Should we be eating like our great ancestors

I have written before that if you want to become healthier, lose body fat and get stronger we should follow a more natural diet. By this I mean, eating what could be hunted e.g. fish and animals or picked from the ground nuts, seeds, vegetables etc.

The Paleolithic ear went from 2.5 million to 20,000 years BC. The Paleo Diet is meant to work with our genetics to help us become fitter, stronger and healthier. The Paleo Diet is primarily made up of protein based foods, so anything that can be killed would make good eating. In modern times, the best place would be from grass fed animals and wild fish, rather than the factory farmed animals and fish.

The other part of the diet is made up from a mix of fats (saturated and mono and poly unsaturated fats). Today these sources would come from olive oil, coconut oil, nuts and seeds and the different oils and also fish oil. There are carbs in the diet too. These would come from vegetables, fruits and then yams and sweet pototaoes (orange or purple).

The Palio Diet can be followed by anyone, but it does need some discipline. As you can see, foods such as bread, pasta and rices are off the menu and considering that the majority of people's diets are made up of these foods, it may be hard. It isn't a coincidence that people I know that eat a very natural close to the ground diet are leaner and healthier than their processed carb eating counterparts.

Clients that I have trained who have taken to eating like this, have seen incredible results too. I have had clients who have lost 3-4% body fat in a about 5 weeks. They have lost a lot more fat off the mid-section and feel healthier too, less sluggish during the day and sleep better.

The Paleo diet is not just good for getting rid of body fat it has also shown remarkable promise for metabolic derangement, neurological degeneration (including Parkinson's, Huntington's, and Alzheimer's diseases) and autoimmune disorders. There is clinical data on the reversal of osteoporosis and the related problem of sarcopenia (muscle wasting).

Robb Wolf who states
"The underpinning of all these diseases is inflammation resulting from a diet and lifestyle at odds with our Paleolithic genetics. The Paleolithic approach is like shotgun art: you blast all angles of the inflammation spectrum. From hyperinsulinemia to managing n-6/n-3 fatty acid, to decreasing intestinal permeability due to grains and legumes.

This allows the complex cellular signaling pathways to come back into a healthy and optimized state. This is good, whether you're trying to build muscle or avoid cancer."

I have been eating like this for more than a year now. I do have oats for breakfast, but all my other carbs come from fruits, vegetables and sweet potatoes. I consume about 9-13 portions of fruit and vegetables a day. I also drink plenty of water, about 4-5 liters a day. Don't get me wrong, I do slide off the band wagon and have my cheat days, but thats where it ends. I am only human :)

If you really want to become leaner, lose weight, healthier then I would recommend trying this way of eating out. Eat what mother nature has been providing us for the last 2.5 million+ years and I can pretty much guarantee you will feel and look better. It may be a chore, but it depends how much you want to achieve your figure/physique goals.

For more information on Robb Wolf and his new book The Paleo Solution you can click here http://robbwolf.com/