Boston Residents Embrace Ancestral Eating

The Paleolithic diet, also known as the “Caveman diet,” is emerging as a popular lifestyle for athletes, students and young professionals in the Boston area searching for improved health and fitness levels.

“Why must you eat like such a Caveman?”

“Quit being such a Neanderthal!”

The terms “caveman” and “Neanderthal” once painted vivid images of a brute, slow-witted and boorish person armed with stone daggers, clothed in the hide of his dinner and equipped with culturally or intellectually backward ideology.

However, the ‘Stone Age’ also refers to a time period when humans lived active, hunter-gatherer lifestyles and modern day dietary illnesses such as diabetes and celiac disease were nonexistent. Hundreds of Boston residents have adopted a “Paleolithic” diet and lifestyle in attempt to achieve optimal health and nutrition.

According to Michael Cahill, the owner of Reebok Crossfit Back Bay, a fitness facility focused on intense athletic training and spa-like amenities, the “Caveman” diet is an emerging, popular trend among students, young professionals and athletes because it is simple and natural to our “primal” instincts.

 “Eating and living ‘paleo’ is neither new nor difficult to follow. The diet is basically fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, meat and fish. We stay away from all grains and legumes…we also avoid dairy. We embrace clean eating, light portions and full fat,” said Cahill.

In a world where inconsistent labeling and conflicting research permeates the health food market, fat and red meat have been stigmatized as ‘bad’ while whole grains and low-fat dairy have been heralded as ‘healthy’ and essential to a balanced diet and lifestyle. “Paleo-philes” beg to differ.

“Grains make you feel lethargic. Low fat dairy products have been processed like crazy and contain unnatural chemicals that our bodies cannot efficiently process. Yes, carbohydrates are important for energy but we can get them from vegetables and fruits. We don’t need refined grains and the excess sugar that comes with them,” asserted Cahill passionately. Cahill, previously a real estate agent, was laid off during the 2010 housing, mortgage and real estate crisis. Although he had already been practicing Crossfit, an elite form of athletic training, his transition into the fitness industry sparked his desire to begin following a paleo-friendly eating regimen. After approximately two years, Cahill credits the Paleolithic diet for his accelerated fitness performance, increased day-to-day energy and overall happier life.

As a strong advocate of the Paleolithic diet, Cahill introduced “Paleo Power Meals,” a catering meal service that delivers paleo entrees and sides to Boston Crossfit boxes once a week. According to their website, PPM was started by a trained, culinary chef who lost 40 pounds over the course of three months while following the paleo diet. The meals’ prices are approximately $12-15 and include meat-based proteins that are exclusively grass-fed or line caught and organic, “farm to table” produce.

For many individuals, eliminating comfort foods and American dietary staples such as bread, pasta, milk and cheese is a daunting enough task. However, people who follow “strict” paleo also take into consideration what types of oils they cook with, whether produce is organically grown and if their meat and fish are wild, sustainable or grass-fed. These details seem minute but several paleo converts believe that these qualities in food are significant and essential in living the true, primal way.

Colin Snyder, a 32-year-old Boston resident, is one of 516 members in the online group and forum, “Living Paleo in Boston.” Following the ancestral lifestyle in the greater Boston area is a challenge for everyone including seasoned veterans and the “paleo-curious.” This online support group’s provides opportunities for people to connect, share and learn through potlucks, lectures, cooking classes, farm tours and other outings. Snyder has been following an on and off primal “eatstyle” for about 10 years. After experiencing significant improvements in his energy and stamina, Snyder affirms he will “never willingly touch gluten again.” Inspired by his personal transformation, Snyder is working on what he describes as an “experimental food start-up” in which he creates and delivers pre-packaged, paleo meals.

“In the past couple of years, the overall prepared food market has been pretty stagnant, but the gourmet and specialty prepared food segments of the market have been doing very well despite that,” Snyder commented.

Snyder attributes the increased popularity of paleo ingredients as a trend response to Boston’s movement of people “eating more prescriptively,” but hopes restaurant owners will embrace paleo marketing the same as “gluten-free.” In addition to independent restaurants, Snyder has noticed the surge in paleo-friendly offerings in local Boston-based chains such as Boloco and casual, ethnic cuisine establishments such as Brazilian BBQ and Asian-style hot pot. However, Snyder asserts that the availability of paleo food in the commercial food industry is “mostly by accident rather than by design.”

 “People are realizing that if they try to have some solid standards behind what they eat, their prepared food options become limited (read: virtually non-existent).  My hope is that I can lure back some of the folks who were forced to give up on prepared food,” said Snyder.

            Matt Kim, a 26-year-old Back Bay resident, believes that Boston’s wide demographic of young professionals is an ideal niche for marketing paleo products. “Boston has a huge community of twenty, thirty-something year olds who are willing to splurge on their health. They are also scarily connected to tech and emerging trends. Crossfit and paleo exploding on the blogosphere and more and more professionals are committing their time and money to this lifestyle,” said Kim.

Kim began eating paleo earlier this year after a New Years resolution to improve his health and eating habits. Although he personally believes the diet is too strictly regimented for a lifetime commitment, Kim began noticing significant changes in his body after only a few weeks:

“My cravings for carbohydrates or sugars were completely gone. Body fat was melting off and I was getting stronger and more defined…I work in a high-stress banking environment. Switching to paleo helped my anxiety, increased my energy and improved my sleep and moods.”

Kim’s regulated moods and sleep are explained in the book Primal Body, Primal Mind: Beyond the Paleo Diet for Total Health and a Longer Life. According to the author, Nora T. Gedgaudas, the paleo diet stresses the importance of a holistic approach to wellness and an adequate omega-3 intake. Omega-3 fatty acids are critical to the human nervous system and brain function but are commonly disregarded or placed low on the health ‘priority list.’ Gedgaudas believes eliminating the modern reliance on sugar and carbohydrates for fuel is key to reaping the full mind and body benefits of the paleo diet.

 “The brain and the body simply have to have certain raw materials to work with in order to function properly.  It is abundantly clear that all the brain-training in the world cannot create a nutrient where there is none, or remove a problematic substance which does not belong,” writes Gedgaudas in the book’s preface. Although Gedgaudas insists that strict paleo is the only way to achieve prime physical and mental health, many enthusiasts understand that diets are rarely a “one-size-fits-all” and paleo may not be suitable for every lifestyle. To some, paleo seems like the “scientology” of the food and health community, but for many Boston residents it’s a straightforward path to improved health and nutrition.