SHR

Let there be no ambiguity, I do not agree with every aspect of the paleo diet. But this does not mean that I am against it. I believe that the paleo diet lays out very simple guidelines that virtually any person can follow with ease, and this in turn serves as an excellent starting point – “blank slate” or “template” if you will – from which a person can experiment and find what works best for their individuality. There is certainly no shortage of anecdotal testimonials to support the notion that “switching to” a paleo diet benefits health and wellbeing, but many of the claims are incredibly hyperbolic and there is literally no way for anyone to know if this was owed to the paleo diet, per se. This is why research exists – to build and organize knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions. So what can we...

A question that I am frequently asked is whether peanuts are “okay” or “safe” to eat. The question usually stems from someone who enjoys peanut butter (and there is no replacement, let’s be honest) but has read a lot of conflicting information on the internet and doesn’t know what to think. The idea that peanuts are unhealthy for those without a peanut allergy stems from the canonical paleo diet concept that legumes should be avoided because (1) they aren’t part of our ancestral diet, and (2) they contain toxic anti-nutrients such as lectins and phytic acid.

I’m not going to spend time debating the legume issue because I personally don’t find it very relevant. To me it is a red herring that is brought up by individuals who don’t have an answer specific to peanuts. Moreover, it is a vast overgeneralization to say that one particular legume is unhealthy because some may be harmful. This idea is easily illustrated with simple reduction ad absurdum. If peanuts are unhealthy because they are a legume and some legumes may be harmful, then it would be equally as valid to claim that olive oil is unhealthy because it is a fat and some fats (e.g. trans-fats) may be harmful. Similarly, perhaps we should avoid eating mushrooms altogether because there are some toxic varieties.