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as these are rather based on speculation with little factual

evidence. Lets take a look at some of the Paleo Diets most
notable claims:

Ive been receiving numerous emails asking for my opinion

about the Paleo Diet approach, and the differences between
that diet and the Warrior Diet. I have lots of respect for the
work done by some visionary guys behind the Paleo Diet,
Paul Cordain in particular, and for a while Ive been holding
my opinions to avoid this debate. However, since the Paleo
Diet has adapted the Warrior Diets concept of intermittent
fasting, followers of both diets try to combine these two
approaches together to only realize that this mute will
never work. I believe its time to set the record straight.

MYTH 1:
THE HUMAN BODY HAS NOT
CHANGED SINCE THE LATE
PALEOLITHIC PERIOD

While both diets base their protocols on the ancestral diet

theory, there are some fundamental differences between
their visions. The Paleo Diets vision goes back to the late
Paleolithic period, using anthropological theories to substantiate its cavemans diet concept; whereas the Warrior Diet uses
anecdotal evidence from ancient warrior societies along with
cutting edge research on stress response and evolution biology
to substantiate its diet approach.

The problem with this theory is that human beings are

constantly evolving. In truth, recent scientific evidence
indicates that evolution works much faster than previously
thought, meaning that we are not biologically the same as our
cavemen ancestors.

MYTH 2:
THE LATE PALEOLITHIC
CAVEMAN WAS A MODEL OF
PEAK HUMAN HEALTH

The Paleo Diets mission is to convert people into the caveman

diet which assumably accommodates the evolution of humans;
whereas the Warrior Diets mission is to guide people how
to transform their bodies via intermittent fasting to become
increasingly resilient to disease and aging in todays world.
And there is morethe Warrior Diet is based on principles that
direct people how to select their food; how to combine food;
how to separate between daytime food and night time food and
how to time their meals. The Paleo Diet offers guidelines based
on principles but these seem to lack clarity and cohesiveness
when translated into practice.

This assumption is highly arguable. There is no proof that the

late Paleolithic caveman was an epitome of human health.
Comparing the cavemans physical state to that of todays
average man (who is largely overweight and sedentary) is like
comparing a wolf to a poodle dog And even if we justifyingly
assume that the caveman was pound for pound in better shape
that todays man, it still does not prove anything about his real
state of health. What we do know is that the average lifespan at
that time period was below 35 and its still unknown what the
cavemans healthspan would be if he did not die from infections
or injuries.

Here is my take on that.

The main issue with the Paleo Diet is the many inaccuracies
and contradictions that lie within its principlesissues the
creators themselves dispute over. When it comes down to
practice, many questions remain unaddressed.
For instance, is the Paleo Diet a high carb or a high fat diet?
This question still goes unanswered. While the vision is based
on an ancestral theory model, the Paleo Diet has yet to figure
out what their concept of ideal human fuel food really iscarbs
or fat? This confusion is epitomized by habitual consumption of
food that does not comply with the Paleo Diets principles. Such
as for example the use of sweet potato. Although consumption
of starchy foods is not recommended by the Paleo Diet, many
Paleo Diet followers still credit the sweet potato as a staple fuel
food! Which one is it?

MYTH 3:
DAIRY SHOULD BE
ELIMINATED
The elimination of dairy from the Paleo Diet is based on wrong
theories and false science. The Paleo Diets main argument is
that dairy does not fit adult mammal in their natural habitat
adult animals do not drink milk Perhaps not, but if you give

The biggest issue though is with the Paleo Diets theories.

Theories behind the Paleo Diet are often questionable at best

that the human diet evolved away from meat eating; the unique
flat wear structure of the human cheek teeth bares proof that
our genus rather evolved for a mostly vegetarian diet.

them milk they will certainly enjoy it!

Yes, animals can benefit from quality milk, whey and colostrums. Ive been giving our pasture raised whey protein to my
cats and dogs every morning, and have been noticing great
positive effects (anti-inflammatory, increased resistance to
disease, improved mobility), particularly with my big dogs and
18 year old cat Junior.

Another important factor which is often overlooked is the

bioactivity of meat. Apparently compared to plant food, meat is
highly bioactive and this bioactivity affects our health whether
we acknowledge it or not. The biggest issue is with animal fat
particularly belly fat (favorite among meat connoisseurs). Unlike
vegetarian fat which is largely unsaturated and has no inherent
bioactivity, meat fat is mostly saturated and pro-inflammatory,
as it contains pro-inflammatory cytokines (hormone-like
compounds) such as TNF-a and IL 6, both known for their
insulin-shattering, obesity-promoting sickening effects.

Dairy seems to benefit all mammals including humans. Note

that a large part of the human population has adapted to dairy
since millenniums ago, and the gene for lactose tolerance is a
dominating gene. This means that milk and lactose tolerance
was an evolutionary advantageous trait for our species as it
allowed early humans enrich their diet (which was often protein
deficient) with quality protein and immune enhancing nutrients.
So while dairy may or may not have been part of the caveman
diet, it nonetheless has proven to benefit human survival.
Numerous reports indicate that dairy consumption has been
positively linked to sustainability of a lean healthy body.

And even if meat was a viable source of nutrients to early

humans, we cannot deny the fact that todays farm animal
meat is not the same as the wild game meat of millennia ago.
We cannot overlook the statsmeat consumption has been
negatively correlated with human health and longevity.

