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November 24, 2010 at 9:34 pm #35929Michael WinnKeymaster
note: The Tao of Diet is a topic I usually avoid, because it is so unique to each person’s five element make-up and adaptation to cultural diets. This article is about a true “back to nature” diet that can still be customized….and it shares one thing in comoon with many Taoists – the suggestion of abstaining from grains, as a civilized food that shortens life. – Michael
from:
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/11/24/nutrition-secrets-from-cavemen.aspxTHE PALEO DIET
Scientists have begun exploring what can be learned from the diet of cavemen who lived ago, based on vegetables, fruit, nuts, roots and meat. Cereals, potatoes, bread and milk were not featured at all.
It was only with the dawn of agriculture (around 10,000 years ago) that our diets evolved to include what we think of as staple foods now.
Research will focus on how the food eaten by hunter-gatherers could enhance modern day nutrition.
In contrast to the cereal crops we rely on now for the basis of our food, the pre-farming diet contained fewer carbohydrates, less fat and more vegetables. So was it a healthier diet?
“It seems so,” Mark Thomas, professor of evolutionary genetics at University College London, told BBC News. “Paleolithic man may have died earlier than we do now, but he didn’t die of bad nutrition.”
“We need to decrease our reliance on refined sugar and a heavy carbohydrate diet, and replace some of the things we have lost,” says Professor Monique Simmonds, head of the sustainable uses of plants group at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, in the BBC News article.
Sources:
BBC September 17, 2010Dr. Mercola’s Comments:
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Cavemen who lived long ago were eating a lot healthier than most Americans today, according to even preliminary research into the ancient hunter-gatherer diet.
During the Paleolithic period, which spans to 12,000 years ago, people ate primarily vegetables, fruit, nuts, roots and meat. Today, these healthy staples have been largely replaced with refined sugar, high fructose corn syrup, cereal, bread, potatoes and pasteurized milk products which are doing no favors for modern day health.
Can a Stone Age Diet Make You Healthier?
One of the most thorough looks into Stone Age nutrition was done by Dr. Loren Cordain, author of The Paleo Diet and considered to be one of the worlds leading experts on Paleolithic nutrition.
Based upon scientific research examining the types and quantities of foods our hunter-gatherer ancestors ate, the foundation of “The Paleo Diet” is lean meat, including ostrich and bison as well as organ meats, seafood, fresh fruit and non-starchy vegetables — a far cry from the standard American diet.
As Dr. Cordain states:
Simply put, human nutritional requirements for optimal health are determined by our genes, and our genes are shaped by the environment of our ancestors through natural selection. Many modern staples and processed foods were not present throughout most of the more than 2 million years hominin species have been present on earth.
The nutritional qualities of modern processed foods and foods introduced during the Neolithic period are discordant with our ancient and conservative genome. This genetic discordance ultimately manifests itself as various chronic illnesses, which have been dubbed “diseases of civilization.”
By severely reducing or eliminating these foods and replacing them with a more healthful cuisine, possessing nutrient qualities more in line with the foods our ancestors consumed, it is possible to improve health and reduce the risk of chronic disease.
Millions Have Trouble with the Modern Day Diet
A perfect example of Cordains findings are the vast numbers of people who have trouble digesting grains and pasteurized dairy products.
Gluten, a protein found in grains such as wheat, rye and barley, wreaks havoc in people with Celiac disease, triggering an immune reaction that damages the small intestine and prevents absorption of nutrients.
Large numbers of people, perhaps even the majority of the population, are adversely affected by gluten on some level, and most of them do not have full-blown celiac disease, just a lesser form of gluten intolerance.
Grains and sugars are inherently pro-inflammatory and will worsen any condition that has chronic inflammation at its root — and not just inflammation in your gut, but anywhere in your body.
In fact, if you want to avoid heart disease, high cholesterol, type 2 diabetes or even cancer, you will want to severely limit your grain consumption, or avoid grains entirely.
