Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

Question

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So I recently got a job at a very prestigious university, and have the opportunity to audit a course next semester, and possibly take courses for credit the following fall.

Who has a recommendation on what to study to learn more about the paleo philosophy? I realize there will not be a "paleo diet" course, but for example I was thinking about something like biology, or anatomy, or bio-statistics. Though I'm not the strictest paleo-person, I am constantly fascinated by the theory and find myself spending hours reading up on different viewpoints, but I don't really have the scientific basis to fully understand them. I do have a degree in physics, but no experience in the life sciences, and very little in statistics.

flag	asked Sep 23 2011 at 14:56 paleopete 255●7

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biochem, biochem, biochem – Katherine Sep 23 2011 at 16:25

Biochem looks like the winner for me, but I'll have to take some intro chemistry first... Anthropology and the like are good suggestions too, but I'm more into the science aspect. thanks all for the suggestions! – paleopete Oct 10 2011 at 16:26

Priscilla · Accepted Answer · 2011-09-23 15:43:12Z UTC

Biochemistry, although molecular biology, chemistry, and organic chemistry were prereq's at my university. Also, I learned the most about my body (and why low carb/paleo was the best way to function) through a cell biology course. It helped put everything together that I had learned through the years. I also suggest getting involved in research, whether it be bench work or clinical research, in an area that interests you.

Matt · Answer 2 · 2011-09-23 15:11:06Z UTC

I'd say explore chemistry. Don't know what your background is, but you might need to progress through general chemistry to organic chemistry and finally to biochemistry. Biochemistry is where the interesting stuff in relation to paleo is, but you might need to take some time to get to that level. With this sort of background, you could given go into classes on nutrition/food science, despite preaching dogma, you'd be in a good position to look at the data with a critical eye.

citrusfire · Answer 3 · 2011-09-23 14:58:11Z UTC

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Bio/biochemistry and focus on human applications. Anthropology would be pretty awesome too. Also take lots of social science or science courses so you can write/read studies and truly understand them. Statistics training would probably be helpful.

answered Sep 23 2011 at 14:58

citrusfire
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If you're into understanding studies, then it's statistics. – mth Sep 24 2011 at 1:49

Bread-Eating Beelzebub · Answer 4 · 2011-09-23 16:37:48Z UTC

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I wish I had taken "Meat carcass evaluation." It was offered at my ag school :)

answered Sep 23 2011 at 16:37

Bread-Eating Beelzebub
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mth · Answer 5 · 2011-09-23 17:12:16Z UTC

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Anthropology or Archeology. Biology and chemistry are nice but you can reap the paleo benefits without understanding the chemical response to food but you'll never understand yourself without understanding where you came from.

answered Sep 23 2011 at 17:12

mth
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I second Anthropology and Archaeology. – FED at LiveCaveman.com Sep 23 2011 at 18:52

JeezLoise · Answer 6 · 2011-09-23 21:32:18Z UTC

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I took an Anthropology of Food class and it was AMAZING. Take it!

answered Sep 23 2011 at 21:32

JeezLoise
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Nutritionator · Answer 7 · 2011-09-23 16:29:00Z UTC

Evolutionary biology, chemistry, human physiology, biochemistry, anthropology, biostatistics (might be tough without an intro to stats), human genetics, immunology would be cool...

Take your pick, all relevant to better understanding paleo.

Ryan Wilder · Answer 8 · 2011-09-23 22:07:39Z UTC

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This isn't just a diet, but a lifestyle. Why limit yourself to the study of the human body? We humans need much more than food to be fulfilled. Don't rule out a painting or intro to percussion course.

After all, the cool kids are learning about paleo on the mean streets of the inter webs anyway.

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answered Sep 23 2011 at 22:07

Ryan Wilder
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uhm.... what? haha I applied to the school of hard knocks, but they wouldn't take my SAT scores, and my street cred wouldn't transfer. – paleopete Oct 10 2011 at 16:25

What university courses should I take to learn more about paleo lifestyle?

8 Answers