Why is the Paleolithic Diet The Popular new Approach?

The paleolithic diet, also known as the Stone Age Diet or Cave Man Diet, is simply a return to eating the foods that humans would have consumed before agriculture and farming became common. Also, it emphasises eating raw foods, as cooking would have been a rarity.

The paleolithic diet is intended to emulate the ancient diet of wild plants and animals that humans consumed up until the end of the stone age, which was about 10,000 years ago. It is based upon commonly available modern foods, including lean meat, fish, vegetables, fruit, roots, and nuts. It excludes grains, legumes, dairy products, salt, refined sugar, and processed oils.

It was first popularized in the mid 1970s by a gastroenterologist named Walter L. Voegtlin. Building upon the principles of evolutionary medicine, it is based on the premise that modern humans are genetically adapted to the diet of their Paleolithic ancestors and that human genetics have scarcely changed since the dawn of agriculture, and therefore that an ideal diet for human health and well-being is one that resembles this ancestral diet.

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This dietary approach is a controversial topic amongst nutritionists and anthropologists. Advocates argue that modern human populations subsisting on traditional diets similar to those of Paleolithic hunter-gatherers are largely free of diseases of affluence, and that such diets produce beneficial health outcomes in controlled medical studies.

Supporters point to several potentially therapeutic nutritional characteristics of preagricultural diets. Critics of this nutritional approach have taken issue with its underlying evolutionary logic, and have disputed certain dietary prescriptions on the grounds that they pose health risks and may not reflect the features of ancient Paleolithic diets. It is not a realistic alternative for everyone.

Why is the Palaeolithic Diet The Popular new Approach?

Since the end of the Paleolithic period, foods that humans would have rarely or never consumed during previous stages of their evolution have been introduced as staples in their diet, namely dairy products, beans, cereals, alcohol, salt and fatty domestic meats.

In the last 150 years agriculture has boomed, with the production of refined cereals, refined sugars and refined vegetable oils, as well fattier domestic meats, which have become major components of Western diets. These dietary compositional changes have been implicated as risk factors in the many of the “diseases of civilization”, which include obesity, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, osteoporosis, autoimmune-related diseases and cancer.

Healthiest Foods to Eat on the Stone Age, Hunter-Gather Diet

There are too many foods that can be eaten, and that should be avoided, to list here. However, some of the allowed foods are also super foods, so we shall concentrate on these:

Salmon: Salmon packs a great source of protein coupled with omega-3 fatty acids. Salmon is also a good source of vitamins B6 and B12. Choose wild salmon whenever possible.

Blueberries: A powerhouse of vitamins, antioxidants which neutralize cell damage that can lead to heart disease and cancer.

Kale: One of the best leafy greens. It is proven at fighting cancer and detoxifying. Kale provides a good source of Vitamin A and beta carotene; both essential for eye health and to prevent degenerative macular conditions like glaucoma. Kale contains 88% of the RDA of Vitamin C.

Apples: Healthy, high in fiber. The sweetness of an apple is due to fructose, a slow-digesting sugar that won’t spike your blood sugar. Fiber helps to regulate blood sugar and can control apetite better than other fruits. Apples are one of the foods we strongly recommend you purchase organic, and be sure to eat the peel.

Grass Fed Beef: Organic grass-fed beef makes our list of the ten healthiest paleolithic foods. The beef produced from grass-fed cattle is lean and comparable to the wild meats in a classic cave man diet. Grass-fed beef is higher in omega-3 essential fatty acids and beta carotene.

Almonds: High in monounsaturated fats, decrease cholesterol levels and aid in preventing heart disease. Eaten with a meal decrease the post meal blood sugar spike.

Beets: Red color gives them cancer-fighting properties. They lower cholesterol and protect against heart disease. Also full of antioxidants.

Avocado: Source of potassium and folate, lower bad cholesterol and raise good cholesterol. They also help you absorb more of the fat-soluble vitamins from the other vegetables.

Garlic: Great for your heart; reduces blood pressure. High in vitamin C, B6, selenium, and manganese. Choose fresh garlic over powders or even garlic sold pre-chopped in jars.

Carrots Cheap, versatile, full of vitamins and nutrients. One of the richest natural sources of carotenoids, have been linked to the prevention and fighting of several common types of cancer. Can be enjoyed raw or cooked.

So, time to act more like a cave man (or cave woman) and less like a junkie. Eating a natural diet like this will strengthen your immune system as well as your body. Bone strength and density is related to diet, as is a healthy cardiovascular system. If you want to be strong like a caveman, then eat like Captain Caveman!

Customer Reviews of Neaderthin

Fantastic book!
This book is truly amazing. I believe that the author has gone to his heart in order to access hundreds of thousands year old information that will allow us all to eat the way we are meant to. His book is easily understood and fascinating. I wish more people would read this book and exercise the simple principles found within. People need to see that what they eat (processed foods, carbohydrates – i.e. sugar) is killing them, making them weak physically and emotionally. It’s time for a revolution – eat meat! Get strong! Be alive! Become vibrant!

It’s now my second Bible
This diet is simpler than Atkins but very similar.
In my teen years a friend got me on a “natural kick”. I retained this through the years eliminating processed sugar,salt, food dies simply by reading labels. However I still needed more help. On finding this book my search had ended, here was clear logical guidance for a simple weight loss & healthy life style. Well it was not hard to drop grain products, dairy presented some problems, but once I maintained a state of ketosis and maintained a regular exercise program, I shed 30 lbs. and other health problems disappeared quickly. So dust off your bicycle, don’t eat another potato product, relearn to enjoy food again. p.s. WHY IS SOY used in 95% of all processed food?. This stuff is POISON. Unfit for human consumption.

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