Is it healthier to eat like our ancestors?
As I was planning out my meals for the week, I had the thought pop into my head, is it healthier to eat like our ancestors?
I'm not talking about going as far back as to the hunters and gatherer times, but just a couple of generations back. To our grandparents era.
I have to admit I've had this thought often and have done a lot of reading on the different diets on offer in today's world, but I always feel like being healthy, losing weight and keeping the weight off should be so much easier than all these diets would have us believe.
A lot can be taken from those diets, in regards to nutrition, portion servings etc, but overall shouldn't it be easier?
It is no secret that in the developed nations there is an obesity epidemic and it has been going on for 20-30 years. So I wonder is this due to the fact dining out and take away is an easy option taking us further away from the way our grandparents ate?
I have experimented with this concept before and I know for me as my family is from Greece, my body does feel better on a Mediterranean diet, and I wonder if this is also true for others.
So as usually happens when I have an idea pop into my head, I start to research the concept, and I'm not the only person who has pondered the same question, and people from different backgrounds and ethnicity.
From the research here are some of the health benefits that have been discovered by eating like our ancestors.
- Weight loss
- Improved gut health
- Lower blood pressure
- Better heart health
- Decreased Inflammation
Before switching to an ancestral diet there is a bit of research that needs to go into it, you'll need to research the history of food from the region your ancestors come from.
Regular ancestral diets are filled with wholesome, natural, unprocessed, and organic foods, such as vegetables, fruits, meats, healthy fats, nuts and seeds. This emphasises the consumption of foods to which your ancestors would have reasonable access to, and this also means what they would have had access to seasonally.
People who come from colder regions of the world may find that their bodies are more adapted to meats, fats and dairy, than their more tropical counterparts. The most important factor being that all ancestral food is natural and seasonal.
Here are some tips on how to start with following an ancestral diet.
- Start shopping at local farmers markets
- Gradually substitute foods you eat for it organic version
- If you have a backyard start growing a vegetable garden.
- Start cooking your meals at home.
- Simplify your food to only a few ingredients and spices per dish.
- Avoid buying prepackaged food.
- Remember the meals your Grandparents ate.
The more I read about ancestral diets the more I believe that this is the healthiest option for all of us, and one that needs to be discussed more widely.