Stone Age Diet

Eating Habits of Paleolithic Hunter-Gatherers Based on Animal Food

Diet and Eating Habits in the Stone-Age

Daily Diet Based on Animal Foods

During the Paleolithic period of the Stone Age, humans were hunter-gathers whose diet foods included both the animals and plants that were part of their natural environment. Fossil evidence from groups of hunter-gatherers suggests that the daily diet was derived primarily from animal-based foods. In particular, they enjoyed animal organ meats like the liver, kidneys, and brains – meat-foods that are extremely rich sources of nutrition. Stone Age humans didn’t consume much dairy food, nor did they eat high carbohydrate foods such as legumes or yeast-containing foods, or cereal grains.

Food Energy Intake in the Stone Age

Latest studies into the nutrient composition of paleolithic hunter-gatherer diets show they obtained about two-thirds of their energy intake from animal foods, including fish and shellfish and only one-third from plant foods.

Consumption of Protein, Fat and Carbohydrate

Stone Age humans ate more protein and less carbohydrate than we do now. Their fat intake was similar to today but the type of fat was vastly different. For example, the average Omega-6/Omega-3 ratio in pre-agricultural humans was about 3:1, compared to about 12:1 today. Carb intakes were lower as the main plant foods were fruits and vegetables rather than cereals. It was only after the agricultural revolution (occurring about 10-15,000 years ago) that wheat, rice, and other cereal grains became a regular feature of the early hunter gatherer diet.

Environmental Change Caused Modification of Stone Age Diet

With the extinction of large mammals throughout the continents of Europe, Asia, and North America, and the depletion of easily hunted animals, hunter gatherers were obliged to modify their diet and eating habits, especially in more densely occupied areas. This changing environment ushered in the agricultural revolution and the cultivation of plant-based foods. Hereafter, carbohydrates would become a regular feature of the early human diet.

Changes to Hunter Gatherer Diet

How the Agricultural Revolution Changed the Late Paleolithic Hunter Gatherer Diet

How Agriculture Changed Our Diet

Fossil evidence reveals that (about 10-15,000 years ago) environmental pressures obliged humans to change their eating habits. These pressures included the extinction of large mammals, the depletion of easily tracked game and the rise in population density. As a result, humans began to change their eating habits and moved from a largely animal-based diet to a more plant-based diet.

More Carbs, Less Meat

The agricultural revolution had a huge impact on hunter-gatherer dietary habits. For the first time in their evolutionary history, humans began consuming significant amounts of carbohydrate-rich foods, such as whole grain cereals (eg. barley, oats, corn, wheat, rye, and rice). Other agricultural foods such as legumes (beans) starchy roots and tubers, fruits and berries also added to the growing carbohydrate intake. This dietary change is easily proven by two facts: (1) cereal grains cannot be digested by the human gastrointestinal tract without a significant degree of grinding and cooking over open fires. (2) Milling stones first appeared in the area of the Middle East about 10-15,000 years ago.

The Spread of Cultivated Plant Food

Wheat was first sown and harvested in the Middle East about 10-15,000 years ago and slowly spread to Europe. Rice became established about 7,000 years ago in India and China, while maize or corn was domesticated in Central America about 7,000 years ago.

But Carbohydrate Foods Were Healthier

Although the cultivation of high-carb food triggered revolutionary changes in hunter-gatherer eating habits and digestion, these early plant foods were almost exclusively whole grain. Meaning, the preparation and cooking processes left intact most of the natural grain (eg. bran). As a result, the carbohydrate in these foods was digested and absorbed slowly, so their effect on human blood glucose was gradual and relatively small. This contrasts strongly with the high-glycemic carbs of today’s modern diet and their negative effects on our blood sugar levels. See Guide to GI

Exercise Was a Universal Habit Among Hunter Gatherers

Another crucial difference, when comparing the diet health of today with that of earlier human life, is the issue of physical activity. In the Stone Age era, and for a long time afterwards, physical exercise was essential to survival. Daily processes such as hunting, drawing water and collecting firewood burned large amounts of calories, and helped to develop significant muscular and bone strength. When assessing the diet-related health of earlier humans, the contribution of physical fitness to the health and longevity of hunter gatherer and later generations should not be underestimated.

Development of Carbohydrate Foods

How Carbs Have Developed Using Modern Food Processing Techniques

Development of Modern Carbs

Early Carb Foods Were Almost 100 Percent Wholegrain

As explained, early plant foods eaten by our hunter-gatherer ancestors were almost exclusively whole grain, so their effect on human blood glucose was gradual and relatively small. This type of carbohydrate was both high in energy and nutritious because it provided slow-release fuel that helped to delay hunger pangs while providing essential energy for working muscles long after meals were eaten. This low glycemic effect was also easy on the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas.

