Photographed by Liz Clayman. At this point, you're probably familiar with the paleo diet. You know, eat as the caveman would eat. Paleo diets dominated Google searches in 2013, and we even gave it a whirl here at R29. But, is it really healthy to give up dairy, sugar, and bread? Food writer Michael Pollan says no way.
Pollan makes many points about why paleo isn't the healthiest option. Among them, he calls out the inherent problem with the meat-heavy program: "Cooking meat transforms it." Unless you're eating raw meat, which we really hope you're not, you're no hunter-gatherer. As Pollan explains, paleos are "assuming that the options available to our caveman ancestors are still there, but unless you're willing to hunt your food, they're not." He also notes that the meat we're eating is from animals bred by modern agriculture (read: artificial diets for dinner and hormones for dessert), so they don't have the same nutritional profiles of wild game.
And, get this: Pollan also condones bread eating (woo-hoo!) as a great way to get nutrients. Sure, the white, processed bread isn't a good option, but whole grains are your friend. And, for those forgoing dairy products like yogurt, he reminds us that microbes are good for your gut. Check out Pollan's full article — it's definitely worth considering if you're about to jump start a new diet. (Mother Jones)