Hot Topics: The New Age Caveman Diet?!

The Colbert Report has been one of my top shows for the past two years, it is among the shows that I record everyday.  I appreciate The Colbert Report because although it looks political heavy on the surface(just watch the opening credits),  Stephen Colbert chooses to interview guests that have quirky cultural interests with no political affiliation.  Most of the time, the guests are simply promoting their new book, website or movie.  That might sound like The View, but the items that they are promoting are not big blockbusters.  Instead, his guests are generally people that I would have never heard about, let alone heard about their new book... and I’m sure these publications have NO advertising budget... I’m thankful that Stephen gives them face time.   Colbert is a PR dream.  Anyways, usually I snuggle up to a few episodes during my weekend mornings, but in the case of today... SNOW DAY for NYC public schools...  I managed to watch three NEW back to back episodes of The Colbert Report.

In the past, The Colbert Report has supplied me with unexpected food studies topics.  For example, it was through Colbert that I found out when and where Food Inc would be released in New York City AND Colbert reminded me that Michael Pollan had a new book coming out.  Well, Colbert struck again this morning, when he interviewed John Durant, the founder of hunter-gatherer.com.  John is attempting to participate in a lifestyle that closely resembles the life of a caveman through diet and physical activity.   “The caveman lifestyle involves eating large quantities of meat and then fasting between meals to approximate the lean times that his distant ancestors faced between hunts. Vegetables and fruit are fine, but he avoids foods like bread that were unavailable before the invention of agriculture. Mr. Durant believes the human body evolved for a hunter-gatherer lifestyle, and his goal is to wean himself off what he sees as many millenniums of bad habits. (NYTimes, Jan 8, 2010)”  He physical activities include those the involve “throwing things,” as he told Colbert, as if he was  a caveman throwing stones.

One thing that I was slightly disappointed in, but disappointed with a small smile, is that he lives in a New York City apartment.  Throughout the entire segment I was imagining him truly hunting and gathering his meals.  But there is no bow and arrow!  There is no homemade fishing pole!!!  I even picture him running along side a deer and tackling it!  Oh, and another point that ruined my caveman lifestyle awe, I thought that he might be consuming meat raw, I was hoping to heard about how his body transitioned when consuming raw meat... but instead he just cooks his meal to appropriate temperatures, I guess you can’t be too risky.

However, one thing that I appreciate about John Durant’s movement is that he is not referring to this idea as a weight loss system.  He acknowledges that yes, a diet full of fruits, nuts, and the majority of meat will cause someone to lose weight, but he is not promoting the lifestyle as a weight loss gimmick.  This lifestyle also makes sense; I understand it, and I think the general public can too.  The leap to his lifestyle is a dramatic one, but after hearing his story, I hope it at least promotes people to avoid highly processed foods.  Advice that I give everyday to my students and to anyone that need nutrition advice,  “eat food closest to its natural state!”

In conclusion, this segment encouraged me to draw a little x-y graph, similar to those found in the New Yorker or xkcd.com.  I tried to place myself, John, and some other well-known individuals on the graph.  My location on the graph is because I sometimes eat fish when I am worried about my protein intake, I eat vegetarian processed foods like faux-chicken nuggets, and I have a sore spot for some highly processed foods (grrrr... pop-tarts)!  I’d love additional suggestions, or explanations about where you would put your personal coordinates.

Also, John’s five to six minute segment can be viewed on The Colbert Report Website at http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/263270/february-03-2010/john-durant (I couldn’t stop staring at John’s shoes... not sure if they are actually shoes)

and John’s New York Times article can be read at http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/10/fashion/10caveman.html