Focuses on paleolithic diet which means eating what our ancestors
did 40,000 years ago. Foods included in paleolithic diet; Benefits of
paleolithic diet; Views regarding the foods eaten by our ancestors; Views
of Loren Cordaine regarding the ancestors' eating habit and on meat
industry.
By
PT Staff, published on May 01, 1997
It won't succeed the dreaded cabbage soup diet as the eating craze
du jour.But it may be one regimen that truly benefits your brain.
Technically it's called a paleolithic diet, but what it basically means
is eating what our ancestors did 40,000 years ago: lost of meat, some
fruit and root vegetables, and little or no grains or dairy
products.
The "caveman diet" almost resembles the familiar nutritionists'
food pyramid--turned upside down. So why adopt eating habits that
contradict everything experts have been telling us? The theory is simple:
Just as a car is designed to run best on a specific fuel, so "our species
is genetically adapted to eating animal protein and fats," insists
Colorado State University's Loren Cordaine, Ph.D. And anthropologist Boyd
Eaton, Ph.D., goes so far as to call modern America's high-grain,
low-meat diet, "affluent malnutrition."
Ironically, the meat-rich diet our ancestors ate was in many ways
more healthful than our own. Elk steaks have only a fraction of the
cholesterol-raising saturated fat that farm-raised beef has. And the wild
stuff has far more omega-3 fatty acids, the "good fats" essential to a
well-functioning brain. In fact, Cordaine believes our ancestors' switch
from a vegetarian diet to meatier meals rich in omega-3s was key to our
evolution, providing the nutritients needed to expand the human
brain.
Cordaine's work isn't just theoretical: He's actually put
volunteers on a paleolithic regimen. The results? Despite all that meat,
the types and levels of fat in participants' blood became healthier.
Still not hankering for a buffalo burger? Cordaine says that the meat
industry could easily raise cattle whose nutrient profile resembles that
of wild game--if consumers demand it.
Tags:
3 fatty acids,
animal protein,
brain,
buffalo burger,
cabbage soup diet,
caveman diet,
colorado state university,
diet,
fat,
food pyramid,
good fats,
human brain,
meat diet,
meat industry,
nutrient profile,
nutritients,
omega 3 fatty acids,
omega 3s,
Paleolithic,
paleolithic diet,
protein,
rich diet,
root vegetables,
vegetarian diet,
wild game
