New Research Shows Paleo Diet Might Be All A Crock

The paleo diet is often hailed as the more "natural" way of eating, as our forefathers did, back in the days of wooly mammoths and fighting for our survival. But new research determines that the "caveman diet" might be a sham: researchers at the Kent State University and Georgia State University state that humans in the Paleolithic Age likely did not follow any specialized diet. Of course, they weren't eating Twinkies, but diets were based on region and what they could find.

Based on evidence that's been gathered over many decades, there's very little support for the idea that any early hominids had very specialized diets or that there were specific food categories that seemed particularly important, with only a few possible exceptions," said Dr. Ken Sayers, a postdoctoral researcher at the Language Research Center of Georgia State in the study.

Hunter-gatherers were more likely to eat an animal-based diet, while those in warmer climates near the equator probably relied more on plants. Plus, the plants, seeds, and nuts we do eat today have evolved since they filled the bellies of our ancestors thousands of years ago.

The paleo diet has come under scrutiny for these supposedly false claims, and even came in last in the US News & World Report's "Best Diets of 2014" list.