The Paleo diet is undoubtedly trending. The concepts behind this dietary style are almost mystical, fascinating, and take us back to our ancestors, allowing our minds to travel hundreds of thousands of years into the past. This article aims to explain what it entails and the benefits of adopting this eating style.

Our Genetic Heritage

We are born to be healthy and fit. While science continues to advance, finding cures for the diseases of our era, it seems to have forgotten where we come from and our origins.
Few people seem to acknowledge that there are still populations today unaffected by autoimmune diseases, obesity, diabetes, and degenerative conditions. (ketogenic diet link here)

Why is that?
Let’s begin by saying that if we drew a 100-meter line, the first 99.5 meters would represent the entire history of humanity except for the last 5,000 years.
This extensive length of time signifies the period during which humans adapted to the hunter-gatherer lifestyle.
This means our genetic makeup is nearly identical to that of our ancestors who lived more than 120,000 years ago. The agricultural revolution, which occurred around 10,000 years ago, would represent only the last half-meter of those 100 meters.
The lifestyle that now seems normal to us is entirely new to our genetic heritage.

What Anthropology Tells Us

Anthropological studies reveal that our hunter-gatherer ancestors were as tall as the average European or American population today.
They enjoyed excellent health, had no cavities or bone malformations, indicating their diet was highly nutritious.

Infant mortality was low, and more than 10% of them lived beyond 60 years of age. Degenerative diseases such as cancer, diabetes, and vascular conditions were practically unknown.

Moreover, the remains of our ancestors show little to no signs of iron, calcium, or protein deficiencies. In contrast, these issues became apparent in populations that lived after the advent of agriculture.
So, why isn’t this widely discussed?

It seems overlooked, and many nutritionists continue to prescribe low-fat diets (around 15-20%) with a predominant carbohydrate intake (50-60%). Not only is this harmful to our bodies, but it also leaves us with a constant sense of hunger gnawing at our stomachs.

Paleo Diet in a Nutshell

What should you eat on a Paleo diet?

Start with fruits and vegetables.

If you’re looking to lose weight, focus more on vegetables; otherwise, you can indulge in more fruit.
Always choose seasonal fruits. When buying fruits and vegetables, try to get items representing every color of the rainbow: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple.
Over the week, you should aim to consume foods from each color group.

Spices.

Incorporate spices like ginger, basil, onions, parsley, shallots, chili, garlic, mint, and rosemary. Choose the ones you love and use them generously in your recipes.

Fish.

Given today’s environmental pollution, eating healthy without encountering contamination risks is challenging.
Hence, it’s recommended to choose wild-caught or non-farmed fish. Wild fish are rich in omega-3s, which have significant anti-inflammatory properties, unlike farmed fish fed grain-based diets that lose these benefits.

Meat.

Stock up on common cuts like beef steaks, pork chops, lean ground meat, chicken, and turkey. Like fish, try to buy meat from grass-fed or hay-fed animals.
These sources offer the best omega-3 to omega-6 ratios, favoring the former.

You can also add eggs to your diet if desired.

A Paleo Day

What does a typical day on the Paleo diet look like? Here’s a simple example with various options:

– Breakfast: Meat with an apple and almond butter, or 2 eggs with zucchini.
– Lunch: Veal slices or fish fillets with green salad, tomatoes, peppers, balsamic vinegar, and olive oil.
– Snack: Beef jerky or lunch leftovers and half an avocado.
– Dinner: Chicken or pork stew with cauliflower.

Conclusion

Eating like our ancestors is no easy feat. Every time we visit a supermarket, we are surrounded by artificial, canned, and packaged products that save time, effort, and money.
The foods mentioned in this article are indeed more expensive because they are of higher quality.

But think about this: if you owned a gasoline-powered car, would you fill it with diesel because it’s cheaper or more readily available nearby? Of course not! You’d damage the engine.

Let’s start viewing our bodies as sacred, something to protect and fuel appropriately. Eat to nourish your body, not to satisfy feelings of anxiety, stress, or sadness.
Remember, we are designed to be healthy, and perhaps much of what surrounds us was built for reasons other than promoting our health.