system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
CMV:The Paleo Diet is based on flawed evolutionary arguments.

The paleo diet essentially argues that our bodies are still genetically designed to eat and digest the foods that our ancient human ancestors consumed.  This includes meat, fruit, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and some oils.  While I agree that abstaining from certain foods can be healthy and beneficial in maintaining a healthy weight, the scientific “evidence” that this diet is based on seems flawed to me.  Our ancestors ate what they were able to hunt and gather.  They did not specifically choose their diet; they just ate what was available to them.  In fact, many of the foods that our ancient ancestors consumed are not even available to modern humans in this day and age.  After hundreds of thousands of years of evolving, intellectually and physically, different food sources and different methods of preparing these foods were discovered and mastered.  I do not see how trying to mimic this specific diet is beneficial when we now have many other healthy food options available to us.
 
I have found two major flaws in the science behind this diet.  For one, it is argued that we are still genetically and biologically identical to our primal ancestors.  This is not the case.  Human genetics are continually evolving.  It is scientifically invalid to argue that all modern humans have the same genetic makeup as our ancestors from tens and hundreds of thousands of years ago, and therefore scientifically invalid to argue that our bodies are still genetically designed to only digest and thrive on certain foods of the past.  The second point that confuses me is this: why, out of the millions of years of human evolution, was it decided that this hunter-gatherer like diet was the best fit for humans?  Why not the diet developed right after agriculture?  In fact, why not just eat the diet of primates and chimps?  I cannot find a logical argument explaining why this certain time period in human evolutionary history had the “best” diet for our species.  I understand how the foods this diet promotes may be very beneficial to some people in weight loss and maintaining a healthy lifestyle; however, I do not see how this is the best diet for all humans.  I am very interested in this topic and would love to hear your opinions.  Change my view!
gpt
You're largely correct. The human diet is very flexible, which is why so many different cultures have thrived on radically different diets.

That being said, there are some aspects of the "paleo" diet that do ring true. The best example is sugar. We eat far more sugar than we ever have before, which leads to oxidative stress, obesity, organ damage, etc. The same goes for processed grains (which quickly gets converted into simple sugars). In other words, there are many aspects of the Paleo diet which are mostly-correct (or at least, not *totally* wrong).