Word: somer
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...just about ready to give up on all the paleonutritional advice books when I came across an advance copy of Elizabeth Somer's The Origin Diet (Holt; $23), due in bookstores this month. A registered dietitian, Somer has done an admirable job of taking what's known about paleonutrition and adapting it to fit our modern lifestyles. Unlike many ancient-diet gurus, for example, she says it doesn't make sense for us to eat more than 20% of our calories in the form of protein since few of us will ever be as fit as our ancient forebears were...
There's even a role in the Origin Diet for grains, which paleopurists consider off limits because agriculture didn't develop until 10,000 years ago. The key, Somer says, is to stick with whole grains, using them to replace the wild grasses that were staples of many ancient diets...
...food plan Somer proposes turns out to be pretty close to the one modern nutritionists are most familiar with--a diet low in saturated fat and high in complex carbohydrates. There's an ultrahealthy emphasis on fruits and vegetables (eight to 10 servings a day), legumes and lean meat (especially fish and skinless chicken breast)--as well as lots of regular exercise. What's missing is the highly refined products and fried foods we've come to associate with modern American cuisine...
...will take a lot of planning to stick with the Origin Diet. My guess is that some of the more rabid ancient-diet advocates wouldn't consider it a true paleolithic prescription. But I think Somer has the right idea. Just be glad you don't have to hunt down a woolly mammoth for dinner...