During the paleolithic period our ancestors may have died much earlier than we do nowadays but they didnt die of heart disease, diabetes and cancer — which are among the leading causes of death in 2010, and all are related to diet.
In my experience about 75-80 percent of ALL people benefit from avoiding grains, even whole sprouted grains, whether you have celiac disease, gluten intolerance or neither of those conditions. Your body is simply not designed to eat the high levels of processed grains so common in diets today.
The same holds true for pasteurized dairy products. Drinking pasteurized milk is frequently associated with a worsening of health, and this is largely due to the pasteurization process itself. As Sally Fallon of the Weston Price Foundation stated:
Pasteurization destroys enzymes, diminishes vitamin content, denatures fragile milk proteins, destroys vitamin B12 and vitamin B6, kills beneficial bacteria, promotes pathogens and is associated with allergies, increased tooth decay, colic in infants, growth problems in children, osteoporosis, arthritis, heart disease and cancer.
Raw dairy products, which have their fats, enzymes and probiotics intact, are typically much easier to digest and are associated with health improvements, rather than harm. While raw dairy did not make an appearance into humans diets until much later in history, it is a much more natural food than the pasteurized products so widely circulated today.
What Happened to Diversity?
Our Stone-Age ancestors not only ate more natural foods than we do today, but they also ate an incredibly wide variety of them. Dr. Mark Berry, who is involved in the Paleolithic nutrition research, explained that back then humans ate 20-25 different plant foods a day.
Today, many Americans struggle to fit in five.
The truth is, the typical American diet is incredibly monotonous and does not include a variety of healthy foods that your body was designed to thrive on.
As Mark Hyman, M.D., editor-in-chief of Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine, wrote:
As a species, we once ate a complex unrefined wild diet consisting of a wide variety of plant and animal foods rich in phytonutrients, fiber and omega-3 fatty acids. Now, our monotonous diet triggers different and diseased patterns of gene expression.
The USDA reports that the top nine foods eaten by Americans are:
# Whole cow”s milk
# 2 percent milk
# Processed American cheese
# White bread
# White flour
# White rolls
# Refined sugar
# Colas
# Ground beefAll of these foods are foreign to our genome that evolved on a Paleolithic diet. This mono diet creates altered patterns of gene expression that lead to disease, including food allergy or sensitivity.
In fact, you wouldnt be able to find many of the wild varieties of plant foods eaten by cavemen even if you wanted to, because modern agriculture has largely taken over the food supply and tweaked and shrunk it to where only a few varieties of wheat, corn and other plant foods are left.
Researchers are now trying to uncover the natural genes of various plant species — the ones that grew in the wild before big agriculture and genetic modification took over.
A Simple Way to Uncover What Type of Diet is Right for You
Theres no doubt that your body has a unique biochemistry that predisposes you to thrive on a certain diet. That diet is certainly not one thats focused on the relatively new inventions in the food arena, like white bread, white sugar and processed cheese.
Instead, it may be high in green vegetables and healthy fats, or you may require a higher protein percentage with your meals. You see, modern humans have developed so there is an enormous level of biochemical and genetic individuality that essentially guarantees that there is no perfect diet that will work for everyone.
While our Stone Age ancestors may have all been able to thrive on a similar whole food diet, the U.S. population has a widespread heterogeneity; we are all uniquely designed and require customized plans.
This is why I highly recommend a program called Nutritional Typing, which is a central part of my health plan and is available for free on my site.
For many years we charged $29 for this test, but I didn’t want the cost of the test to prevent anyone from taking it. So please take advantage of this free test.
Nutritional typing is a way to determine what YOUR customized diet is, and it is not even a one-size-fits-all within each nutritional grouping. If you take nutritional typing seriously, its guidelines will help you modify your food intake until you find the right balance.
Because food selection today is no longer dictated by your environment as it was so long ago, but rather by your choices at the supermarket, you owe it to yourself to uncover which choices will lead you to optimal health.
Hunting and gathering worked in the Stone Age, but the hunting and gathering of the 21st century is hunting down your nutritional type, and then gathering the foods to satisfy it.
