The Bookshelf - June 2025

Paleofantasy by Marlene Zuk

For the past fifteen years or so, the idea of doing things the way that ancient people did things keeps popping up. How did people run? Is barefoot better? How about lifting and exercising? Should we revert to eating berries and insects? In Paleofantasy, Marlene Zuk reviews the claims, ideas, and reality that surrounds our interest in “getting back to our roots.”

With most “paleo” ideas are more speculative than scientific, she helps us understand that the paleo lifestyle was probably nothing like the way we imagine it today; following a nice CrossFit WOD with a barefoot jog, then eating some flank steak and a berry smoothie. She reminds us that evolution is an ongoing concern, and that we’re a much different species than the Paleolithic humans. Further, she doesn’t just diss the idea of eating a cleaner diet and spending more time outside—rather, she supports people trying to eat food from more natural sources and that most of us can benefit from many of the things that we assume that our ancestors did.

This book helped me remember that there are simple (and wrong) answers to most of today’s problems, and that optimizing our health and nutrition is more nuanced than cutting all processed foods from our diets. As always, our interventions need not be crazy complex. Eating a bit more lean protein, adding a few vegetables, and maybe spending some time barefoot might be all you need to get the needle pointed the right direction.