Caveman diet

What did humankind eat one million years ago and why does it matter? 

If you were to look at yourself in a mirror about one million years ago, you would have looked very similar then as you look today with a couple of notable exceptions.  You would have been leaner and more muscled, though your facial appearance would have been nearly identical.   The concept of being hairy, big and bulky is well should I say; “I don’t think so.” 

So why then were we so lean.  To better understand what is wrong with our diet, we must know where we have been.  We must also have a tangible idea of what our physical work load was like a million years ago.  We didn’t go to “the fridge” and pick out lunch.  We ran around the woods chasing little critters with sticks and stones, setting traps or whatever else it took.  They had to be careful about using up more calories than they ingested during this entire process or hunting or gathering. 

In any case, like animals, we ate a natural diet.  What is the correct diet?  To read about it today, you will not get two nutritionists, nor physicians to agree too much on any one diet as being the diet.  We have all heard of the Atkins Diet, the grapefruit diet, The South Beach diet and on and on.  

We need look no further than our roots to find the correct diet.  Out Stone Age ancestors had the right idea.  Actually it wasn’t exactly an idea.  It was called eating anything that was edible or starve.  That left many options, though few were simply there for the picking unless you discovered a fruit tree, a few mushrooms, or similar items to ingest.  Our natural diet is what lived and grew in the woods.  It either could be picked or chased (meaning it had a mother). 

Has anyone found a bagel bush growing out in the woods?  What about a pasta tree?   Where is the pudding pond; the ice cream lake?  Where are they?  OK, that is about it for the diet.  If it doesn’t live or grow out in nature, it is not part of our diet.  It is part of an abnormal diet but not our intended diet.   See how simple this is? 

The further you deviate from this concept the worse off you will likely be and the closer you adhere to it, the better off you will be.   OK, lets look for a cracker tree, a bread bush, a cookie cash?  I don’t think so.  When you find them growing somewhere, let me know and National Geographic know. 

You are now almost ready to accept a degree in nutrition but not just quite yet.  One egg a day (which can be found in nature) would be a great and an acceptable find.  Maybe a few small bird’s eggs would be just fine as well.  I am sure they were considered some sort of a treat, especially when starvation may have been around the corner.  Berries are special and valuable sources of minerals and vitamins.  Nuts of various kinds are also quite nice.   Beans are your best form of food, having protein and carbohydrates along with minerals and vitamins.  Thus as a single food, you cannot beat beans.  Let’s not broach the topic of gas for polite reasons on this blog.

Many diseases are related to eating processed foods but that is a topic for another day.  Many fruits and vegetables are high in potassium which lowers blood pressure, by the way.

Many experts believe that the population explosion over time led to the development of agriculture and later processed foods.  I would say they are right about this, but we are wrong about  changing natural foods into processed foods for want of convenience more than necessity. 

The next time we will take a look at the Paleolithic era.  That should be fun. 

Dr. Philip 

His blogs are his own opinions and do not reflect those of his current and past employers.