Category Archives: Diet And Food

Kylie Jenner is one of the most famous women in the world. Her namesake helped her establish a massive fan base, which, in turn, led her to creating a global cosmetics brand thats made her worth more than $1 billion. The Kardashian-Jenner sisters are all very into fitness and healthy eating, but that could be the one way Jenner differs from her other famous siblings and were loving it.

When youre a member of the Kardashian family, appearance iseverything. The women arent shy about their use of facial fillers, cellulitereducing machines, and body foundation. Plus, they all love to workout. KhloKardashian is arguably thefittest member of her family and even has her own reality show aroundlosing weight and becoming healthy. Meanwhile, Kim and Kourtney Kardashian arealways posting photos and videos of their workouts, and Kendall Jenner, who isa model, makes fitness a top priority as well.

Jenner is a bit more relaxed than her sisters when it comes to working out. She hardly posts videos of her workouts and, though she has a toned body, seems to dine more casually than her sisters as well.

Whenever Jenner posts photos of food to Instagram, the dishes are usually pretty modest. She enjoys pizza and fries, and she once posted a photo admitting her love for Fritos Flavor Twists. On Jenners reality show, Life of Kylie, which had a pretty short run, Jenner made it clear she doesnt enjoy going out to fancy dinners. When she was eating with her mother at an upscale restaurant, she hated the sound of everything on the menu. Jenner is much more content with more basic foods, such as grilled cheese (she even once made a Snapchat video showing fans how to make the perfect grilled cheese).

Jenners siblings care a lot about their health, and she likely does, too. But she doesnt appear to stick to the strict diets that the other Kardashian-Jenners do. Jenner enjoys many different foods, and while she does eat healthy foods, such as avocado toast, she also loves to spoil herself with greasier, less-healthy options. On her recent Instagram story, Jenner posted a photo of a pepperoni pizza (it looked amazing) and some French fries (they might have been sweet potato fries, but it was tough to tell).

Jenner followed the images with a post of a glass of white wine, showing that she was clearly enjoying her feast and not worrying about counting calories.

Something surprising about the beauty mogul is that sheactually enjoys cooking. Though most of her meals are basic (such as thegrilled cheese), she does post photos of the meals she cooks for herself.Despite being a billionaire, she knows what foods she likes and how she likesthem. So why not cook for herself? Its possible Jenner hires a chef for eventsor certain occasions, but its nice to know that, in some ways, shes just likethe rest of us.

Continued here:
Kylie Jenner's Diet Isn't As Healthy As We Thought -- And We're Loving It - Showbiz Cheat Sheet

Khlo Kardashian cares a lot about staying healthy. She has become very intense with her workouts and diets, but its all in her trying to be the best version of herself. Kardashian wakes up early every morning and has said that she works out as early as 5:30 a.m. But there is one reason why and its not because of her busy work schedule.

When Keeping Up withthe Kardashians first premiered, Kardashian was looked at as the odd oneout in her family. Her two older sisters, Kourtney and Kim Kardashian, lookedvery similar and had different body types than Khlo Kardashian. For thisreason, fans used to pick on Kardashian and suggest that she wasnt a realmember of her family.

As the Kardashians became more famous, and as Kardashian started to go through her separation and divorce from Lamar Odom, she also decided she wanted to be the best version of herself. And working out, along with a healthy diet, started to give her much more confidence. These days, Kardashian hits the gym six days per week, and she told her Instagram followers that she feels really accomplished every time she does an intense workout.

Kardashian spends a lot of time working out, but she also puts a lot of focus into what she eats. Philip Goglia, Kardashians nutritionist, said that seven meals per day is whats best for Kardashians body type (though he cautioned that all body types are different, and one plan doesnt work for everyone). Kardashian eats fish or lean meat every night for dinner, such as salmon with spinach and asparagus. Goglia told People that he reminds Kardashian to eat the healthy food first before digging into any of the crap, such as a plate of nachos on the table while dining out.

