We've heard many celebrities and health gurus rave about the paleo diet, but just how effective is this caveman-inspired program? A group of scientists who got bitten by the curiousity bug decided to put it the test, reports Time.com. Gathering stool samples from three grass-grazing baboons who ate similarly to ancient men as well as from three humans, they added digestive solutions of either a grass-based diet or a potato-based diet to the samples to see how the bacteria will react in response to the food.
Expecting the baboon samples to produce higher amounts of appetite-surpressing hormones, the researchers were suprised to find out that the samples from the potato-based diet performed better. So does this mean that paleo diet is a lie? Not exactly.
The ancient paleo diet is mostly comprised of insoluble fiber from grass, which probably forced our ancestors to graze more throughout the day. The paleo diet of today, however, consists of soluble fiber that takes time to digest in the body. This includes lentils, beans, fruit, nuts, flaxseeds, cucumbers, celery, and carrots, and tells our brain that we're still full. But don't ditch your insoluble fiber sources like leafy greens, fruits, and veggies just yet. After all, at the end of day, all fiber is still good fiber.
(Photo from Motinova via Bruna Severo on Pinterest)
