The Paleolithic Diet

So what is the Paleolithic Diet?

In our human origins we were hunters and gatherers. We ate what the earth provided to us; what was available to us. The Agricultural Revolution occurred and with it came the adoption of grains and cereals as our main staple of food. This allowed us to leave our hunter and gatherer lifestyle and caused our population to sky rocket and develop into the the industrial society in which we live today.

The problem is that we are genetically programed to eat what the hunters and gatherers ate. The many health problems and diseases of modern day are a direct result of what we now eat… and don’t eat. The caveman or paleolithic diet is the only diet that ideally fits our genetic makeup. For millions of years humans ate this way, not the way we do now.

Most people do not realize how healthy our Paleolithic ancestors were. They were lean, fit, and free of diseases like heart disease. Some would argue that they had a lower life expectancy than that of today. This may be true, but look at why. Today we have antibiotics, doctors, hospitals and ways of protecting ourselves. Back in the time of our ancestors there were predators to worry about, simple aliments such as a broken limb or simple cold could easily result in death.

But how do we compare to our ancestors?

Well its simple. DNA evidence shows that the genetic makeup of humans have hardly changed in the last 40,000 years (the human genome has changed less than 0.02%).  This means that the genes of the paleolithic people are virtually identical to our own. We need to give our bodies the foods we were originally designed to eat.  Nature determined what we ate, long before we began farming wheat and animals.

I’ve read a book called “the Paleo Diet” by Loren Cordain, Ph.D. (sourced below), which gives the perfect analogy. That is, picture your body as a car that runs on gasoline. When you put diesel fuel in the tank the results are disastrous for the engine. We are designed to run best on the wild plant and animal foods that all humans gathered and hunted just a few generations ago. The staples of today – cereals, dairy products, refined sugars, fatty meats, and salted, processed foods – are like diesel fuel to our body’s metabolic machinery. These foods clog our engine, make us fat, and cause disease and ill health. Much of the Paleo diet is also exemplified in this site’s “The-healthy-diet”.

–   Cavemen didn’t eat any dairy… you couldn’t milk wild animals.

–   Cavemen hardly ever ate any form of grains… maybe if they were desperate, but not as a staple.

–   Cavemen did not salt their food.

–   Cavemen definitely didn’t eat any refined sugar.

–   Cavemen ate Wild, lean animal foods… much higher protein intake than today.

–   Cavemen’s carbohydrates were virtually all from nonstarchy, wild fruits and vegetables. Their carbohydrate intake was much lower than today, and fiber much higher than today.

–   Cavemen’s fat consisted of healthful mono-unsaturated, polysaturated, and omega 3 fats.

The rules of the Paleolithic Caveman diet

1. Eat all the lean meats, and seafood you want.
2. Eat all the fruits and nonstarchy vegetables you want.
3. Eat NO cereals
4. Eat NO legumes (ie. alfalfa, peas, beans, lentils, lupins, mesquite, carob, soy, and peanuts)
5. Eat NO dairy products
6. Eat NO processed foods

Key aspects on how to eat:

–   Eat a high amount of animal protein compared to that of the typical person.

–   Eat less carbs than most people in modern diets… only good carbs from fruits and nonstarchy vegetables.

–   Eat a large amount of fiber from nonstachy fruits and vegetables.

–   Eat a moderate amount of fat (try to keep it good fat).

–   Eat foods with high potassium content and low salt content.

–   Eat foods rich in plant phytochemicals, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.

This is the main crux of the paleolithic or caveman diet. Read other articles on the site for more information, like lists and recipes of foods you can eat while on this diet.

Overall impressions:

Seems like a really amazing diet and it would without a doubt work to get you fit and lean. I would argue that some grains are okay to eat, such as whole grains, because they are fibrous and complex in nature. Obviously the cavemen didn’t have the technology to create whole grain breads, but I believe in moderation, it is alright to intake some whole grains. I do agree that whole grains, or any grain for that matter, shouldn’t be the main staple of one’s diet.

The-Healthy-Diet.com rates the “Paleo Diet” 9 / 10.

Cameron.

Work cited: Loren Cordain, Ph.D., The Paleo Diet. John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Hoboken, New Jersey. 2002

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