The Hunter-Gatherer Diet is a nutritional regimen that contains unprocessed or barely processed foods : wild fruits and vegetables, tubers, seeds, nuts, and animals eaten without - or very little - time lag between harvest and consumption. It is low in fat (wild meat is lean with only about 2.5% fat compared to modern domesticated meat which contains about 15-35% fat.) It is also low in salt and sugar except honey which is available only occasionally; had no dairy (after weaning), no alcohol, little amounts of fish, and no bread since agriculture did not begin until the New Stone Age.
It is rich in protein, dietary fibers, vitamins (especially vitamins C and E), calcium, potassium, etc., and phytochemicals - potent plant chemicals that confer health benefits. Scientific evidence shows that it is the "ideal" eating plan for humans because it is the diet mankind thrived upon and the most compatible with our evolutionary genes. Although it contains 37% more protein than the average North American diet (15% protein), it does not increase a risk for osteoporosis. Wild animals and vegetation contain more nutrients than their modern equivalents. For example its high calcium content (1,960 mg) will easily offset urinary calcium losses caused by a high protein load - a risk for osteoporosis. By comparison, an average North American diet contains an average of 740 mg only.
Because it is rich in soluble and insoluble fibers, it is unlikely that they suffered from constipation, hemorrhoids, gallbladder problems, diabetes, cancer, and heart disease that are so prevalent in developed countries. Today, only genuinely primitive people are free, or have very low risks, of the above illnesses. Migrant studies show that as people move west and adopt a Western lifestyle, their risk of Western diseases increase proportionately, the result of acculturation.
World health authorities agree that a diet made of fresh whole foods or minimally processed meats, fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts, tubers, seeds, etc; and has limited amounts of fat, salt, alcohol, and refined carbohydrates confer the greatest health benefits. The Paleolithic Diet - the template of man's ideal eating plan, augmented by regular physical activity and a healthy lifestyle, is in their opinion, the best defense against Western diseases.
References:
- Eaton SB et al. "Paleolithic Nutrition Revisited: A Twelve-Year Retrospective on its Nature and Implications." Eur J Clin Nutr 1997;51:207
- Eaton SB et al. "An Evolutionary Perspective Enhances Understanding of Human Nutritional Requirements." J Nutr 1996;126:1732-1740
- Eaton SB et al. "Paleolithic Nutrition: A Consideration of its Nature and Current Implication." N Eng J Med 1985; 312:283-289
