The Paleolithic era, often referred to as the Stone Age, was a period of time that began roughly 2.5 million years ago and ended around 12,000 years ago. During this time, early humans hunted, gathered, and adapted to their environments in ways that were far more diverse than we often imagine. In recent years, the paleo diet has marketed itself as a return to our ancestral roots, promoting the idea that eating like a caveman -- focusing on meats, fish, nuts, and non-starchy fruits and vegetables -- will make us healthier. The diet cuts out grains, dairy, and anything processed, assuming that the human body is ill adapted to being fuelled by these supposedly more modern foods.

At first glance, it sounds logical, eat like a hunter-gatherer, get lean and strong like one, right? But there's one major problem: Scientific evidence does not support the idea that early humans ate the way modern paleo dieters do. In fact, the real Paleolithic diet was not low in carbohydrates nor was it completely based on lean meat. Our ancient ancestors ate whatever they could get their hands on, including tubers, grains, legumes, and honey. They weren't following a trendy meal plan, they were surviving. Recent research suggests that the foods we now label as "paleo" may have little resemblance to what Paleolithic humans actually ate, meaning the entire premise of the diet might be more about marketing than science.

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One of the biggest misconceptions about the paleo diet is that early humans ate mostly meat. However, the idea of hunter-gatherers living on slabs of steak is a modern invention, rather than a historical fact. Archaeological evidence shows that Paleolithic humans ate a wide variety of foods that were dictated by the environment and the season. What a group of early humans ate in Africa 100,000 years ago would have looked completely different from what a group in Europe was eating at the same time.

For just about all these groups, plants played a huge role. For example, a study published in Nature Ecology & Evolution revealed that early humans that lived in what is now Morocco ate a wide range of plant-based foods, including grains and tubers. This reliance on plant-based foods has been further proven by scientists studying modern hunter-gatherers. In a study published the Annual Review of Nutrition, scientists state that modern hunter-gatherers living in warm climates currently have a 50:50 food balance between plants and meat.

Contrary to modern paleo diets, many early human diets included foods rich in carbohydrates. In fact, a study published in Science showed that starchy, carbohydrate-rich vegetables were cooked and consumed by humans over 170,000 years ago. What's more, in an interview with Knowable Magazine, Herman Pontzer, an evolutionary anthropologist, said, "The idea that ancient diets would be low-carbohydrate just doesn't fit with any of the available evidence." This contradicts the modern paleo assumption that early humans primarily relied on protein and fat.

Even grains, which many people following paleo diets completely avoid, were actually consumed in small amounts by Paleolithic humans. A paper published in Science reported that stone tools found in Mozambique from over 100,000 years ago were covered in the residue of grains, suggesting that humans were eating wild grains long before the advent of agriculture.

Ultimately, the paleo diet is more about modern wellness trends than actual historical accuracy. While it's true that cutting out heavily processed foods is generally a good idea, the notion that Paleolithic humans only ate meat and a few vegetables is simply not supported by science. In reality, the Paleolithic diet was highly adaptable, varied, and full of foods that modern paleo dieters would likely shun. So, if you're thinking about going paleo, maybe consider adding back some of those real, ancestral foods, like grains, tubers, and honey into your meal plan. After all, if your goal is to eat like a caveman, you might as well get it right.

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