See also: Effect of Carbs on Blood Glucose and Effect of Carbs on Insulin Production

Food Processing of Carbs

However, with time, flours became more processed. They were ground more finely, bran was separated from the resulting white flour. Ultimately, with the introduction of high-speed roller mills in the 19th century, food manufacturers demonstrated it was possible to produce white flour so fine that it resembled talcum powder in texture and appearance. These ultra-fine white flours were produced in order to make soft bread, cakes and pastries.

Modern Day Food Refining of Carbs

Today, the average food store stocks a huge variety of carb-rich foods (eg. bagels, donuts, muffins, croissants, popcorn, pastries, cakes and cookies) which bear no resemblance to earlier carbohydrates. The flour is typically stripped of bran and most natural micronutrients; it is baked at very high temperatures; it may include a range of additives, such as colorings, artificial flavors, flavor-enhancers, preservatives, to name but a few. And to enhance taste, it is often combined with large amounts of sugar and/or fat. While many of our new foods are still based on the same staple cereals – wheat, corn, oats – the original grain has been refined almost to invisibility. All because modern day food shops and consumers demand the most palatable and shelf-stable end products.

Modern Carbohydrate Foods

Dietary Problems of Refined Carbs in Our Modern Diet

Problems With Modern Carbs

One of the most significant ways in which our modern diet differs from that of our ancestors is the speed of carbohydrate digestion and the resulting effect on blood glucose and insulin levels. Medical and nutritional experts now believe that high blood sugar and insulin levels, caused by overconsumption of high-GI carbs in our present-day diet, are one of the key factors responsible for the rise in heart disease and hypertension, diabetes and insulin resistance.

Rise in High-GI Carb Foods

High GI foods are those with a high glycemic index value. The Glycemic Index (GI) is a relatively new measurement of carbohydrate quality – a comparison of carbohydrates based on their immediate effect on our blood glucose (blood sugar) levels. Carbs that metabolize rapidly during digestion (meaning: carbs that are converted to glucose very fast) have high GI values. Carbs that metabolize slowly, releasing glucose gradually into the blood stream have a low glycemic index.

How to Distinguish High GI Carbs From Low GI Carbs

It’s not easy to tell at-a-glance how the carbohydrate in a particular food is ranked on the glycemic index, as there are a number of complex factors that influence GI values. That said, a ballpark guide is the degree of cooking and processing undergone by the carb food in question. So for example, the more swollen or puffed-up, or fluffier the grain, the higher the GI value is likely to be. Whole grain foods (with much of the fiber and germ intact) or raw foods tend to have a lower GI rating. Also, the addition of fat, or the presence of food-acids, tends to lower the GI value.

Modern Dietary Guidelines Flawed

The USDA food pyramid, part of the current US Dietary Guidelines, makes breads, cereals, rice and pasta the baseline daily food, and recommends that we consume 6-11 servings of these items daily. This recommendation has rightly been criticised by nutrition experts at the Harvard School of Public Health for not distinguishing between high and low GI carbohydrates and their relative glycemic responses.

The Value of Exercise in Blood Sugar Control

As any diabetic knows, exercise is a vital element in the effective management and regulation of blood glucose. The fall in physical fitness levels throughout the Western world has undoubtedly contributed to the rise in blood glucose related health problems, including obesity. Exercise enlarges our muscles, makes them more energy-demanding and more sensitive to insulin. As a result, it helps to protect us against the sort of symptoms associated with metabolic ill-health.

Relevance of Evolution to Our Modern Diet

What the Modern Western Diet Can Learn From Stone Age Hunter-Gatherer Eating Habits

Modern Diet vs. Stone Age Eating Habits

Paleolithic Hunter Gatherer Diet Not a Realistic Option

The Stone Age or Hunter Gatherer type of eating plan might well be used as a starting point for designing a diet for optimum nutrition and health. After all, basic human genetics have changed relatively little in the past 40,000 years, which means (say the experts) that our nutritional requirements remain remarkably similar to those which applied to stone age humans living before the introduction of agriculture. That said, there is little point in trying to copy a small part of an extinct lifestyle, especially as it is neither feasible nor economically desirable for everyone to eat wild game, fruits and vegetables.

It’s worth remembering that we are now utterly dependent upon cereal grains for survival, as they provide 55 percent of the food energy and 50 percent of the dietary protein consumed by humans

Lessons of the Hunter Gatherer Diet

For a brief account of how our modern Western diet stacks up, here is what some experts say about how we can learn from our ancestors dietary habits.

