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Is the BBC (shock, horror) becoming more accepting of the Paleo diet/ a Paleo compatible lifestyle?

They just listed these things for slowing down aging:
-Reducing inflammation
-Lots of oily fish (although they didn't mention the o-3:o-6 balance per se)
-Reducing starchy foods like pasta, rice, bread etc.
-Lots of 'bitter' (I disagree - they're lush :p) veggies like spinach and broccoli
-Lots of variation of colours in veggies
-Reduce overall sugar intake (linking high blood glucose levels increasing aging)

This coming just a couple of weeks after the "Men Who Made Us Fat" series which interviewed Taubes! :D

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Don't let the sheep read this. – Lcourage Jul 31 at 3:56
still sounds heaps and bounds better than the bullsh*t we got from HBO this spring – gydle Aug 12 at 16:03

3 Answers

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We just watched the "Eat, Fast and Live Longer" program. It was very well done, except I was surprised when they said "cut way back on protein." That is so vague, what does that mean, especially for the vegetarians?? The calorie restriction guy they interviewed looked so sickly to me, he ate a massive bowl of fruit for breakfast - no protein in sight. Anyway, I thought Mike Mosely (the interviewer) looked healthier than fruit guy but when they ran his blood numbers they weren't very good.

Mike tried the intermittent fasting and he improved his numbers and he dropped a few pounds. I also noticed on Mike's "fasting" days he only ate eggs, cheese and ham for breakfast, then fasted the rest of the days... (so their whole "don't eat protein" didn't figure in there.)

They didn't mention whether to eat grains or healthy fat; nor did they speak to the fasting specialists that are very well known internationally but rather two or three unknown, but very knowledgeable, doctors. I really liked the woman he spoke to in Ohio (or Indiana?)

Overall it was a terrific show and worth watching.

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They said not to overeat on protein, not to avoid it entirely. Terminology tends to be a bit loose sometimes. I raised my eyebrows when they called the fruit-for-breakfast guys diet "calorie restricted" when he was eating 1900 a day. 1900 Paleo calories can be a LOT of food. There's a BBC article on it too, if you haven't seen it: bbc.co.uk/news/health-19112549 – Oz Aug 12 at 15:59
Yeah, I have also noticed that BBC seems very reluctant to attack grains or talk about healthy fats. And the protein restriction advice was very weird - the relation between IGF1 synthesis and aging seems kinda controversial and I would like to read more about it. – mdasilveira Aug 17 at 16:12
I agree, I didn't think fruit guy was calorie restricted at all, that bowl of fruit was more fruit than I eat in an entire month. When I think "calorie restriction" I think 1500 for men, 1200 for women (or that range) and when fasting ZERO calories, not 675 or whatever they were eating... – lola Aug 18 at 18:35
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You mean the episode "The truth about looking young", right? I almost always enjoy BBC Horizon documentaries, and this one was a good one. But there were some things that were not so "paleo lifestyle-compatible", like the praise for synthetic sunscreen in the beginning of the show and also the moment when the presentator says that "winning the fight against oxidative stress would severely test the appetites of most of us", meaning most of the people would not be able to eat a lot of broccoli in a day.

And I cannot talk about all BBC tv shows, but I watch a lot of their documentaries, so I don't think BBC is becoming more accepting of paleo stuff. I think they are just trying to keep their viewers up to date with the most recent research in nutrition, exercise and overall health. But I think they are not bold enough, and maybe some of our british paleo buddies can explain why is that. Some examples:

The men who made us fat: props for having Lustig and Taubes in the first episode, but then it all became about calories, how the corporations are trying to get us fat, more calories, the so-called "fattening foods" (what is that? Call it what it is, dude!), how the government fails to regulate the food industry and some more calories.

BBC Horizon - The truth about exercise: props for advising high intensity short duration workouts and just being active "without doing formal exercise", as the presentator says, but nowhere in the whole documentary do they mention weightlifting or any kind of training that does not involve a treadmill or a stationary bike.

BBC Horizon - The truth about fat: props for talking about ghrelin and PYY (despite the presentator's initial skepticism), but it failed to mention solutions for obesity that don't involve surgical procedures.

BBC Horizon - Why are thin people not fat: this is a fun one. It's about an overeating experiment with 10 "naturally thin" people. Props for mentioning no one can actually control calories accurately and for explaining how fat cells work, but if failed to mention macronutrient ratios and a lot of stuff the average paleo guy likes to talk about.

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I am from Britain which is why it's something that's been in my consciousness I guess. I've watched many BBC documentaries, many of which you list, which is where my question/ awareness stems from. – Oz Jul 30 at 20:06
As for why the beeb have been doing this recently, I think it's just because well done research has been coming out and been picked up on. Possibly also a connection with us hosting the Olympics/ trying to deal with obesity/ inactivity etc. so the BBC knows this type of programme will be more popular with viewers. – Oz Jul 30 at 20:08
Yes, I agree. They're trying to show the latest research. I don't know about the Olympics though. If so, I hope it happens in Brazil too, because here you cannot find a single article about paleo lifestyle. – mdasilveira Jul 31 at 10:52
Also, I've just read that the next BBC Horizon episode (next Monday, August 6th) will be "Eat, Fast and Live Longer". Looking good, looking good. – mdasilveira Jul 31 at 10:54
Awesome! Although knowing my family they'll cherry pick out the bits I don't want them to :p – Oz Jul 31 at 14:14
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There is a common misconception that fruit has not enough or no protein. The protein ratio in fruit mimics the dietary needs of humans. The idea is to adapt our diets to reflect our evolutionary path and closest non-human relatives. For example, Male Silverback Gorillas are about 5.5' tall, weigh 400lbs and eats around 50lbs of food/day, of about 67% is fruit.

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Big guts small brains. – orust Sep 3 at 14:56
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 Our closest non human relatives are chimps/bonobos. And we've evolved a helluva long way away from them? Sorry but this comment is total nonsense. – Deniz Sep 3 at 15:08
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 Try reversing that philosophy and you'll be all set,ORUST. Humans have the biggest brain/size of any animal. What was your point with that response? And for the woman who's in denial, Deniz... we have not evolved since the split, what is your comment supposed to mean? Check the facts, if you plan on being so authoratative with your responses. Human secret enzymes for the foods that we can break down. Any food that is not utilized in this process, is not natural to a human diet. It doesn't get much simpler than that. – Imani Burrell Sep 10 at 14:59
Dear Vegans and Vegetarians, please take this nonsense to your own forums, we're not interested. If you're curious about paleo, learn about it without bringing in your silly unscientific nonsense, and try it for yourself to see how you feel. If it works better for you than veganism, great, if it doesn't go back to it and best wishes. – raydawg Oct 2 at 10:37

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