Nutrition of our ancestors

Heather Little-White, Contributor

Our ancestors are always with us. We can hear them if we truly want to listen. They have many stories to tell us and a lot experience to share with us. - Connie Wine

Undoubtedly, the diet of our ancestors enhanced their quality of life, compared to the lifestyle diseases of contemporary diet. Wild animals, vegetables, seeds, nuts and fruits were the first crops for early human beings hundreds of thousands of years before the advent of burgers, fries and meal-replacement shakes.

Early foods sustained the human species and formed the basis for nutritional philosophy expounded by Dr Boyd Eaton, anthropologist and professor of radiology at Emory University and author of The Paleolithic Prescription: A Program of Diet and Exercise and a Design for Living.

Hunter-gatherer diet

Anthropologists have long realised farming is the noblest activity which has been providing sustenance, starting with the early days of wild plants and freshly killed game. Far removed from the early hunter-gatherer diet is today's fare of highly processed and genetically modified foods.

Early hunter-gatherers eat as many as 20 daily servings of seasonal fruits, vegetables, roots, stalks, seeds, nuts and even flowers, compared with contemporary folks who struggle to eat the recommended five servings of fruits and vegetables per day.

Many of the foods we consume today were not available to our ancestors because they were not yet discovered. Examples are wheat, oats, rice and corn and foods made from them such as breads, cereals and pasta. There were no dairy products, pastry, alcohol and sweets, except honey.

No dairy, no grain

The controversial area of the ancestral diet is the absence of grains and dairy products. Loren Cordian, PhD, director of the Colorado State University Human Performance Research Center in Fort Collins, posits that our bodies were not designed for dairy foods and grains, and cannot use it effectively. For instance, people are intolerant to lactase, the enzyme in milk. People also develop sensitivities to grains without even knowing it. Common symptoms are bloating and fatigue. As a researcher in ancestral nutrition, Cordian claims that "humanity did fine without them for two million years" (Prevention Magazine).

Nutrient-dense

Our ancestors maintained regular food timings and consumed vegetables, pulses and seasonal fruits. Having worked hard each day, their foods were easy to digest. The rest of the early hunters' diet was made up of meat, as demonstrated by the Australian aborigines and Eskimo communities producing hearty people.

Foods were nutrient-dense, rich in virtually almost every nutrient, especially from the lavish intake of fruits and vegetables which provided ample amounts of minerals and vitamins. The ancestral diet provided far more vitamin C, beta-carotene, iron, potassium, magnesium and calcium than today's Western diet loaded with bread, milk, dairy, fortified cereals and vitamin supplements. (Prevention Magazine)

Lowers cholesterol

Of note is the longevity of our ancestors and their freedom from heart disease, as their diets were low in fat despite half their calories coming from meat. Interestingly, wild-game meat is much leaner than farm-raised meat and contains a different kind of fat - linoleum acid associated with heart disease. Although our ancestors consumed cholesterol in meat, they made up for it by the large amount of soluble fibre consumed in fruits, vegetables, grains and legumes. It has been established that fibre lowers cholesterol levels and speeds up elimination of harmful substances.

Cancer-protection

The simple diet of ancestral hunter-gatherers provided protection against cancers based on research findings that fruit and vegetables, rich in phytochemicals, are excellent in fighting off cancers. Vitamins C and E, beta-carotene and selenium protect human cells from free-radical damage. Further, ancestral nutrition decreased the risk of Type II diabetes.

Strong bones and teeth

Brittle bones, associated with osteoporosis and which affect today's consumer, were not evident in our ancestors who consumed foods from hunting and gathering. Wild fruits and vegetables are richer in calcium than cultivated varieties. Strong bones and teeth are also built by the intake of the mineral magnesium, found in abundance in fruits and vegetables and balances calcium on a one-to-one ratio.

More energy

The immediate benefit of ancestral nutrition is that it makes you feel better as the foods are packed with energy, which leaves you feeling refreshed. Athletes find the ancestral diet helpful as it makes them feel strong soon after consumption of some foods.

Better skin

Persons who strictly follow the ancestral diet without grains and dairy notice a remarkable difference in skin and hair. Some persons claim that the ancestral foods reduce greying of the hair.

Eating the ancestral way

1. Plan to eat differently by making smarter choices when shopping for food. Plan to spend most of your time in the produce section of the store.

2. Invest in a fruit-and-vegetable juicer and food dehydrator to preserve extra stores of the produce.

3. Take healthily prepared food from home to work.

4. Try range-free chicken.

5. If game is not available, choose the leaner cuts of meat and limit portions enough to keep fat under control.

6. When eating out, select a meat or fish dish with a hearty vegetable salad.

Cooking method

Grilling was the method of choice for ancestral cooking. Grills were easily made from natural items and game meat was easier to cook compared with other meats. Wild meat can get tough from overcooking and, if marinated, they are more tender than usual.

Heather Little-White, PhD, is a nutrition and lifestyle consultant in the Corporate Area. Send comments to saturdaylife@gleanerjm.com.

TYPICAL ANCESTRAL DIET

Breakfast ideas

1 ripe banana, 2 pears,

Raisins, walnuts, grapefruit, calcium-fortified orange juice,

Dried apricots, orange,

Raisins, mixed nuts, tangerine,

Sunflower seeds, prunes, dried banana pieces

Lunch ideas

Grilled elk steak marinated in lemon juices and spices

Green peas

Grilled pheasant, two wedges of cantaloupe, steamed green beans, vegetable-juice cocktail.

Grilled tuna steak, red peppers, snow peas, mango,

brilled swordfish steak, cauliflower, salad,

range-free chicken, green bananas, watermelon,

elk steak, steamed peas and carrots,

shark steak, tomato, zucchini, eggplant, banana

Dinner ideas

Grilled alligator tail, steamed asparagus, green salad with oil-free balsamic dressing;

Grilled buffalo steak marinated in wine, onions and garlic

Steamed asparagus, strawberries;

grilled range-free chicken breast marinated in lime juice and ginger, steamed kale, green salad;

Elk steak, broccoli, vegetable-juice cocktail, honeydew melon

Snacks

Handful of raisins and walnuts

Apple, apricot, vegetable juice cocktail, grapes

Red pepper strips, baby carrots, black olives

Mango, kiwi fruit