1. Animal based diets can be healthy. Judging by the typical Paleolithic diet, humans can benefit from high protein animal-based diets in many respects, including vitamin, minerals, and fatty acid profiles. The view that animal-based foods are rather unhealthy needs to be changed.

2. The extent of our modern day consumption of carbohydrates is mistaken. Modern dietary guidelines fail to point out the importance of choosing low-GI carbs in preference to high GI carbohydrate.

3. Our current dietary guidelines lack advice about which types of fats should be consumed. They fail to distinguish adequately between saturated and non-saturated fats, and fail to highlight the differences between essential and non-essential fatty acids and stipulate appropriate intakes. For example, we eat too many Omega-6 fats and not enough Omega-3 fats. The Omega-6/Omega-3 ratio in typical western diets is about 12:1, whereas research suggests a much lower ratio in the order of 3-4:1. High Omega-6/Omega-3 ratios are associated with increased risk for cardiovascular disease, some cancers, and tend to worsen many inflammatory disease responses.

4. It is not possible to assess the nutritional or health benefits of a diet, and (eg) its effects on the human body, without examining the physical lifestyle of the people concerned. Thus, when comparing the benefits of a hunter gatherer or Stone Age diet with our modern diet, the comparison should also include reference to levels of physical exercise.

Guide to a Healthy Balanced Diet (Part 1)

Nutritional Quality is Vital For Optimum Dietary Nutrition

Healthy Diet (Part 1)

Healthy Balanced Diets Come in Various Forms

There is no one type of balanced diet, with a fixed amount of fat, carbohydrate and protein, that suits everyone. An elderly person may need a different balance of foods to that of a teenager. Or an obese diabetic may need a different type of balanced diet to that of an underweight athlete, and so on. Also, tastes and digestive preferences vary considerably. Thus a healthy diet may take a variety of different forms with differing proportions of fat, protein and carbohydrate.

Healthy Eating in a Nutshell – Nutritional Quality Counts

Instead of focusing on calorie-counting, carb-counting or fat-counting, focus on the nutritional quality of the food. For example, choose less-processed foods (eg. oats) rather than highly processed alternatives (eg. regular breakfast cereal). Choose whole grain carbs (eg. wholegrain rye bread) rather than refined versions (eg. fluffy white bread). Choose extra low fat ground beef/steak, rather than fattier alternatives. Choose unrefined or extra virgin vegetable oils, rather than the refined brands. Choose foods that require a little cooking, rather than instant foods.

Chances are, the more processed or refined the food is, the less healthy and nutritious it is likely to be.

Refined Foods Cause Us to Overeat

According to a recent study, at least 58 percent of the calories in a typical Western diet come from empty calorie foods, meaning: white fats, white (refined) oils, white sugar, white flour products and alcohol, most of whose minerals, vitamins and fiber have been removed by processing and refining. These refined empty calorie foods are likely to cause us to gain fat, because they cause us to overeat.

One of the mechanisms that turns off hunger is a feeling of fullness. By the time we’ve filled up on these concentrated-calorie, fiber-poor foods we’ve eaten more calories than we need – and the excess turns to fat. When we obtain adequate amounts of all essential nutrients, biological hunger ceases. If our foods are nutrient-deficient we may overeat until we get them which is one reason why nutrient enrichment is important for achieving a healthy weight.

We Absorb More Calories From Refined Foods

Because they lack fiber and bulk, high calorie refined foods also slow down intestinal activity. They take up to five times longer to pass through the intestinal tract than do natural unrefined high fiber foods (75 hours compared to 15) and the body absorbs calories during the entire time of their constipated passage.

Non-Nutritious Refined Foods More Likely to be Stored as Fat

Foods cannot be metabolised properly without minerals and vitamins. The energy that empty calorie foods contain becomes unavailable to our body and is stored as fat until (or in the hope that) we get the necessary minerals and vitamins at some later time. In the meantime we feel hungry and eat more. This too turns into fat unless minerals and vitamins are also provided.

Non-Nutritious Refined Foods Reduce Calorie-Burning

Minerals, vitamins and essential fatty acids are systematically removed from foods during refining. Their absence lowers our metabolic rate; we feel less like being active and become lethargic. Then even if we eat less we don’t burn up the calories we eat and get fat even on a low calorie diet.