Fruits and vegetables make up a huge part of Kardashians diet. Though she still indulges now and then, she is always sure to include plenty of fresh fruit and veggies in her meal plan, such as fruit for a snack and a vegetable to pair with dinner.

Kardashian works out very early in the morning. She told fans that she often wakes up as early as 5:30 a.m. While some suspected it was because of the reality stars hectic work schedule, its actually for a different reason: her daughter, True. Kardashian said she bases her morning routine around Trues schedule.

I, of course, am always there to wake her up. We have breakfast together, Kardashian told her Instagram followers in a video posted to her story on January 6. Those traditions and routines are super important for me, to have breakfast with my daughter every day. Kardashian loves spending time with True; she often posts photos of her daughter to social media and makes sure to carve out some quality time with True each day. Her early-morning workouts are probably worth it for every ounce of time she gets to spend with her little girl.

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Khlo Kardashian Reveals the Real Reason She Works Out So Early In the Morning - Showbiz Cheat Sheet

Avoid the crash diets to get a leaner, fitter you this year

BelfastTelegraph.co.uk

January usually happens like clockwork: a slew of new self-help books, articles and slimming blogs encourage you to 'be your best self', often by adopting a radical new diet that promises to blitz those spare inches around your waist for good.

https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/life/weekend/avoid-the-crash-diets-to-get-a-leaner-fitter-you-this-year-38847944.html

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January usually happens like clockwork: a slew of new self-help books, articles and slimming blogs encourage you to 'be your best self', often by adopting a radical new diet that promises to blitz those spare inches around your waist for good.

The problem is, many crash diets encourage periods of miserable fasting and cutting out sometimes entire food groups overnight, and demonise food to the point where your whole relationship with eating can be under threat.

According to fitness guru Joe Wicks -who has successfully helped thousands of people to lose weight - staying on these restrictive diets for a long period of time is often unrealistic and unhealthy. Even if you do lose weight initially, it's not unusual to gain it again (plus even more, in some cases) before the spring comes around.

Thankfully, attitudes around diet culture are changing. A new survey commissioned by recipe box company Gousto (gousto.co.uk) has found two-thirds (68%) of UK adults believe the one-size-fits-all model just doesn't work.

So, how can you shed those excess pounds in a safe and effective way? We asked Wicks to give us some quick tips...

Why should people avoid restrictive diets in January?

"It's the time of year now where everyone wants to make changes to their life, whether that's with exercise or food, but the last thing you want to do - especially if you're someone who really loves food - is to go on a low-calorie diet," says Wicks, 33.

"Sure, it will work in the short-term and you'll probably lose weight on the scales, but emotionally it's going to absolutely ruin you. You're going to be so exhausted, you won't enjoy it and it's not going to be a sustainable approach.

"Try to think about a long-term vision, as opposed to a quick crash diet. Incorporate it with exercise and cooking with fresh ingredients at home; you're much more likely to succeed throughout the year."

Why do people fail at New Year's diets?

"Because they're awful, aren't they? Dieting is normally all about how little you can eat and how much exercise you can do. When you combine those two things, it effects your sleep, your mood and your energy levels.

"If I could give you one tip, it's to focus on getting yourself moving instead. I always tell people to start with 15-20 minutes a day of exercise at home; this will get your energy levels up and your self-esteem boosted. Exercising is going to have a massive effect on your food choices and your ability to go into the kitchen and cook yourself something healthy.

"Trying to do everything all at once is a bit much," he adds. "Focus on fitness first, and the rest will hopefully follow."

What other tips do you have for those looking to lose weight this year?

"Have a look at your portion control. I'm not saying to count calories, but to keep your plate to a healthy size. The good thing about exercise is that it elevates your mental health and your mood so much that you don't want to go and put junk food in your body afterwards. Meal prepping is one of the best things you can do, too. If you leave the house without food, you're going to grab options on-the-go, which will likely be unhealthy convenience food.

"That's fine to do once or twice a week, but if you're doing it a lot, you're never going to truly know exactly how much you're consuming.