MYTH 4:
LEGUMES ARE TOXIC AND
SHOULD BE AVOIDED

MYTH 6:
FALSE FASTING
Though the Paleo Diet approach recommends intermittent
fasting, many Paleo Diet followers cannot figure out what intermittent fasting means. Ive been approached by some cross-fit
trainers who claimed to follow an intermittent fasting regimen
where eating a few small meals during the day is okfollowed
by a large evening meal; the idea of fasting during the day was
thrown out of the window to avoid muscle wasting and loss of
strength these guys have made their mindwhen maximum
muscle is the goal, there is no place for intermittent fasting.

The Paleo diet prohibits legumes apparently due to their

naturally occurring enzyme inhibitors and lectinsan argument
which, frankly, does not make much sense. Fossil evidence
indicates that legumes were actually a successful staple food
for early humans throughout the late Paleolithic period, when
the main human habitat was open grassland. Beans, lentils
and peas were part of ancient diets including those of the
Greeks, Romans, Egyptians, Israelites, South Americans and
Asians. Soaking, cooking and roasting methods have been
used to eliminate potential inhibitors and lectin effects, making
legumes one of the safest, healthiest and most accessible food
groups to humanshigh in protein, antioxidant nutrients, and
soluble fiber.

Indeed, one of the main arguments against the Warrior Diets

intermittent fasting approach is that it fails to accommodate
bodybuilding. I was literally accused of violating this secret code
of the muscle society How can I reply to that? Let me phrase
it this way: Its like I was accused that my sister is a whore and I
dont even have a sistergo and argue that

MYTH 5:
THE MEAT FALLACY

And thats exactly where the issue is. Intermittent fasting is a

critical factor in triggering stress response mechanisms. And
there is no way around ityou either follow it or you dont. But
lets be clearintermittent fasting may not be the ideal regimen
to pump freaky muscles; neither can it be translated to another
Diet for Dummies book. Nonetheless, it is the right protocol to
maximize and extend your healthspan. And rather than building
beef mass, this is the right regimen to develop muscles with
superior fiber quality and a higher capacity to utilize energy and
resist fatigue. Consequently, it transforms the body to becoming

The Paleo Diets argument that early humans were primarily

meat eaters, thriving on a diet that was 60% meat and 30%
vegetarian, is based on sheer speculation. In fact, the evolution
of the human skull proves the opposite. The reduction in the
human jaw and front teeth size (molars in particular), indicates

practice. This cutting edge concept goes beyond the Paleos

vision so I ask you to read the following paragraph slowly and
carefully.

leaner and tougher with increased capacity to sustain alertness

and handle hardship.
We need to see things the way they arethere seems to be a
conflict between two factors that have been previously thought
to go hand in handmaximum performance and longevity.
Apparently, physical conditioning regimens for max performance arent particularly designed to promote longevity and
vice versaregimens that promote longevity may not grant max
performance.

THE STRESS RESPONSE

CONCEPT
Emerging stream of evidence indicate that nutritional stress
and other forms of stress activate stress response genes
which increase the healthspan and lifespan of organisms. This
biological response to stress is evolved over a billion years old
as it is evolutionary conserved from bacteria to humans. So
what does it mean in practice?

The Paleo Diets cross-fit program was created to make you

fit but can it help you extend your healthspan? This fitness
protocol aims at maximizing your performance but will it keep
your body young? Not necessarily.
And here is why.If your immediate goal is maximum performance and that requires you to eat frequent meals along
with starchy food (sweet potato and rice for instance), good
chance youll be able to achieve your immediate goal and even
score, but you may have to trade that with something more
importantyour future health and capacity to resist aging.

We can now use this knowledge to develop protocols that will

enable us live longer and better. Stress response strategies can
be used to trigger metabolic pathways that counteract inflammation while strengthening and extending tissue viability and
resistance to disease and aging.

There is growing evidence that the frequent meal regimen as

typically recommended by sport nutrition programs including
Cross-Fit, causes inhibition of stress response genes, and
related pathways. Meaning: the typical sport nutrition protocol
inhibits vital metabolic pathways responsible for keeping
your cells and tissues viability. Frequent feeding induces an
accumulating inflammatory effect that will eventually diminish
your bodys capacity to resist degradation and disease.

This new concept may change the way we look at human

nutrition, health and fitness as we may need to reevaluate
our priorities and make our choices accordingly. I anticipate
that the stress response concept will revolutionize the human
diet the same way that the internet has revolutionized human
communications.
The Warrior Diet was the first to methodically incorporate this
concept in its nutrition and exercise manuals.

This may seem a slap in the face of all those fitness advocates
who adamantly refuse to let go of their old muscle building
routines. Regardless, frequent feeding and over-feeding have
been found to be associated with inflammatory disorders,
metabolic syndrome and premature aging.

The Paleo Diet isnt just falling behind with the implementation
of this concept, it fails to even recognize that.

For more information about Oris blogs and newsletters,

visit www.warriordiet.com and www.defensenutrition.com.

And as for the Paleo Diet, though its fitness approach recognizes intermittent fasting as an important element, it often fails
to incorporate that in practice.

FINAL NOTES
Given all thisdo you still feel the need to drop everything
civilized and switch into a caveman lifestyle? Will the meat
and sweet potato trick make you live longer? Or can you achieve
today your ultimate health potential without adhering to a
caveman lifestyle?
I believe you can. But you need to learn about the concept
of stress response and you need to know how to put it in