The paleo diet is a hot trend, and many people adapt into their lifestyle to eat like our ancient ancestors did. They believe that if they imitate the hunter-gatherer diet, and avoid modern agricultural products, they’ll be better and healthier for it. But the paleo diet might not be anything like our early ancestors’ diet. Here’s why.

So, what exactly is the paleo diet? It’s a diet that promotes only those foods which our Paleolithic ancestors ate. Foods like meat, nuts and vegetables take front and center stage in the paleo diet.

And since the paleo diet promotes the idea that hunter-gatherers didn’t have modern agriculture that we do today, it’s believed that they also didn’t consume common dietary staples, like wheat.

But food writer and best-selling author, Michael Pollan, has a bone to pick with the paleo diet.

When it comes to meat, it’s true that our earlier ancestors ate meat, but it was much different than the meat aisle at the grocery store. Back then, they had meat when and if they could catch the animal. Today, it’s available 24/7. Their meat was wild game, free of GMO’s, antibiotics and poor farming practices. Today, it’s difficult to find meat that is free of any of these things.

As far as wheat is concerned, Pollan believes that while hunter-gatherers didn’t eat plain wheat flour, they did eat bread. In fact, it’s something ancient Egyptians enjoyed, since it was healthier and more nutritious.

The paleo diet may help individuals increase the amount of fruits and vegetables they eat, and also help them eliminate excessive amounts of added sugar. However, it may not be an exact replica of what ancient humans actually ate.