"The simple act of making some overnight oats for breakfast, or a salad for lunch can make a huge difference over time when it comes to staying lean."

What are your favourite ingredients for healthy eating?

"I really think it's great to have chopped tomatoes, coconut milk, curry powder, spices and tins of lentils, pulses, grains and beans in your cupboard. With these key ingredients, you can make really amazing veggie curries, or you could throw some chicken in there for some extra protein. Rice is also a great staple for making quick stir-fries after work.

"There's no magic fat-loss food; it's all about getting a good balance of everything and getting lots of fruits and veg in your diet.

"It's good to be a bit intuitive with it - ask yourself what foods make you feel energised and healthy?

"Don't think you have to jump onto a certain diet because everyone else is doing it."

Do you follow a flexitarian diet yourself?

"Yes. I eat a lot of veggie meals and with Gousto, I get four recipe boxes delivered per week that I can make at home. Three of those will be vegetarian and one will be meat-based.

"That's a massive step for me. During the process of researching and writing my veggie cookbook, Veggie Lean in 15 (16.99, Pan Macmillan), I realised that you can get really amazing food as a vegetarian. I'm still not fully committed to going hardcore vegan though."

Many people feel like they don't have time to cook healthily, do you think that's untrue?

"I really think you have to remove that time barrier from your mind.

"We know full well that we can smash a Netflix series in a couple of days or watch our soaps, so we can all find half an hour to exercise or cook well - if we prioritise it.

"It doesn't need to be hours in the kitchen either.

"My whole philosophy with my Lean in 15 series is that you can make a really healthy and nutritious meal in just 15 minutes, and have some leftover for lunch the next day.

"It's that kind of mentality of prepping in advance and being organised that works in the long-run."

Belfast Telegraph

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Avoid the crash diets to get a leaner, fitter you this year - Belfast Telegraph

Oprah Winfrey is more than happy to help fans find weight loss success just like she did. The media executive has been working on her fitness for decades and had plenty of ups and downs along the way. But the whole time shes been relentlessly honest about the struggle, documenting her greatest challenges and successes. She even wrote a cookbook to help fans follow along meal by meal.

Winfrey admitted that she doesnt have all the answers for totaldiet success. But she did come up with quite a few simpletricks for healthy recipes that shes picked up along the years. She sharedthese in her book, Food, Health, and Happiness, which was published in2017.

Anyone embracing a low-carb lifestyle knows the popular trick that involves swapping cauliflower in for just about anything, especially potatoes. Long grain rice is abandoned in favor of cauliflower rice. And mashed potatoes are subbed with mashed cauliflower instead.

But as Oprah explainsin her cookbook, mashed cauliflower doesnt taste that great without thisone important addition. Everybodyalways says thatwhipped cauliflowertastes just like mashed potatoes. Well, guess what?Whipped cauliflower tastes just likewhipped cauliflower, shewrote in her book (viaDelish).

Instead of just using veggies, Oprahrecommends adding two real potatoes to the dish to make it taste creamier.You know, like real mashed potatoes.

Broccoli and cheddar soup is popular because it tastes so good on a cold day. But instead of wasting so many calories on this appetizer, Oprah recommends subbing her simple and delicious two-ingredient soup.

For this diet hack, Oprah boilsbroccoli in chicken broth instead of water and then purees it in a food processor.Her cookbook includes a version of this with a few more ingredients, but eitherway, its worth trying.

Most people cant detect a huge difference in taste between ground turkey and ground beef, especially in dishes like chili or lasagna. And turkey is leaner meat thats also cheaper.

Oprah suggests this smart swap in her cookbook and also recommends making your own ground turkey for an even better taste.

At breakfast, Oprah makes herown version of quinoa thats cooked with apples and cinnamon. As she explainedin her cookbook, Its a great source of fiber, its gluten-free, and itsa complete protein.

Oprah doesnt believe in skippingdessert instead, she lightens up her after-dinner reward by opting for sorbetinstead of ice cream, which has fewer calories and more healthy fruit in it.