Our Digestive System

Our food digestion system (mouth, esophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine) helps us to convert and absorb energy and nutrients from food. Carbohydrate, fats and protein are each digested differently within the upper gastrointestinal tract, but surplus calories from these three micronutrients are ALL converted to body fat. Malabsorption, an unhealthy diet, infections and food toxins can cause a range of digestive disorders including: Indigestion, Dyspepsia, Constipation, Diarrhea, Gastroenteritis, and other digestion problems, or even food poisoning.

Guide to a Healthy Balanced Diet (Part 2)

Basic Principles of Healthy Eating Habits

Basic Principles of Healthy Eating

Although there is no single blueprint for a healthy balanced diet, there are a few basic principles that are likely to be part of most healthy eating-plans. As follows:

1. Include Foods From All Food Groups

Unless you are a vegetarian or otherwise advised by your doctor, your daily diet should include a variety of foods, ideally from all the main groups of foods, such as: meats, dairy, fruits, vegetables and fats.
See also: Food Digestion Guide.

2. Carbohydrate Should be Slow-Release and Low in Glycemic Value

Carb-containing foods with a low value on the glycemic index keep you satisfied for longer, reduce cravings and help maintain stable blood glucose levels. It’s not necessary to eat only low GI foods. Intermediate (moderate) GI foods are okay, too. But you should include at least one low GI food at every meal.

3. Fat-intake Should be Predominantly Non-Saturated

– Choose lower-fat meats and dairy foods.
– Trim all visible fat.
– Eat regular fish (any type).
– Eat butter/margarine sparingly.

4. Eat Enough Omega-3 Fats

– Choose unrefined cooking oils.
– Try oils containing omega-3 fatty acids: (eg.) canola, flax oil.
– Alternatively, include regular oily fish in your diet.

5. Eat More High-Fiber Foods

Unless otherwise advised by your doctor, make sure your daily diet includes sufficient dietary fiber (both soluble and insoluble) for your needs. A ballpark figure is 25-30g per day. When increasing your fiber intake, do so gradually.

6. Beware Hidden Fats and Sugars (and Sodium)

Much of our intake of fat and sugar and sodium is typically from packaged or prepared foods, such as: sauces, packet foods, sodas, candy, soups and so on. You can’t avoid these types of food, but you should check the label and choose brands that are lower in sugar, saturated fat (“hydrogenated” or “trans-fats”) and sodium.

7. Choose Healthy Snacks

Snacking is a universal and very healthy eating habit. Eating regularly throughout the day maintains stable blood-glucose levels (thus reducing the build-up of hunger) and helps maintain optimum metabolic rate. For healthy snacks, choose chopped fruit, chopped vegetables, nuts and seeds, wholegrain sandwiches, fresh lean meats, and mineral water.

Okay, you may not be able to eat these healthy foods all the time, but include them in your diet as often as possible!

Diet For Optimum Weight and Health

Healthy Eating and Lifestyle Habits For Easy Weight Control

A Diet For Healthy Weight

If you want to create a diet-plan for optimum nutrition and weight control, pay attention to these four elements.

1. Calorie Control

Calorie-Counting

Achieving or maintaining a healthy weight is largely (but not exclusively) a matter of controlling your calorie-intake. This doesn’t mean carrying around a calorie-calculator everywhere you go. But you should be aware of the calorie content of your regular foods, as well as your calorie needs. One highly effective strategy for maintaining calorie-awareness is to keep a food diary. Write down everything you eat and drink, together with the relevant calories, then add up your score. Do this for 14 days, and I guarantee it’ll improve your calorie control. For details of calorie content in foods, see Calories in Food

Our food digestion system (mouth, esophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine) helps us to obtain energy and nutrients from food. Carbohydrate, fats and protein are each digested differently within the gastrointestinal tract, but surplus calories from these nutrients are ALL converted to body fat.

Eating Plans Must be Realistic

The most effective type of calorie-controlled diet is one you can live with: meaning, an eating plan that lets you live a relatively normal life and eat normal foods in a normal way. For example, a diet program containing family-friendly foods may be more convenient for you than one which insists on special “diet foods.”

Eat “Calorie-Dense” Foods Sparingly

A sensible calorie-controlled diet-plan should permit all foods, as long as the overall calorie total is within desirable limits. That said, some foods are calorie-dense, meaning a lot of calories are condensed into a small volume. Calorie-dense foods are typically high in fat and/or sugar, like pastries, rich ice-cream or a candy bar. A few bites and you’ve eaten 50 or 100 calories but hardly any nutrition. By comparison, an apple is calorie-light and nutritious. And while it takes many bites to eat an apple, you take in only 80-90 calories. Calorie-dense food is useful as an energy boost to counteract low blood-sugar levels, and it’s fine as an occasional treat, but it’s not ideal when trying to lose weight.

