The Paleo Diet Plan
This
is a concept that you will automatically be, or become, healthy if you
eat a strict Paleo Diet. And a Paleo Diet is defined as the diet you
have evolved to eat. What can be better than that?
Now we have to define what’s in a Paleo Diet. There are two ways of going about this. Either we deduce, preferably from some sort of evidence, what our Paleo ancestors ate or we go and see exactly what modern hunter-gatherers eat. That seems simple, so let’s go do it. First, let’s look at exactly what this eating plan is…
Now we have to define what’s in a Paleo Diet. There are two ways of going about this. Either we deduce, preferably from some sort of evidence, what our Paleo ancestors ate or we go and see exactly what modern hunter-gatherers eat. That seems simple, so let’s go do it. First, let’s look at exactly what this eating plan is…
What is Paleo and why does it mean we should use that particular diet?
The
full word is Paleolithic, and it’s was back in that era, about 10,000
years ago, when our ancestors were at their peak as hunter-gatherers.
After the hunter-gatherer stage in our evolution, we became farmers. It
was well worth our while doing this as it meant more food security and
more physical security.
But there were downsides. It is noticeable from the archeological record that our height dropped noticeably after that transition. Also, it appears from the bones they left behind that our farmer ancestors had to contend with more illnesses in general. We appear to have started dying earlier as well.
It’s generally thought that this general unhealthiness was due to our living closely together in settled communities without knowing how to, leading to far more chances of contacting viruses than a hunter-gatherer would receive. Farmers also had a more restricted diet, that is, they had a smaller variety of food. The upside was there was plenty food all the year round. Well mostly anyway, they were weather dependent.
Now you may be wondering why we changed at all, but we did. The generally held reason is it gave each individual a far better chance at life. Or it appeared to. After all, the hunter-gatherer lifestyle isn’t a bed of roses. Imagine how you would fare following the herds and taking one down when you were hungry and then protecting your kill from other animals who want to eat also. Moving on every few days, or weeks, in order to follow the plants as the season goes on. This is a dangerous lifestyle, and while it may have provided us with our ideal diet, it also gave us a lot of dangers to overcome. Real dangers I mean. Dangers that could easily get you killed. Dangers that went away with settled communities.
As far as our archeologists can tell, when settled communities started, there was a gradual but unstoppable migration over to the local settled community and absolutely no migration the other way. That’s the way the locals of the time voted.
So, while the diet those Paleo hunter-gatherers enjoyed may have been ideal for our bodies, we were physically safer in settled communities and preferred it that way.
OK, that seems reasonable. We moved to fixed communities for greater safety but we paid a price for it in reduced variation of foodstuffs. But we are not those long lost farmers now. We have a lot more information to apply to this.
But there were downsides. It is noticeable from the archeological record that our height dropped noticeably after that transition. Also, it appears from the bones they left behind that our farmer ancestors had to contend with more illnesses in general. We appear to have started dying earlier as well.
It’s generally thought that this general unhealthiness was due to our living closely together in settled communities without knowing how to, leading to far more chances of contacting viruses than a hunter-gatherer would receive. Farmers also had a more restricted diet, that is, they had a smaller variety of food. The upside was there was plenty food all the year round. Well mostly anyway, they were weather dependent.
Now you may be wondering why we changed at all, but we did. The generally held reason is it gave each individual a far better chance at life. Or it appeared to. After all, the hunter-gatherer lifestyle isn’t a bed of roses. Imagine how you would fare following the herds and taking one down when you were hungry and then protecting your kill from other animals who want to eat also. Moving on every few days, or weeks, in order to follow the plants as the season goes on. This is a dangerous lifestyle, and while it may have provided us with our ideal diet, it also gave us a lot of dangers to overcome. Real dangers I mean. Dangers that could easily get you killed. Dangers that went away with settled communities.
As far as our archeologists can tell, when settled communities started, there was a gradual but unstoppable migration over to the local settled community and absolutely no migration the other way. That’s the way the locals of the time voted.
So, while the diet those Paleo hunter-gatherers enjoyed may have been ideal for our bodies, we were physically safer in settled communities and preferred it that way.
OK, that seems reasonable. We moved to fixed communities for greater safety but we paid a price for it in reduced variation of foodstuffs. But we are not those long lost farmers now. We have a lot more information to apply to this.
What Foods Did Those Original Paleolithic Peoples Eat?
This
is an obvious question. But the answer is not obvious at all. You see,
we are omnivores. That is one of the main reasons we were able to
travel and settle all over the world. And that means we do not have a
uniform diet we can simply copy and paste into our own lives. In that
sense there is no such thing as just one Paleo Diet.
Also, we must understand that just about everything we eat now has been modified and developed by us during the past ten thousand years or so. So, for all practical purposes we can say that we literally cannot eat a Paleo Diet nowadays because the foods those peoples ate simply do not exist now.
And we can say the same about the meat we eat now. Our ancestors hunted down, killed and ate some of the animals they found in their area of the world. Do we? Can we? Of course we can’t. We, as a civilization, rely totally on farming for our food. I’m talking about the majority of people around, not the few who, even now, can and do hunt their food.
And farming has changed the animals farmed beyond recognition. In general, the meat is bred for specific attributes and is fed specifically to fatten it up so that it provides the maximum taste possible. And that is balanced against doing all this as cheaply as possible. Which means a massive use of antibiotics and other such invasive medications.
Also, we must understand that just about everything we eat now has been modified and developed by us during the past ten thousand years or so. So, for all practical purposes we can say that we literally cannot eat a Paleo Diet nowadays because the foods those peoples ate simply do not exist now.