Instead of store-bought options, Oprah said she makes her own at home with her beloved sorbet maker. I put it right up there with the fork and dish towel on my list of kitchen essentials, she wrote in her cookbook, speaking about the kitchen gadget.

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Oprah Reveals Her 5 Best Diet Hacks Including 2 Ingredient Soup to Blow Your Mind - Showbiz Cheat Sheet

Fitness guru Joe Wicks talks to Liz Connor about why so many New Year diets fail - and how we can create a healthy new mindset in 2020 instead.

January usually happens like clockwork: a slew of new self-help books, articles and slimming blogs encourage you to 'be your best self', often by adopting a radical new diet that promises to blitz those spare inches around your waist for good.

The problem is, many crash diets encourage periods of miserable fasting and cutting out sometimes entire good groups overnight, and demonise food to the point where you're whole relationship with eating can be under threat.

According to fitness guru Joe Wicks - who has successfully helped thousands of people to lose weight - staying on these restrictive diets for a long period of time is often unrealistic and unhealthy. Even if you do lose weight initially, it's not unusual to gain it again (plus even more, in some cases) before the spring comes around.

Thankfully, attitudes around diet culture are changing. A new survey commissioned by recipe box company Gousto (gousto.co.uk) has found two-thirds (68%) of UK adults believe the one-size-fits-all model just doesn't work.

So, how can you shed those excess pounds in a safe and effective way? We asked Wicks to give us some quick tips...

Why should people avoid restrictive diets in January?

"It's the time of year now where everyone wants to make changes to their life, whether that's with exercise or food, but the last thing you want to do - especially if you're someone who really loves food - is to go on a low-calorie diet," says Wicks, 33.

"Sure, it will work in the short-term and you'll probably lose weight on the scales, but emotionally it's going to absolutely ruin you. You're going to be so exhausted, you won't enjoy it and it's not going to be a sustainable approach.

"Try to think about a long-term vision, as opposed to a quick crash diet. Incorporate it with exercise and cooking with fresh ingredients at home; you're much more likely to succeed throughout the year."

Why do people fail at New Year's diets?

"Because they're awful, aren't they? Dieting is normally all about how little you can eat and how much exercise you can do. When you combine those two things, it effects your sleep, your mood and your energy levels.

"If I could give you one tip, it's to focus on getting yourself moving instead. I always tell people to start with 15-20 minutes a day of exercise at home; this will get your energy levels up and your self-esteem boosted. Exercising is going to have a massive effect on your food choices and your ability to go into the kitchen and cook yourself something healthy.

"Trying to do everything all at once is a bit much," he adds. "Focus on fitness first, and the rest will hopefully follow."

What other tips do you have for those looking to lose weight this year?

"Have a look at your portion control. I'm not saying to count calories, but to keep your plate to a healthy size. The good thing about exercise is that it elevates your mental health and your mood so much that you don't want to go and put junk food in your body afterwards.

"Meal prepping is one of the best things you can do too. If you leave the house without food, you're going to grab options on-the-go, which will likely be unhealthy convenience food.

"That's fine to do once or twice a week, but if you're doing it a lot, you're never going to truly know exactly how much you're consuming. The simple act of making some overnight oats for breakfast, or a salad for lunch can make a huge difference over time when it comes to staying lean."

What are you favourite ingredients for healthy eating?

"I really think it's great to have chopped tomatoes, coconut milk, curry powder, spices and tins of lentils, pulses, grains and beans in your cupboard. With these key ingredients, you can make really amazing veggie curries, or you could throw some chicken in there for some extra protein. Rice is also a great staple for making quick stir-fries after work.

"There's no magic fat-loss food; it's all about getting a good balance of everything and getting lots of fruits and veg in your diet.

"It's good to be a bit intuitive with it - ask yourself what foods make you feel energised and healthy? Don't think you have to jump onto a certain diet because everyone else is doing it."

Do you follow a flexitarian diet yourself?

