God. That being said, I do rely a bit heavily on processed veggie burgers and processed veggie deli "meat" slices. Most days, I'm nursing my four-month-old son while my husband is giving our daughter lunch. Then I take her up for her nap and if my son isn't napping, he's ready to eat again. So, I quickly throw together a veggie burger (which I microwave and I don't like using the microwave), or the slices and a couple of pieces of store bought all-natural whole wheat bread.

I do the best I can with what I have available. We don't have a Whole Foods or Trader Joe's nearby. (We live near Toledo and would have to go to Detroit or Columbus, which we do.) There are also natural foods stores near us, including Bowling Green. (I think it is sad that food has come to the point that there are stores described as "natural" foods and "Whole" Foods.)

My diet is heavy on whole grains, fruits and veggies. I do coffee, as it is natural, especially the Equal Exchange free trad coffee, which I have and use. (I also have and use Green Mountain as well. Yet, I also buy the big cans of Maxwell House, Folgers, or grocery store brand as well)

I still may not eat some of the best things, but I still eat better than many people I know.

What's interesting is that people say meat caused us to evolve as we needed to develop tools to hunt it, yet learning to grow grain was a step backwards? I don't think so. Grain is filling, healthy and fibrous if you vary the types you are getting and eat it whole (ie, brown rice, brown pasta, wholewheat bread). Refined carbs ARE bad for you in excess, no-one is going to disagree with that.

These diets come and go as fads, remember the Zone? The Atkins? These are faddy diets. The healthiest diet is rich in wholegrains and fruits and vegetables, with some protein (whether or not that comes from meat is your decision.

Strapon, your name is fitting! No-one asked your opinion on the veggie diet, that's not what this post is about.

I am always amused by the idea that whatever prehistoric humans ate must have been the most perfect blend of foods. When animals are reared in captivity, they live longer because the diets and lives of the wild are harder to maintain. Don't forget they used to worship rocks, clouds, stars etc. They knew which plants were edible and which were poisonous but if you could ask them why one was good to eat and another made them sick and die they couldn't tell you. They are not who we should look towards for nutritional advice.

The so called Paleo diets are just fads designed to sell books and make a few people rich from the gullibility of ordinary people. All diets are ideal for humans provided they minimise intakes of processed/refined ingredients and contain not too few or too many calories. Using this as a base will have you halfway there in terms of vitamin intake, all else that is required is balancing additional vitamins and consuming foods fortified with any that are not sufficient in the diet or taking supplements.

vegan biologist

Meat is murder and dairy is rape! What a load of old bolloxs, if God didn't want us to eat animals why would he make them out of meat!