November 25, 2010 at 6:36 pm #35930ChiFiendParticipantThanks for posting this, Michael. It makes so much sense.
I have been off of grains, cooked and/or processed foods and all pasteurized dairy products for eight years now and my health has improved immensely. Previously, I had frequent colds and flu, but I completely stopped getting sick when I changed my diet.
Another indicator that shows that I am on a much better diet than I was is that I no longer have any desire for that mid-afternoon snack. Prior to the change, I used to eat a big lunch — typically a salad followed by cooked food, including rice or potatoes. I would get quite full but by mid-afternoon I was hungry again.
Now I eat less than half the amount of food that I used to eat at lunchtime and I don’t get hungry until suppertime (6 pm or so). The food I am eating now is so much more nourishing that I feel very satisfied for a much longer time.
These days, many people are malnourished but don’t even realize it. And that’s one of the main causes of obesity. Never getting satisfied, people just keep eating and eating and eating — all the wrong things.
Also, I never have any interest in eating any junk food (deep-fried foods, sugary treats, etc.) People usually eat junk food because there is something in it that the body is demanding — often fats. Human bodies need to consume a great deal more fat than many people realize. If one is proactive and seeks out good fats from healthy sources, the interest in junk foods drops dramatically.
I used to love kettle chips and I ate Haagen Dazs ice cream every day until I started adding a lot more healthy raw fats to my diet. Since then I have completely lost interest in kettle chips and Haagen Dazs or any other junk foods. The best part is that I never have to resist any junk foods. I just have no interest because my body is completely satisfied.
November 29, 2010 at 7:29 pm #35932Michael WinnKeymasterI agree especially on your point about fats,which is why I use olive oil everyday. Our brains cannot function without fat.
Chinese teas are another great addition to a diet – healthy and filling when you think you need a snack.
m
December 1, 2010 at 5:16 am #35934ChiFiendParticipantYes, I agree. Consuming oils every day is very helpful.
In my opinion, virgin organic coconut oil is one of the best oils to consume because it is composed primarily of medium-chain triglycerides, which are so much easier for the human body to digest.
I consume between 2 to 5 ounces of coconut oil every day. It digests best when I eat it with proteins and other fats.
December 1, 2010 at 3:30 pm #35936ribosome777Participantit looks like other grains should be boil-able into meat stock…
personally still don’t like too much of it, but as long as it is mixed with salsa/vegetables or cabbage veggie stock etc, it’s great..
you can make a killer kosher bbq with wheat protein
if meat is maybe 10% of diet, some portion of the other 80 % of that can be grain protein (stuff in mock duck)
20 of diet as mix of eggs, nuts, meats, breads, fruits…
some portion of other 80 as grain stock…
its great is sauces, soups etc
December 4, 2010 at 10:53 pm #35938singing oceanParticipantI have been eating less grains for quite a while and feel much better, except for some bread and beans (also considered grains). My body can’t process oil though so add no oil to food and eat nothing fried.
Going back to a very low meat consumption (once a week) has also agreed with me greatly and still have increased strength. The majority of food eaten by hunter-gatherers was vegetable based…(gathered by the women while men were out hunting). I mean how often were hunters successful? and they also had to share the catch between family and village, so meat consumption was definitely not high by today’s standard.
December 5, 2010 at 7:23 am #35940ChiFiendParticipantIt’s too bad that your body cannot process oils. Virgin coconut oil is so amazing. If you have never tried it, you might try it a little at a time with meat or cheese or some other proteins or fats. Start with just a teaspoon at a time. This is the one oil that your body just might be able to digest very easily. The other thing to be mindful of is that coconut oil is VERY cleansing. For that reason, it would be wise to persist a bit with it. At first it might appear that your body is rejecting the oil, whereas, in actual fact, you may be experiencing a cleansing reaction.
I, myself, had some cleansing reactions to coconut oil at various junctures, as I increased the amount that I was consuming. Now 3 or 4 ounces digests perfectly as long as I combine it with proteins and other fats and “chew” it up with my food.