"Yes. I eat a lot of veggie meals and with Gousto, I get four recipe boxes delivered per week that I can make at home. Three of those will be vegetarian and one will be meat-based.

"That's a massive step for me. During the process of researching and writing my veggie cookbook, Veggie Lean in 15 (16.99, Pan Macmillan), I realised that you can get really amazing food as a vegetarian. I'm still not fully committed to going hardcore vegan though."

Many people feel like they don't have time to cook healthily, do you think that's untrue?

"I really think you have to remove that time barrier from your mind. We know full well that we can smash a Netflix series in a couple of days or watch our soaps, so we can all find half an hour to exercise or cook well - if we prioritise it.

"It doesn't need to be hours in the kitchen either. My whole philosophy with my Lean in 15 series is that you can make a really healthy and nutritious meal in just 15 minutes, and have some leftover for lunch the next day.

"It's that kind of mentality of prepping in advanced and being organised that works in the long-run."

The rest is here:
Food: Joe Wicks on why you shouldn't try restrictive dieting this January - HeraldScotland

RAPID CITY, S.D. (KOTA TV) - Millions of Americans make health-related resolutions for the New Year, but finding what diet plan works for you can be a task. To help, U.S. News worked with physicians and dieticians who compared 35 diet plans and found the ones that actually work.

For the third consecutive year, the mediterranean diet ranked first for the best overall diet.

"That diet is focused on plants with some meat you know for protein. What we really see is we're getting rid of the packaged and processed foods," said Registered Dietician, Marni Whalen.

According the U.S. News, Weight Watchers was voted the best diet for weight-loss by health professionals. But Whalen says if you aren't ready to take on a whole diet plan, utilizing the 'plate method' for meals is a good start.

'Vegetables, non-starchy vegetables such as broccoli. Then we have about three to four ounces of meat and a serving of potatoes. That would be an appropriate plate method meal," said Whalen.

With the KETO diet being one of the worst diets on the 2020 list, Whalen says most of the time, people will do restrictive diets like KETO for a short period of time, then go back to old habits.

"Some of the worst diets out there are the ones that are really restrictive and I always find those to be red flags. When you have a list of 'you can have these but you can't have this,'" says Whalen.

Whalen says a good rule of thumb for healthy eating is to start the day with a good, protein-rich breakfast.

For the full list of the best and worst diets in 2020 ranked by U.S. News, click here.

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Best and worst diets in 2020; staying on track with your health - Kotatv

Fox News medical correspondent Dr. Marc Siegel discusses the declining rate of cancer deaths and the health of singer Adele following her dramatic weight loss.

Hello,body transformation.

Adele reportedly shed nearly 50 pounds after hiring a personal trainer and following the Sirtfood Diet, a regime of eating specific foods that trigger a group of proteins in the body called sirtuins (SIRTs) that are said to boost metabolism and reduce inflammation. And personal trainers attribute the majority of her transformation to her diet.

Adele lost a reported 50 pounds after hiring a trainer and following the Sirtfood Diet. (AP/Backgrid)

"Ninety-percent is from the diet, and of course exercise helped," Camila Goodis, a Los Angeles-based celebrity fitness trainer who worked with Adele and actressSophia Vergara, told FOX Business.

GOOGLE'S MOST-SEARCHED DIETS OF 2019

"We did pilates, nothing strenuous. It was very gentle. She's not a big fan of exercising. I believe she changed the way she was eating and cut out a lot of the processed foods and started to eat a clean diet with lean proteins, fruits and of course consuming fewer calories and burning more," Goodis said.

Goodis, who charges up to $280 per session,uses a combination of Pilates and core strength training exercises, she said.

The "Hello" singer has reportedly also been following the Sirtfood Diet, which ranked as Googles No. 7 most-searched meal plan of 2019. Itadvises eating a diet rich sirtuins -- a family of proteins -- found in foods like kale, strawberries, soy, buckwheat, blueberries, walnuts and dark chocolate that increase the level of proteins in the body. And the diet plan even allows drinking wine.

