Are we really in a Paleo revolution? Or is this just another fad diet that will fizzle? While the jury’s still out, don’t be surprised if many of your shoppers stick to the plan (or some form of it) after benefiting from a trial of sugar-free, grain-free eating that emphasizes whole food nutrition. Here’s a look at the diet’s evolution.

1970

Year gastroenterologist Walter L. Voegtlin, MD, first promoted a diet emphasizing foods eaten during the Paleolithic Era

40

Percent of current Paleo followers who first heard of the diet in 2011, compared with 5 percent who became aware of it in 2008*

52

Percent of followers who learned about the diet on the Internet

881

Number of Paleo diet–related books for sale at Amazon

2011

Year greatist.com ranked Paleo experts Mark Sisson and Robb Wolf among the top 35 most influential people in health and fitness

*In 2012, naturallyengineered.com surveyed readers about their Paleo lifestyles and received 5,303 entries

Sources: naturallyengineered.com/blog, nytimes.com, greatist.com, amazon.com