What interests me the most about meat consumption is how little you need to eat to give the body complete satisfaction. That is, if the meat is uncooked and unprocessed and if the meat comes from healthy animals. When you cook food at temperatures above 110 degrees, you obviously lose a lot of nutrients.
Two or three times a week I eat steak tartare made from healthy grass-fed cattle, and smothered with my own homemade shallot chutney. My body just about orgasms when I eat it. 😉 Of course, being a retention freak, orgasms are not hard to come by these days [pardon the silly pun].
I usually only need to eat about a quarter pound or less along with some swiss gruyere cheese made from raw milk and a few ounces of virgin organic coconut oil. I call it my spicy cheeseburger, giving a whole new meaning to the term “quarter pounder”. After a meal like that, my body is completely satisfied, except for oxygen, liquids [and sex], for the next 6 or 7 hours.
December 5, 2010 at 2:45 pm #35942singing oceanParticipantI have tried virgin coconut oil… but what are the benefits that you have noticed, and how is it different from when you don’t have it?
There are many natural oils in nuts as well other foods, I don’t see the need to add extra oil. I don’t think paleolithic hunter gatherers were out there producing vats of oil to devour along with their meat. But if you have noticed specific benefits from it I am interested to hear what they are (as well as the cleansing reactions, or is it purely for cleansing?).About the raw or very rare meat, how do you avoid parasites? It sounds very tasty, but again many people have written about food combining as well. and to avoid meat and dairy together. It sounds great but until I try it, don’t know how it will go over. So how often do you feast on raw meat?
December 5, 2010 at 6:50 pm #35944singing oceanParticipantOK, I read the article that you linked to about the benefits of coconut oil, and it sounds awesomely awesome. I would have to try it of course to verify the benefits.
I noticed that when I added olive oil or flax oil to my food over the period of a few months, it added a layer of fat that I noticed developing, and when I stopped adding it to the food, it went away.
December 6, 2010 at 2:25 am #35946ChiFiendParticipantIt’s difficult for me to give any honest before and after personal benefits from coconut oil because I have never tried to isolate it’s consumption for testing. I started consuming coconut oil on a consistent basis around the same time that I quit eating grains and potatoes and I started including raw meats and raw eggs and raw dairy on a regular basis. That was eight years ago.
What I noticed from this diet change in general, is that I completely stopped getting colds and flu. My energy improved radically. My complexion improved significantly. I was starting to get that greyish hue (in winter) associated with aging. People started remarking that my complexion was ruddier (in the winter time) and that I looked significantly younger.
Regarding parasites, I think that this is one of those topics which is riddled with false and/or misleading information. The idea that one should avoid parasites and bacteria arduously is one of those ideas that “everyone knows”, but is actually quite debatable if not patently false.
The idea that the male orgasm always occurs simultaneously with ejaculation also falls into that same category. It is something that is so “true for everyone” that no one examines it or even questions it at all. It is supposedly self-evident.
The researcher whom I have primarily relied upon for my own initial conclusions re: the safety of eating raw animal products (prior to my own trials and excellent results) is Aajonus Vonderplanitz. His interesting story is summarized here.
http://www.users.ms11.net/~drbass/aajonus.html
His thoughts on parasites can be found here:
http://rawpaleodiet.vpinf.com/rvaf-parasites-ano-story-1.htmlAnother source of information about safely eating raw animal products is the Weston Price Foundation:
http://www.westonaprice.org/book-reviews/thumbs-up/406-ten-days-to-optimal-health.html
December 13, 2010 at 1:52 am #35948singing oceanParticipantI asked some bioligists about parasites, and they said that animals that eat mosly natural food (i.e. grass-fed cows) should be mostly free from parasites, but that it is important to inspect the organs of the animal as the parasites often have noticeable egg and body structures if the animal is infested.
There is one story in “to live as long as heaven and earth” about a famous chinese physician treating an emperor for parasites from eating raw fish…its quite graphic, and the idea just grosses me out. Maybe thats why people started cooking the meat…to kill the parasites.
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