Know Your Energy Needs

An adult person burns about 2500 kcal daily or just over 100 calories per hour on average. The rate may slow down to 60 during sleep and may increase to 150 during normal daytime activity.

To MAINTAIN your weight, calculate your calorie needs and use the resulting figure as a guide to how much you can eat. To LOSE weight, reduce your daily calorie needs by 500 calories per day. This should allow you to lose 1 pound per week. To do this, click Calorie Needs for Women or Calorie Needs for Men or see Quick Estimate

Alternatively you may choose to increase your calorie expenditure by taking more physical exercise. An hour of brisk walking burns about 400 calories. Assuming you eat no more calories than are needed to maintain your weight, this walking routine should help you to lose roughly one pound of body weight, every 9 days.

See also: Limits of Calorie Counting

2. Nutrition

A healthy body works more efficiently (eg. loses weight more easily) than an unhealthy body. This is why nutrition is so important for weight management as well as general health.

Need for Healthy Foods to Lose Weight

It’s worth remembering that 20 minerals, 13 vitamins and fiber (none of which contain any calories) are essential for health. Their presence or absence can also change the rate at which energy is produced or calories burned. When foods cannot be metabolised properly because they lack the necessary minerals and vitamins, their energy becomes unavailable to our body and is stored as fat until we get the necessary minerals and vitamins at some later time. In the meantime we feel hungry and eat more. This too turns into fat unless minerals and vitamins are also provided.

Choose Nutrient-Dense Foods

So make sure you are getting enough vitamins and minerals in your diet from nutrient-dense foods like fruits, vegetables, lean meats, oily fish, oats, beans, nuts and seeds, and avoid wasting your daily calorie allowance on “empty-calorie-foods” (which contain calories but no nutrition), like regular sodas, alcohol, sweets and candy.

3. Exercise

Regular physical activity not only burns calories, it also helps to speed up metabolic rate, which means we burn calories faster even when we stop exercising. (An hour of exercise keeps our metabolic rate elevated for 12-16 hours. ) It also maintains strong bones, and protects us against a wide range of conditions, such as: cardiovascular disease, stroke, hypertension, some cancers, insulin resistance and diabetes, to name but a few. It also triggers the release of the so-called “happiness chemicals”, called endorphins, which improve our mood. Finally, regular workouts help to actually reduce our appetite. Bottom line: keeping fit is a very effective way to maintain a healthy weight.

4. Lifestyle and Eating

This is the difficult bit! After all, it’s easy to start a weight loss diet, but persevering with it is what counts. For example, if you overeat because of boredom, simply reducing your calorie intake is not likely to work. The instant you feel bored, chances are you’ll break your diet. Instead, you need to tackle the cause of your overeating (the boredom), not the symptom (the candy bar/ice-cream).

The best weight control strategy here means doing two things. (1) you need to change your daily routine. (2) you need to get support to help you follow your diet when problems occur.

Get Real Weight Loss Help

I can’t change your routines, but I can offer you support. My weight loss program enjoys a reputation for providing the BEST motivational support on the Internet. For more, see Personal Support to Lose Weight

Weight Loss Help From Beauty Worlds

Advice And Support to Help You Lose Weight and Reduce Body Fat

Here are answers to some of the most popular questions concerning overweight, obesity, dieting, exercise and general weight management. Also included are articles about motivation and weight loss help for teenagers, as well as some suggestions for weight control after pregnancy, while nursing, and during mid-life menopause. For a light-hearted view of your chances of losing weight start by taking Beauty Worlds Diet Quiz – click Questions About Weight Loss.

Weight and Health Issues

Our weight and diet has a direct influence on our health. Untreated obesity ultimately has serious health consequences, but weight loss of as little as 10-20 pounds can remove the need for medication for high blood pressure or type 2 diabetes. Modest weight loss can also raise ‘good’ HDL cholesterol and lower ‘bad’ LDL cholesterol and triglycerides, thus reducing the risk of atherosclerosis.

I Will Help You

No matter how overweight you are, or what your weight history is, if you need help then I’m here for you. My weight reduction program is probably the best value program on the entire Net, but this is isn’t why you should join. The real reason you should join is because if offers the best weight loss support of any program I’ve ever seen. Our weight loss forum is packed with friendly members who help each other to move mountains, which is why tons of them are losing weight for the first time in their lives. I run the forum personally with the help of a wonderful group of moderators, but it’s our members who make it so special. So if you need extra encouragement to achieve your weight loss goals, look no further. Join our awesome weight loss community and be part of something special.