There are some diet experts who recommend the ‘Stone Age’ diet or variations thereof. They believe we should eat protein, vegetables and fruit, essentially, and that eating grains is not the way we were ‘designed’ to eat.
At first glance, this argument might seem to have some merit. But when you think about it more carefully, it just doesn’t stack up.
When you look at traditional ethnic diets around the world, they are virtually all based around some form of grain – mainly either wheat or rice. The Japanese are one of the healthiest and longest-living people, and their diet is based around rice.
The Hunza people of Northern Pakistan have the highest percentage of centenarians (people who live to over 100) and their diet is based around chapatis made from wheat.
Wherever you look, anywhere in the world (apart from the Eskimos) the traditional diet is based around grains. And people have lived long, healthy lives on these traditional diets.
The problem, I believe, is not grains. It is refined grains and, more specifically, refined carbohydrates in the form of sugar.
When people started eating refined carbohydrates and sugar, all the diseases like heart disease, cancer, arthritis etc started to increase.
If you want to live on a Stone Age diet, that’s fine. It’s possible to live a healthy life on such a diet. But it’s certainly not necessary.
If you avoid refined carbohydrates and particularly sugars, you can eat grains in moderation and enjoy perfect health.