Here we are, closing in on 20 years of indulging this \u201cfad\u201d called the Primal\/paleo movement. And the critics said we wouldn\u2019t last. Ha! I find it extremely gratifying that new people are jumping on board, questioning conventional wisdom, configuring their own Primal practices, and, in doing so, remaking their health.<\/strong> It\u2019s a testament to the fundamental soundness of the Primal Blueprint if I do say so myself.<\/p>\n Although I like to think that we are mainstream at this point, the reality is that I still get as many questions as ever highlighting the basic misunderstandings and confusion that continue to surround the Primal\/paleo\/ancestral health movement. That\u2019s fine with me! I truly welcome all questions and comments. They mean that new people are finding us and are open to learning about how the Primal Blueprint might help them. Even when they challenge me\u2014\u201cWhat\u2019s up with those weird toe shoes, Sisson?\u201d\u2014it\u2019s an opportunity to plant a seed that might one day bloom into a new, healthier lifestyle.<\/p>\n In today\u2019s post, I answer three common questions that refuse to die. If you\u2019re new here, hopefully these clear up any lingering concerns you might have about diving into a Primal lifestyle. Primal vets, keep these responses in your back pocket. Whip them out next time you encounter a faux-concerned friend or family member who stubbornly insists on missing the point of what we\u2019re all about here.<\/p>\n As much as I welcome questions, I do have to shake my head when people accuse me of trying to turn modern humans back into cavemen. Yes, that still happens, even after years and years of writing a blog<\/em> on my laptop<\/em> from my air-conditioned home<\/em>. Clearly, I\u2019m not trying to revert society back to Paleolithic times. I\u2019m not advocating running through the streets in skins or hunting down dinner with spears (but more power to you if you\u2019re sufficiently skilled).<\/p>\n Sure, Grok is our beloved icon here, but we all know that Grok would have loved to have had a refrigerator, comfortable bed, and Spotify subscription. My readers should know by now that the goal is to learn from Grok, gleaning clues about how to build superb lifelong health, not to emulate him completely<\/strong>.<\/p>\n As for what\u2019s wrong with modern technology? Arguably plenty. But modern technology also allows us to live lives of unimaginable comfort compared to anything our ancestors enjoyed. Modern medicine, dentistry, transportation, communication\u2014all of it is unquestionably a net positive for humanity despite the downsides. Grok\u2019s life was hard stuff. It also shaped our genes into what they are today. We don\u2019t need to make our lives artificially difficult (or more difficult than they are, anyway). We just need to respect the genetic blueprint we all inherited as humans.<\/p>\n The question of whether humans are still evolving is a complicated one. Even esteemed scientists disagree about it. (Maybe this shouldn\u2019t be a surprise\u2014scientists make their livings off disagreeing with one another.) Without getting too much in the weeds here, it\u2019s clear that genetic selection is still taking place.<\/strong> Herding populations adapted to consume dairy. The English have become fairer in the past couple millenia, presumably to help with vitamin D production. The Dutch are getting taller, probably due to sexual selection pressure (female partners preferring tall men) rather than a particular survival advantage.<\/p>\n You know what\u2019s not<\/em> happening? Humans aren\u2019t getting better at living on French fries and German chocolate cake, unfortunately. We don\u2019t flourish thanks to chronic stress or getting four hours of sleep per night. Our muscles haven\u2019t figured out how to grow stronger from sitting on the couch. We\u2019re surviving <\/em>not thriving<\/em> in our modern environment.<\/p>\n Long story short, our biology hasn\u2019t changed all that much in the evolutionary blip of 10,000 years since the Agricultural Revolution.<\/strong> Sure, our societies have advanced, our cultures have blossomed, our technological innovation has exploded, our fashion sense has improved. But time and more recent environmental and cultural pressures haven\u2019t revolutionized our basic biochemistry. Glucose, insulin, adrenaline, glycogen, amino acids, glutathione\u2014all still present and accounted for.