The History of the Paleo Diet
While archeologists continue to find long buried - and often highly preserved - bodies of our great ancestors who perished many thousands of years previously, there is one thing that the majority will agree upon. This is that our fore bearers were physiologically extremely fit, with physiques that were designed to encourage power and speed when living upon their wits. Perhaps unsurprisingly many of the traits needed for a classic hunter-gather lifestyle are still in demand within contemporary society, and an entire culture has risen based upon the advantages of following a strictly Paleo diet.
As much as modern diets tend to encourage either occasional days of fasting, or limiting calorific diet, the Paleo diet is near enough to being the exact opposite. Were we lucky enough to be able to discuss and compare our lifestyles with those of our ancestors, the simple truth that we would learn would be that food is there to be consumed - as much as possible - whenever available. In a world without refrigeration (or convenience stores) the fact is that when a prey or harvest was brought into the group, it would be devoured as swiftly as possible before the food began to perish and spoil.
Before becoming too excited, the Paleo diet is based upon the notion that food is a scarce resource that absorbs the overwhelming amount of our ancestors time. Forget any notions of a happy caveman at one with nature, the fact is that throughout the dawning years of human civilization life was a struggle exclusively centered upon surviving until the next day. To achieve this groups had to be mobile, and tribes tended to be commonly on the move in the search of animal prey and in according to the movement of the seasons.
Thankfully today everything needed to follow such a diet is available at incredible convenience, and the advantages of following a diet that removes processed or refined foods is well known to researchers. Such diets tend to be focussed very much upon maximizing the amount of protein that will be consumed - however far from being a carnivores delight the truth is that such proteins are found from a wide variety of sources. Research suggests that fish and scavenged nuts provided far more calorific energy that prime steaks during this period - not a bad thing at all remembering that oily fresh fish is far better for the body than cuts from mammals that will invariably be stacked with unhealthy fats.
By no means ought it to be assumed that a Paleo diet is all about eating fish and meat - the fact is that when combined with other traditional foodstuffs - collected and distributed through modern day knowledge - the diet ought to be exceedingly rich in minerals and nutrients. For our ancestors, bringing down a deer or other such mammal could never be guaranteed, especially enough to feed larger groups, therefore gathering berries, herbs and fruits was a far more lucrative means of ensuring future survival. With such foodstuffs often considered today to be ranked among the 'super-foods' it's no surprise that enjoying such a diet can be incredibly good for overall health, and especially the digestive tract.
As a diet it is ideal when combined with modern processes - there should be nobody out there who is going to have to eat their meat anyway they dislike it. Indeed archeological evidence implies that for tribes on the move, being able to set up camp and slow cook meats over open fires was the preferable way of not just cooking but also curing the food for future use. All it needs is to cut out the refined, starchy foods that would be alien to our fore-bearers and there is no reason why a rich, slow cooked stew cannot be exceedingly healthy, packed with protein and essential vitamins. Perhaps it's best just to play a nod to ancestry, and acknowledge that the Paleo method offer a hearty, and versatile menu that is truly the most traditional - and long serving - of diets.
While archeologists continue to find long buried - and often highly preserved - bodies of our great ancestors who perished many thousands of years previously, there is one thing that the majority will agree upon. This is that our fore bearers were physiologically extremely fit, with physiques that were designed to encourage power and speed when living upon their wits. Perhaps unsurprisingly many of the traits needed for a classic hunter-gather lifestyle are still in demand within contemporary society, and an entire culture has risen based upon the advantages of following a strictly Paleo diet.
As much as modern diets tend to encourage either occasional days of fasting, or limiting calorific diet, the Paleo diet is near enough to being the exact opposite. Were we lucky enough to be able to discuss and compare our lifestyles with those of our ancestors, the simple truth that we would learn would be that food is there to be consumed - as much as possible - whenever available. In a world without refrigeration (or convenience stores) the fact is that when a prey or harvest was brought into the group, it would be devoured as swiftly as possible before the food began to perish and spoil.
Before becoming too excited, the Paleo diet is based upon the notion that food is a scarce resource that absorbs the overwhelming amount of our ancestors time. Forget any notions of a happy caveman at one with nature, the fact is that throughout the dawning years of human civilization life was a struggle exclusively centered upon surviving until the next day. To achieve this groups had to be mobile, and tribes tended to be commonly on the move in the search of animal prey and in according to the movement of the seasons.
Thankfully today everything needed to follow such a diet is available at incredible convenience, and the advantages of following a diet that removes processed or refined foods is well known to researchers. Such diets tend to be focussed very much upon maximizing the amount of protein that will be consumed - however far from being a carnivores delight the truth is that such proteins are found from a wide variety of sources. Research suggests that fish and scavenged nuts provided far more calorific energy that prime steaks during this period - not a bad thing at all remembering that oily fresh fish is far better for the body than cuts from mammals that will invariably be stacked with unhealthy fats.
By no means ought it to be assumed that a Paleo diet is all about eating fish and meat - the fact is that when combined with other traditional foodstuffs - collected and distributed through modern day knowledge - the diet ought to be exceedingly rich in minerals and nutrients. For our ancestors, bringing down a deer or other such mammal could never be guaranteed, especially enough to feed larger groups, therefore gathering berries, herbs and fruits was a far more lucrative means of ensuring future survival. With such foodstuffs often considered today to be ranked among the 'super-foods' it's no surprise that enjoying such a diet can be incredibly good for overall health, and especially the digestive tract.
As a diet it is ideal when combined with modern processes - there should be nobody out there who is going to have to eat their meat anyway they dislike it. Indeed archeological evidence implies that for tribes on the move, being able to set up camp and slow cook meats over open fires was the preferable way of not just cooking but also curing the food for future use. All it needs is to cut out the refined, starchy foods that would be alien to our fore-bearers and there is no reason why a rich, slow cooked stew cannot be exceedingly healthy, packed with protein and essential vitamins. Perhaps it's best just to play a nod to ancestry, and acknowledge that the Paleo method offer a hearty, and versatile menu that is truly the most traditional - and long serving - of diets.
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