Living on the Fat of the Land
Hungry? There's good news; relief is readily accessible. Food now comes in wrapped, single-serving portions and is quite inexpensive. Convenience stores have shelves of quick fixes for an empty belly, and vending machines will trade goodies for a handful of change. Yet are these tasty morsels actually beneficial to our health? Any person on the street would say no, of course not, even while scarfing a package down.
The industrial revolution gave us many things, not the least of which is cheaper food available to nearly everyone. Yet the process of making food less expensive has had the side effect of making it less nutritious, as well. That's why many health experts and nutritionists are looking backward in time to find out what we used to eat before we had junk food.
The so-called caveman diet comes in many variations, including the popular Paleo Diet by Dr. Loren Cordain. Cordain and others have extensively researched the life and times of early humans to understand what they ate and how they prepared it. Their theory is that modern man is not so different from his ancestors that he can radically alter his diet with recently-created, heavily processed foods. Going back to our roots, Cordain proposes, brings us back to the health we were designed to enjoy.
Based on years of research, Cordain explains that Paleolithic man ate primarily fresh vegetables and fruits, lean meats, seeds, and nuts. While early man did eat some grains, he did not eat many, nor did he eat many tubers. The hunter-gatherer society did not cultivate legumes, grains, or dairy animals, so little of these foods made their way into the meals prepared in that age.
Times have changed greatly, but Cordain argues that the human body has not. He created a diet plan to mimic (since replication is not feasible) that long-ago cuisine. The core ingredients are lean meats like turkey and seafood, organic vegetables and fruits, and nuts. Foods to avoid include sugar, salt, grains, fats, all dairy, potatoes, and anything cultivated or processed. Liquids are limited to water, coconut milk, and organic green tea, although if the sweet tooth is taking over, the occasional diet soda is allowed.
Consuming foods that most closely resemble the wild-grown foods gathered and hunted by ancient man has shown to improve overall health and even to reduce complications from many modern diseases. This low-fat, low-carb, high-protein diet can help control cardiovascular disease, diabetes, inflammation, high blood pressure, and of course, weight. Cordain provides pages of research on how lean protein helps people lose weight and be healthier with this diet.
As with any diet, there are advocates and naysayers. Supporters love the weight loss and fresh produce, while detractors state that the diet is not sustainable for the long term and, due to the elimination of entire food groups, may cause nutritional deficiencies. The American Diabetic Association classified the caveman diet as a fad diet, citing the limitations on variety and the difficulty in adapting it to individual needs.