TOP 3 INTERMITTENT FASTING DIETS ON GOOGLE

The diet also incorporates calorie restriction, which can also trigger the bodys ability to produce a higher level of sirtuins, Healthline.com explained. Followers of the diet start off drinking green juices and one Sirtfood-based meal a day for the first three days consuming just 1,000 calories per day. Then theyre allowed 1,5000 calories per day, which includes sirtuin-filled juices such as green juices made from celery, parsley, green tea, lemonand kale -- and two meals.

But nutritionists and registered dietitians say following the diet without exercise isnt sustainable for long-term health goals.

The foods the diet is touting are good for you, but its a low-calories diet,"registered dietitian and author of Finally Full, Finally Slim Lisa Young told FOX Business. "If youre going to limit your calories, youre going to lose weight regardless of what youre eating so its not really a sustainable diet.

Goodis agreed: "Whenyou work with so much restriction sometimes your body doesnt like it. It's fine if it's just for a couple of weeks, but I bet any amount of money once you stop the diet you could gain everything back."

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The U.S. weight loss market is now worth $72 billion, according to data from Research and Markets. And with New Year's resolutions in full swing, the diet and weight loss market will likely see a boost in the next few months.

While the U.K.-based Sirtfood Diet has amassed more than 13,000 people on social media and has resulted in a fan following from the likes of Pipa Middleton, no scientific evidence has proven the diet to be effective on humans.

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Sirtfood diet linked to Adele transformation: Does it work? - Fox Business

You are what you eat. The food the body is fed either makes or breaks one'shealth, especially when aiming to ward off diseases and cancer. There is no prescribable anti-cancer diet that can protect the body entirely against cancer.

However, eating a balanced diet with whole grains, fruits and vegetables can help fend off cancer in the long run, although not immediately. Avoiding exposure to toxins, not succumbing to stress, not drinking and smoking are other correlated factors involved in preventing cancer.

Here are some of the few changes you can make to adopt an anti-cancer diet.

Stay away from toxins and actively detoxify

The first step towards protecting the body against damage from free radicals is to eliminate toxins from entering the body through various products that we use on a daily basis without giving it much thought.For example, several seemingly harmlessbeauty products contain carcinogens sometimes. Hence, it is best to use shampoos and conditioners after checking their ingredients to ensure the products do not contain toxins.

Moreover, use household cleaners that do not contribute to indoor air pollution. Instead, use alternate homemade products without chemicals. Avoid overusing medication such as paracetamol because it can increase the risk of liver disease.

Consuming food after heating plastic or microwaving plastic material could cause interferencesin the functioning of the neuroendocrine system. Intermittent fasting helps cleanse the body of toxins, especially through the skin, kidney, respiratory and digestive tracts. Furthermore, green juices, raw foods, lightly steamed vegetables and drinking alkaline water aids the process of detoxification.

Avoid burnt food

Acrylamide is formed on fried food and exposure to the chemical can increase the risk of cancer. Avoiding foods high in starch content and processed food also lowers acrylamide exposure.

Cakes, fries, crackers, chips and cookiescan be problematic in the long run. High temperatures and heating the food for a long period of time also increases acrylamide levels as well. Boiling and steaming are safer methods of cooking.

Avoid processed food

Refined food products, sugary drinks, frozen food, unhealthy vegetables and other processed food cause health problems if consumed excessively. Due to low costs and availability, wheat and corn are subsidized and sold as refined food products in the U.S.

These manufactured products contain pesticides, herbicides and heavy metals, hence not consuming them is the best practice. Organic and whole grain products can be added to the anti-cancer diet to keep the body healthy and intact.

Eat food with cancer-fighting properties

To actively fight the possibility of cancer, eat several cancer-fighting food, particularly broccoli, sprouts, cabbage and kale. Cruciferous vegetables are full of antioxidants that help fight breast, colon, prostate and rectal cancers.

Foods high in vitamin C and A are powerful antioxidants that protect the immune system against various diseases. Garlic, green tea, olive oil and oolong tea reduce inflammation and also prevent damage to the immune system, thereby preventing cancer. Calcium-rich foods combined with vitamin D3 prevent breast and ovarian cancer.