And we can say the same about the meat we eat now. Our ancestors hunted down, killed and ate some of the animals they found in their area of the world. Do we? Can we? Of course we can’t. We, as a civilization, rely totally on farming for our food. I’m talking about the majority of people around, not the few who, even now, can and do hunt their food.
And farming has changed the animals farmed beyond recognition. In general, the meat is bred for specific attributes and is fed specifically to fatten it up so that it provides the maximum taste possible. And that is balanced against doing all this as cheaply as possible. Which means a massive use of antibiotics and other such invasive medications.
We Need the General Principles of the Paleo Diet
But
we can take out general principles from this conundrum. What did those
early humans do that we can also do?
It’s often said they didn’t process their food. But they did. Cooking food is processing it. Preparing food for storage is also processing it. However, we can say with a fair degree of accuracy, that our ancestors didn’t process their food apart from cooking. Some hunter-gatherer peoples have developed processes to make food last longer, but they are so few and far between we propose we ignore that aspect.
We can approximate the meat our ancestors ate. What about game? That’s wild food right there. If you want to eat farmed animals, try and ensure the animals are as close to wild animals as possible. That means free range or grass fed animals with as much room to move about as possible.
Eating standard red meat straight from your shop can also be beneficial. Cut off the fat and throw it away is the obvious thing to do to approximate it to its wild cousins. And yes, I know, the fat makes it more tasty, but hey, why are you reading this if you’re not going to, at least, think about it?
It’s often said they didn’t process their food. But they did. Cooking food is processing it. Preparing food for storage is also processing it. However, we can say with a fair degree of accuracy, that our ancestors didn’t process their food apart from cooking. Some hunter-gatherer peoples have developed processes to make food last longer, but they are so few and far between we propose we ignore that aspect.
We can approximate the meat our ancestors ate. What about game? That’s wild food right there. If you want to eat farmed animals, try and ensure the animals are as close to wild animals as possible. That means free range or grass fed animals with as much room to move about as possible.
Eating standard red meat straight from your shop can also be beneficial. Cut off the fat and throw it away is the obvious thing to do to approximate it to its wild cousins. And yes, I know, the fat makes it more tasty, but hey, why are you reading this if you’re not going to, at least, think about it?
What Is A Modern Day Paleo Diet Meal Plan?
Within
the parameters of your location, your time and your budget, this is a
diet that’s as natural as possible. You have to decide for yourself
exactly what you eat. And every ethical dietician around will tell you
you’ll be better off health-wise if you forego as many processed foods
as possible.
The above is a very generic statement. In actual fact, there are many Paleo plans out there for you to try out. They’re all different but they should all adhere to the basics as I’ve outlined above. One thing they all seem to get wrong, is they are too dogmatic. They all seem to know exactly what our caveman ancestors ate and that’s something they can’t know in such detail.
And, it seems obvious but just in case, both men and women will benefit from changing to a Paleo style eating plan.
Now, the one thing I want you to take away from this is buy your basic foods and cook them. Doing that exclusively for, say a month, should be of great and noticeable benefit to you. It may be strange to you as you read this, but understand it is actually an easy plan to follow. At least to start, this is all you have to do.
If you’re looking for paleo type recipes, there are plenty around. Click here for a good, cheap set of nutritious Paleo recipes. This will supply with all the Paleo meal plan recipes you need.
The above is a very generic statement. In actual fact, there are many Paleo plans out there for you to try out. They’re all different but they should all adhere to the basics as I’ve outlined above. One thing they all seem to get wrong, is they are too dogmatic. They all seem to know exactly what our caveman ancestors ate and that’s something they can’t know in such detail.
And, it seems obvious but just in case, both men and women will benefit from changing to a Paleo style eating plan.
Now, the one thing I want you to take away from this is buy your basic foods and cook them. Doing that exclusively for, say a month, should be of great and noticeable benefit to you. It may be strange to you as you read this, but understand it is actually an easy plan to follow. At least to start, this is all you have to do.
If you’re looking for paleo type recipes, there are plenty around. Click here for a good, cheap set of nutritious Paleo recipes. This will supply with all the Paleo meal plan recipes you need.
Paleo Exercise Plans
One
thing I’ve not covered here is exercise. Anyone contemplating caveman
life will realize they did everything without machines. They used their
muscles. Eventually they used oxen or horses to supply the heavy
effort. Bit still, our ancestors used their muscles each and every day.
I’ll cover this one in more detail later. Meanwhile, just know our ancestors had to do everything by hand but they did what they had to and no more. So, get yourselves out of doors and just become more active. For the moment don’t worry about any sort of exercise regime. Just get out there and move while having fun.
I’ll cover this one in more detail later. Meanwhile, just know our ancestors had to do everything by hand but they did what they had to and no more. So, get yourselves out of doors and just become more active. For the moment don’t worry about any sort of exercise regime. Just get out there and move while having fun.
How to Start Changing Your Diet
Well,
you can take what I’ve written here and act on it. One thing that seems
to be a bit difficult for some people is the actual cooking. That’s why
I encourage you to check this out. It’s a simple Paleo recipe book
which will help you a lot if you don’t have the time or inclination to
work out your meals by yourself.
Get Your Copy of my Easy Paleo Diet Report
Just
click on the link on the right of this page and you’ll have your free
copy of this report in no time at all.
More Information
You can obtain more information on the paleo diet (aka the stone age diet aka the caveman diet herehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paleolithic_diet
