Health Benefits of the Paleo Diet

Agriculture has introduced wide-sweeping changes in the way we eat today,

yet our genes have not changed as rapidly. Our bodies are still designed for

the high-protein, low-carbohydrate food consumption pattern of our hunter

gatherer ancestors. This means we are genetically ill-equipped to handle the

high-carbohydrate, low-protein diet of modern times.

This state of better health is true even among the indigenous cultures that

have survived into the present day and continue to follow a diet of foods

available to them in their natural surroundings. When anthropologists

compare these primitive, hunting-gathering peoples with their modernized,

grain-eating neighbors, the close association between diet and disease is

very clear. You will not find heart disease, cancer, diabetes, arthritis or

other “diseases of civilization” among the hunter gatherers. But all these

conditions exist among their modernized relatives, with their diets of grain

products, sugar laden and processed foods.

Modifying our diet so it becomes closer and more similar

to the dietary

patterns of our paleolithic ancestors, who ate only natural — not

manufactured — foods, our body will be healthier and we will be at lower

risk of suffering from the many illnesses and diseases in society today.

The paleo diet provides the body with healthy low-GI carbohydrates from

natural food sources, while avoiding our modern diet’s over-consumption of

highly processed carbohydrates. Our bodies are not genetically equipped to

handle processed carbohydrates, let alone an excess of them. Yet, we are

often consuming excessive amounts which can result in a weakened

immune system, diabetes, obesity and many other chronic illnesses.

Excessive carbohydrate consumption is rare with the paleo diet. The main

source of carbohydrates is fruits and vegetables — the same way it was for

our ancestors. Fruits and vegetables generally have a much lower glycemic

response than cereal grains and dairy products while providing plenty of

antioxidants and assorted phytochemicals which protect against free-radical

damage and the carbohydrate need for the body on a daily basis.

The paleo diet will provide the body with a higher proportion of fat than the

average Western diet which provides for an additional health benefit as this

is the body’s preferred energy source and is what will help the body perform

optimally. The fat sources found in our modern diet is generally unhealthy;

consisting largely of transfats. It is important to realize that the human

body needs a certain level and quality of fat to enable many body

processes, for example; fat-soluble nutrients such as vitamins A, D, E, and

K and the coenzyme CoQ10 cannot be absorbed without fat, and each of

these vitamins (and many more) are extremely important in order for the

body to avoid nutrient deficiencies.

Our ancestors evolved with omega-3 fatty acids, and many fundamental

biochemical processes in our bodies still require this fatty acid. The

consumption of omega-3 fatty acids in the modern diet is substantially

lower than that of omega-6 fatty acids; another family of

polyunsaturated

fatty acids. The diet of our ancestors showed a 1:1 ratio for omega-3 to

omega-6. The modern diet has a much lower ratio of 1:20, or even less.

Omega-3’s are known to benefit the human body in many ways. Cordain

believes omega-3 fatty acids were key factors in increasing the brain size.

They provided the dietary support that allowed the formation of brain

tissue. They are essential in maintaining structural functions, such as

creating the membranes in your cells to keep tissues healthy, as well as in

supporting biochemical processes and body metabolism. A favorable

omega-3:omega-6 ratio is important for physical as well as mental health,

including but not limited too immune system strength, cardiovascular

system strength and a healthy digestive system.

The modern diet, with its excessive consumption of sugar and simple

carbohydrates and dangerous fats upsets the natural balance of the bodies

ecosystem.

One of the most effective dietary solutions to the health problems we face

today can be found within the power within the paleo diet. It is necessary

for good health to restore the high-protein, high-fat, and low-carbohydrate

balance and to regain the quality of the nutrients which has been lost in

modern day food processing and farming. By striving to duplicate the

nutritional intake of our hunter gatherer ancestors, the paleo diet enables

us to have a clear path towards transforming physical and internal health.

The Paleo Diet

The paleo diet is one of the most intriguing diets that have come out in

recent years. Its revelations may seem new, but the formulation is actually

based on the eating patterns of our most ancient hunter gatherer ancestors

— the early humans of the paleolithic (stone age) period, who roamed the

earth millions of years ago.

Over the course of human evolution (until around 10,000 years ago), all

hunter gatherers had the same dietary approach – they consumed only

those foods provided and available by nature. They obtained their food from

hunting wild game and gathering diverse fruits, vegetables, plants, nuts,

and seeds available over the seasons of the year.

The foods our ancestors consumed remain to be the foods best adapted to

our metabolisms today. Human genes have not changed enough over the

last few thousand years to adapt to our new agriculture-based diet. In fact,

our present genes are still 99.99% identical in makeup to those of our

paleolithic ancestors.

Research findings provide ample indications that hunter gatherers were very

healthy. They were taller, had better builds and bigger brains. Although

their life expectancy was shorter, deaths were often caused by outside

factors such as extreme weather conditions, accidents, infections, and

predatory animals. They did not suffer from chronic or degenerative

diseases such as diabetes, cancer or heart disease. These diseases emerged

only when we shifted to agriculture - modern diseases are the consequence

of civilization, the result of a mismatch of our genetic makeup and our

lifestyle.

Our ancestors were always physically active – hunting and gathering for

food. Their physical challenges were extreme, as they raced to hunt wild

game. Some hunter gatherers would walk approximately 19km (12 miles) a

day on average looking for prey, including bursts of quick activity and

running speeds when game was spotted.

Humans have evolved to meet the challenges and opportunities of our

natural environment. Our ancestors bodies where fueled by healthy primal

foods which allowed their bodies to work at peak efficiency all the time.

Their bodies were perfectly adapted to the food they ate, not for the foods

modern technology brings.

The dietary habits of our ancient ancestors have been thoroughly studied in

recent years. The phenomenal abilities of our ancestors are rooted in the

diet they consumed and the lifestyle they lived.

The paleo diet can be further characterized by the following:

•

Caloric intake (around 65%), came from eating all the edible parts of

vertebrate animals (wild game and fish).

•

A significant part of our ancestors diet consisted of fresh fruits, plants,

nuts, seeds, flowers, leaves, and bulbs. These were all consumed raw,

which maximized the retention of nutrient rich content and disease-

preventing compounds.

•

Grains where never present in any significant quantity. Even though they

where around, the grains and small seeds were never milled or ground

into fine particles and cooked in order to be consumed safely.

•

Sodium salt, when present, was in very minimal amounts.
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