<\/p>\n \u2026as well as other habits of highly successful hunter-gatherers. I challenge even the most hardcore paleo skeptic to prove that we have evolved to not<\/em> need these things. If anything, these edicts are even more critical in our modern world where it is all too easy to ignore them and ruin our health in the process.<\/p>\n Grok probably didn\u2019t even live to see his 30th birthday. That\u2019s what you\u2019ve heard, right? Something along those lines? Let\u2019s set the record straight.<\/p>\n According to many scientific analyses, including Henry Oliver Lancaster\u2019s seminal work Expectations of Life<\/em>, we need to reexamine our modern assumptions about early humans\u2019 supposedly brief lifespans. They are based on little hard evidence, relying instead on backward extrapolation from contemporary hunter-gatherer groups. These groups do not serve as accurate comparison models because population density, disease introduction, and other intrusions of modern life have significantly impacted their ways of life.<\/p>\n Furthermore, we have to ask how<\/em> our ancestors died. Grok\u2019s third or fourth decade didn\u2019t constitute \u201cold age\u201d as we understand it today\u2014a drawn-out period of physical and cognitive decline. He wasn\u2019t dying at 30 because he succumbed to diabetes-related complications or heart disease.<\/strong> Although the average life expectancy of early humans was probably about 33 years, much of that was driven by high infant mortality rates. If they survived infancy, early humans generally died as a result of trauma (accident or warfare), predator attacks, natural disasters, starvation, or exposure to the elements, not because their inferior genes meant their bodies gave out.<\/p>\n We aren\u2019t living longer because we are inherently healthier or \u201cmore evolved\u201d than our ancestors. We live longer because modern advances protect us from the things that used to take people out in their prime. Given modern medical care, relative food security, and better protection from the elements, the average early human could have survived to a ripe old age, even by modern standards.<\/strong> In fact, despite the harshness of life back then, many did. Those who made it past childhood probably had a decent chance of thriving well into their 60s or 70s. And since we know that, logistically, sick or debilitated folks probably wouldn\u2019t have lasted long, we can surmise that Grok and kin were largely healthy right up until the end. That sounds pretty aspirational to me.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s the take-home message. The Primal Blueprint is ultimately about reconciling our primeval genes with modern circumstances.<\/strong> You can optimize health by choosing biologically appropriate food and activities within a 21st-century context. By all means, avail yourself of the many, many<\/em> ways modern life is vastly superior to Grok\u2019s existence. But also, respect the wisdom of our ancestors. Avoid the temptation to eschew modern medicine and other advances on principle (avoid the naturalistic fallacy). On the other hand, don\u2019t glorify technology and assume that newer is always better.<\/p>\n By the way, I occasionally hear from readers who feel overwhelmed by how very different the modern world is from what our genes are accustomed to. They wonder how they can ever be \u201cPrimal enough\u201d to make a difference. Every step you take matters, be it dropping your chronic cardio workouts, trying to buy better quality food a few nights per week, or turning off electronic devices a half-hour earlier each night. Rather than judging yourself against Grok, look to Grok for inspiration. And then be thankful for indoor plumbing!<\/p>\n Still have questions? Heard other misconceptions about the Primal approach? Send \u2018em on, and share your thoughts.<\/strong><\/p>\nWhy would I want to live like a caveman? What\u2019s wrong with modern technology?<\/h2>\n
Aren\u2019t humans still evolving? Why should we even worry about what our long-gone ancestors did? Surely we\u2019ve changed a lot since then.<\/h2>\n
I remain as convinced as ever that the fundamental building blocks of health are those I laid out in the 10 Primal Blueprint Laws:<\/strong><\/h4>\n
\n
Didn\u2019t cavemen die young? That doesn\u2019t sound very aspirational.<\/h2>\n
Bottom line: The Primal Blueprint is a framework for health in the modern world<\/h2>\n
![\"Collagen_Fuel_Flavors_640x80\"](\"https:\/\/marksdailyapple.com\/uploads\/2020\/01\/4-collagen-fuel-drink-mixes640x80.jpg\")
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ede7a2371b405125c4271191e60e8847?s=96&r=g\")