Brenda Young wrote:
> I just have one question.  Not intended to fight with anyone.  But...Paleo is based on the fact that we are still the same creatures with the same nutritional needs as we were thousands and thousands of years ago, correct???  So, um, how does evolution fit in here???  If we have really "evolved", then that doesn't make sense.  Again, I am not on a religious agenda here...I am completely comfortable and happy with my religious stance and will not be convinced otherwise, but again,  how do the two of those mesh with your theory???  I am in the middle of the road, so to speak, with my Paleo thinking and the other stuff.  I, by NO MEANS, think we evolved, boy it's hard to not continue on this, lol, at least as far as nutritonal needs are concerned, so again, how do you equate firmly believing in evolution AND Paleo???  Doesn't make sense to me at all.  
>  
> And just so you know, I don't think man has evolved from ANYTHING, and neither has his nutritional needs.  You have to pick one side of the fence...or not, I guess.  But the fence part does not make sense to me AT ALL.  Pick one or the other, I guess I would say.  
> 
> Love,
> Bren

Evolution is not a fast process (and not one directional) and 
evolutionary modern man is between 100,000 and 200,000 years old 
depending on how/where one defines the changes.  In other words, our 
ancestors 100,000 years ago are essentially the same as we are today and 
both groups could likely interbreed (assuming appropriate time machine 
technology).  How far one can go back in time before one then and now 
would be able to interbreed is not known, but there is a point.

Introduction of agriculture has occurred in roughly the past 10,000 
years.  Our genes have not had near enough time to adapt to these 
changes including husbandry (milk).  However, adaption is ongoing and 
lactose intolerance is less prevalent in the western world and gluten 
intolerance is widespread but not in everyone.  There are other foods 
that have achieved some adaption but perhaps another 50,000+ years are 
needed to adapt to the changes agriculture and husbandry brought to 
diets.  Hence, the paleo diet is still the best diet and one most like 
to proved to greatest health benefits, even though this "diet" is 
different depending on food available and seasonal issues depending on 
location and latitude.

For me, evolution explains WHY the paleo diet is ideal and genetic 
changes over time provide more than sufficient evidence that any version 
of religion is bound to fail as a viable explanation.  Evolution is full 
of flaws, flaws that identify a "perfect" god as not a possible 
explanation for existence.  Evolution has viable explanations for 
diseases, beneficial bacteria, predators, flawed attributes (blind spot 
in the human eye), and many other things ancient religions failed to 
consider and place in their creation and god myths.

As the saying goes "phylogeny recapitulates ontogeny" (while not exactly 
true, is eye-opening none-the-less).

Scan down to:
Modern observations
and
Modern theory
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recapitulation_theory

My religious roots are in Mormonism and they have a "Word of Wisdom" 
revelation on diet which states to eat meat sparingly and only in winter 
and to get plenty of wheat("All grain is ordained for the use of man and 
of beasts"D&C 89:4 <http://scriptures.lds.org/dc/89>).  How wrong is 
that!  I've yet to read any religious doctrine on nutrition that comes 
close to a rational paleo diet - usually they are into the neolithic 
diet additions.  I place modern religious roots clearly in the neolithic 
era due to respective dietary recommendations even though paleo man 
likely had his/her superstitions.  Judaism and Christianity are 
neolithic religions based on diet and Jericho was a thriving city 
thousands of years before the neolithic Adam myth had him exiting from 
the garden as the first man.

The benefits of the paleo diet can be explained by evolution while 
religious explanations on diet are way off in the weeds (or wheat).

-- 

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