A Paleotithic diet was plants

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A Paleotithic diet was plants

This topic contains 2 replies, has 3 voices, and was last updated by  visitorveil 11 years ago.

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  • I have had difficulty discerning which diet is better for me. A low carb high fat diet or a high carb low fat diet or something in between.
    But science seems to be pointing in the direction of more veggies less meat. It appears that agri farming may have be a recent development in the last 7000 years however meat hunting has been fairley recent as well.

    http://www.care2.com/causes/our-ancestors-were-mostly-vegetarian-not-meat-eaters.html

    Fortunately, new research holds the answers to what Paleolithic diets actually were, and you might be surprised at the findings.

    We get a much better and more rounded view of what our predecessors ate when we stop focusing on one individual set of ancestors and start considering the question in a bigger, broader context.

    It all comes down to the gut and the colon. Carnivores have huge, smooth stomachs which turns prey into protein, herbivores have dense stomachs with hair-like villi and bacteria that aids in the breakdown of plants, ruminants like cows have a kind of giant fermenter which produces specific fatty acids that they can use and store, and others scarcely have stomachs at all with fermentation taking place in a greatly enlarged large intestine.

    Human guts, on the other hand, are surprisingly boring, yet interestingly remarkably similar to those of orangutans and chimpanzees (with some rare exceptions). So what do other living primates with guts akin to our own eat? The diet of nearly all monkeys and apes are simple. Fruits, nuts, leaves, insects and on occasion the odd snack of a lizard or bird. Primates have the capacity to eat sugary fruits, leaves and meat, but meat is rarely consumed, if at all.

    The majority of food eaten by primates is vegetable, not animal, and research suggests that it’s been that way for the last thirty million years. To put it simply, our generalist primate gut is primarily made to eat plants, and in essence that is what the Paleo diet truly is. We might have unique immune systems, brains and even hands, but our guts are nothing special and for tens of millions of years they have been filled with fruits, leaves and on occasion a piece of raw meat.

    Maybe our ancestors weren’t 100% vegetarian, but they certainly weren’t the carnivorous caveman that we are led to believe.

    When trying to find the perfect model of eating, there are so many factors to take into account and this newest study only brushes up on them. There are the differences in our digestive system, the evolution of our bodies in order to adapt to diets heavier in animal protein, and of course the processing of food, but with that being said, there is no arguing that with all the studies available to us.

    It is clear to see that a vegetarian diet is healthful, and that the more fruits, vegetables and plant-based foods you consume, the more benefits you will reap.

    Read more: http://www.care2.com/causes/our-ancestors-were-mostly-vegetarian-not-meat-eaters.html#ixzz2hR0o3Qlb

    @eddy
    “Maybe our ancestors weren’t 100% vegetarian, but they certainly weren’t the carnivorous caveman ”

    I suspect Homo sapiens were omnivorous in order to survive and along the way may have develop an immune system that allowed the survival over neantherthals.

    There are also some studies about inter breeding that may have occurred.

    Those ancestors!

    Oh well, back to fasting..

    Humans are like bears, or pigs — omnivorous. Eskimos live quite well on a meat and blubber diet, indigenous people in hot climates also eat meat, but more fruits and vegetables; monkeys live in hot climates where fruits and vegetables, nuts, etc., are plentiful. There are no long established cultures or tribes of complete vegetarian diet; in South India, where there are many vegetarians, they eat copious amount of diary products. We survived because we could adapt. The one thing I am sure of is that overeating was not the norm for paleolithic man, grains, refined sugars and processed foods did not exist. Fasting on very little food really seems very natural to me, and it seems to keep me healthier, and although i like the idea of being a vegetarian and did for many years, I do not really believe it’s the most natural way to eat. It depends on your location, climate, and what’s available. Keeping it local and as unprocessed as possible is my goal.

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