The Paleo Diet is not actually a diet but a return to the basic foods of our ancestors, the Caveman. The paleo meal consists of a lean meat or fish entree, prepared fresh vegetables, followed by fresh fruit. The paleo diet is easy to follow because it is basic food that is fresh. Processed or genetically engineered foods nor dairy was a part of the caveman diet and of course neither were soft drinks. Many changes in our diet have taken place since the era of the caveman and none so drastic as moving from the diverse diet that once allowed us to live a disease free life to that of the agricultural era. About 10,000 years ago the age of the diverse natural diet or the Paleo Meal saw a big change. Man decided that instead of hunting and gathering that he would build a house grow his own foods and no longer roam the land foraging for his food. Along with this life came a complete change in his diet because his only food was what he grew and could get in trade.
Manual labor and limited space caused a diverse diet to be confined to foods such as wheat, corn, barley, and oats. This limited diet caused vitamin deficiencies and consequently their health was affected. Many people died mostly from diseases that were a consequence of their diet. One of these diseases was scurvy, which is a deficiency of vitamin C. This disease wiped out villages and left ghost ships sailing the open seas because whole crews would be wiped by this disease. Ship mates would be talking with other crew members and literally die in mid sentence. This of course made transporting trade goods for long distances impossible.
After the discovery that fruits such as oranges and limes could combat this disease, scientists of that era began recognizing the importance of a diverse diet. Eventually apples became a mainstay for ships crew because they could be stored for longer periods and consequently longer trips could be made. British sailors were required, besides their ration of run, to also draw a ration of lime juice for drinking with their rum. Because of this lime ration, British sailors were given the nickname “limies.”
Throughout history there have been many incidences that have caused science to look at our diets and recognize the need for a more diverse diet. Somewhere along the way instead of trying to improve our diet the emphasis changed to how to extend the life of our foods. Maybe it was the fear of a food shortage that caused science to start tampering with genetics and adding chemicals to our foods to preserve their shelf life or maybe it was just basic greed.
We are now living in a society that raises animals that do not even resemble the animals that our ancestors ate. The animals of the caveman era were lean and muscle bound and could fight or flee, some of our modern animals have been so genetically altered that they can no longer walk let alone run.
Our processed foods are so laced with chemicals and artificially created that we have to look at the picture on the box to see what the product is supposed to be. Our drinks contain so much refined sugar and chemical additives that our liver doesn’t know what to do with it. We have become a society that eats with our taste buds, if it doesn’t taste good than it is “gross” and we won’t eat it. Doctor your food with refined sugar, sodium nitrate (salt), MSG, butter, cheese, sour cream, and a million other artificial coloring and flavors and its fit to eat. Nutrition means nothing, we look on the box to see how many calories it contains and if it is “low carb” then we have found something “healthy.”
So what is the alternative? The Paleo Diet is the alternative and even though it is not actually a diet you will lose weight. It places you back in touch with your metabolism by providing the food that your body, by its gene poll, has been programmed to digest and readily use.
As an experiment, substitute your evening meal for a Paleo meal for a period of two weeks. You will not have to starve yourself or empty out your pantry to do this experiment. Your body will begin rebuilding and in a few days you will be sleeping better, wake up more alert, and have a renewed vitality, and all of this will take place by simply adding one Paleo meal to your diet. Check out other articles and recipes on the Paleo Diet and see what more to expect.
By: Eugene Dillon
