Episode Details

We all want to eat healthier. The Paleo diet promises exactly that: eat like our ancestors, avoid modern foods, and improve your health. But does it really support your gut, heart and long-term health, or is the story more complicated?

In this episode, Dr James Cole, a world-leading expert on prehistoric diets, joins Dr Federica Amati to explore what Paleo gets right and why some of the claims may be dangerously wrong.

James explains what ancient evidence tells us about human diets, why the modern-day Paleo diet may go too far in its restrictions, and what that might mean for your heart disease risk and gut health.

By the end of the episode, you’ll have ideas on what principles to keep from the Paleo diet, and what rules to avoid.

Could trying to eat as our ancestors did force you to cut foods your body actually needs? Before you give up grains, beans or dairy, it may be worth asking what ancient humans really ate.

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Timecodes

00:00 Intro

04:39 What does Paleolithic actually mean?

09:14 How scientists know what ancient humans ate

10:01 What ancient teeth reveal about diet

11:25 Why there was no single Paleo diet

13:16 The myth that ancient humans just ate meat

15:38 Why humans evolved to eat many foods

17:14 Why the human gut got smaller

22:13 How fire changed the human diet

24:02 Were ancient humans cooking plants?

25:51 What modern eating has lost

27:45 Did Paleolithic humans practise cannibalism?

30:37 Should we copy everything our ancestors ate?

32:56 What is the modern Paleo diet?

34:32 What the Paleo diet gets right

37:00 Did our ancestors eat meat every day?

38:18 Why Paleo cuts grains, dairy and beans

39:30 Are lectins in beans really dangerous?

41:27 Why modern Paleo may be based on shaky science

42:20 Is the Paleo diet healthy long term?

44:45 What a healthier Paleo diet would look like

46:17 The processed meat and cancer risk trap

48:37 Is grass-fed beef really better?

50:10 Should you fast like your ancestors?

52:10 How to cut ultra-processed foods without Paleo

56:20 What to eat instead of strict Paleo

📚Books by our ZOE Scientists

The Food For Life Cookbook

Every Body Should Know This by Dr Federica Amati

The Appetite Reset by Dr Federica Amati

Food For Life by Prof. Tim Spector

Ferment by Prof. Tim Spector

Good Mood Food (preorder) by Prof. Tim Spector

Free resources from ZOE

The Smart Snacking Guide: How to feed your gut, fuel your day, and snack without guilt

The Hormone