The Prehistoric has many names – the Paleolithic Diet, The Paleo Diet, The Evolution Diet, The Stone Age Diet, The Caveman diet, or the Hunter-Gatherer Diet. The theory goes that modern human genes are the result of life conditions that for over a million years before the introduction of agriculture.
Farming did not exist until about 10,000 years ago. Humans have been around for over one million years. The Paleolithic era ended about 20,000 years ago – before the advent of agriculture. It takes hundreds of thousands of years to about two million years for an animal’s genes to adapt it metabolism and physiology to changing lifestyles – this process of change is called “natural selection”.
In other words, we are nearly genetically identical to humans before the advent of agriculture. During the last 10,000 years there has not been enough time for natural selection to make genetic changes to our relatively new farm-based diet. Farming includes grains, legumes and dairy product. Our hunter-gather genetic make-up is designed for the consumption of wild plants, animals and seafood. We are even less genetically suited for modern processed foods, such as sugar, refined fat, etc.
As we are designed to consume hunter-gatherer foods, we should be consuming:
- Meat
- Eggs
- Insects (and larva)
- Seafood (fish and shellfish)
- Root vegetables that can be eaten raw
- Fruits
- Nuts
- Seeds
- Herbs and spices
- Vegetables
- Honey, maple sugar, date sugar (natural sugars)
We are NOT designed to eat:
- Grains
- Peanuts, beans, peas, cashews, tofu, soy milk, flour (legumes)
- Root vegetables that cannot be eaten raw (potato, tapioca, parsnips, sweet potato, yam)
- Refined sugars
- Separated fats and oils
- Foods that contain yeast
- Juices, sodas, coffee
- Alcohol
- Dairy products
- Processed meats
- Salt
HOT – Prehistoric Diet Resources:
1. The Paleo Diet: Lose Weight and Get Healthy by Eating the Food You Were Designed to Eat |
2. Dr. Citron’s Evolutionary Diet: Help Prevent Cancer and Heart Disease -And Lose Weight Naturally-By Following the Diet of Your Cro-Magnon Ancestors |
3. The Evolution Diet: What and How We Were Designed to Eat |