Nature's grocery store has an aisle full of cancer-fighting foods to add to your diet. Photo courtesy of Shutterstock

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Anti-Cancer Diet: Everything You Need to Know - Medical Daily

The Diet will convene on Jan. 20 for a 150-day regular session that will put priority on early passage of draft budgets for the current and next fiscal years, government officials said Friday.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will deliver his policy speech on the first day of the Diet session, which will last through June 17, along with the foreign, finance and economy ministers. The Cabinet approved the schedule Friday.

The speeches will be followed by questioning by ruling and opposition party leaders in both houses from Jan. 22 to 24.

Abe has been increasing his calls for an active debate on constitutional reform, a long-held goal of the prime minister and his Liberal Democratic Party.

But the outlook remains uncertain as opposition lawmakers are set to grill the government over its handling of guest lists for an annual publicly funded cherry blossom viewing party at the center of a campaign scandal as well as a casino-bribery scandal involving LDP lawmakers.

The governments Maritime Self-Defense Force dispatch to the Middle East for an intelligence-gathering mission is also expected to come under intense scrutiny amid U.S.-Iran tensions.

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Draft budgets and constitutional reform in focus as Japanese Diet gets set to open Jan. 20 - The Japan Times

In a blow to gym vloggers who pretend to be scientists everywhere, the paleo diet may not be all that paleo. According to a new study, humans were eating carbs up to 170,000 years ago.

The paleo diet is based on the assumption that modern farming and agricultural practices dont match up to what the human body was made to digest. It therefore cuts out many carbohydrates: legumes, pulses, grains and even white potatoes, depending on what kind of paleo you are.

Paleo enthusiasts suggest we should return to the eating patterns of our ancestors in the Paleolithic period (spanning from about 2.5m years ago to the end of the last Ice Age, around 9,600 BCE), which usually means eating mostly meat, fish, nuts and vegetables.

But scientists from the Evolutionary Studies Institute (ESI) at Wits University in Johannesburg recently found evidence that southern Africans were cooking starchy plants hundreds of thousands of years ago. (In case youre wondering whether a starchy plant really is a carb, the charred remnants of the plant they found is nicknamed the African potato.)

This is not the first time such evidence has arisen: previous studies have shown that our ancestors were eating starchy grains over a million years ago. There is also a body of evidence showing that humans didnt necessarily evolve to eat meat.

Then again, proponents of the paleo diet call their ideology theoretical in nature and wide for interpretation, so that information probably doesnt matter too much.

The [paleo notion] of following these very specific, restrictive guidelines really doesnt hold weight, says Meredith Price, a registered dietitian from New York. There is no scientific proof this was the way we ate, because it wasnt.

Price says there are many benefits to eating whole grains, legumes and other things restricted by the paleo diet such as good heart health and reduced risk of cancer and diabetes. Although there are ways to get the nutrients found in these carbohydrates elsewhere, she asks, whats the point in making it so difficult?

We are talking about a group of people who did not live past the age of 35, says Price.

Of course, a movement trying to limit the refined, sugary, processed foods we are fed in abundance shouldnt be vilified we all agree those are bad for us. But Price emphasises that many of the benefits touted by the paleo diet seem to be about cutting out sugars and processed food rather than healthy carbs such as grains.

And while a minority of paleo enthusiasts argue that carbs are not at odds with their diet, its hard not to think of the diet as little more than reimagined carb-phobia. Maybe the best indication of this is the beef within the paleo community over the humble potato. Paleo extremists will tell you potatoes are forbidden, and argue that: Paleo is all about eating only those foods that people living the pre-agricultural age could have eaten.

Seeing as potatoes were first domesticated between 8,000 and 5,000 BC, this seems like bad science but then again, what about basing a modern diet on the proposed practices of cavemen doesnt?

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Paleolithic diet may not have been that 'paleo', scientists say - The Guardian