A primer on our primitive past to our processed present
A digital world surrounds us, always changing and in constant motion and yet for many of us this has promoted an era of decreased physical activity and an over-reliance on convenient over-processed foods. If we look back on the lives of those during the Paleolithic Era- a time that lasted 2.5 million years and ended 10,000 years ago with the advent of agriculture it might help us gain insight on the emergence of modern diseases.
There are disagreements on the diet of hunter-gathers and understandably so given the vast time span and regional aspects, Scientists generally accept that it consisted of foods that could be hunted, fished or gathered such as meat, seafood, nuts, insects, mushrooms,a variety of eggs, fruits and herbs. In contrast, up to 70% of Western calories today come from foods that were not available to those during the Paleolithic Era namely refined grains, sugars and vegetable oils. Our food system has become highly processed at a digital pace but our genes simply do not appear to evolve as quickly; many believe our ancient genes are still gathering around a hunter-gatherer harvest table and feeling like they've just stepped out of a time capsle.
With the Neolithic Revolution and the onset of agriculture and husbandry some 10,000 years ago, the diet shifted to an abundance of grains, domesticated meats and milk. Disputably a more profound change occured just in the past couple of hundred of years with the advent of the Industrial age providing us with a preponderance of processed over fresh foods. Our ability to genetically adapt to this dietary shift is questioned. Many reseachers believe our reliance on processed food, domesticated meat and disproportionate intake of refined grains and oils has lead to an epidemic of chronic disease either causing or contributing to cancer, diabetes, heart disease and infammatory conditions.
Like all species, humans are genetically adapted to environments their ancestors survived in and that influenced our genetic makeup. Based on that premise, we are well-suited for feast or famine. For example, two million years ago scientists believe our ancestors experienced a decrease in the length of the large intestine and an increase in the length of the small intestine (where you guessed it, we absorb calories among other nutrients); that suited those well during the Paleolitic and Neolithic period during famines but one can see how that's not working well for us today. With several fast-food establishments likely within 5 miles of all of us its no small wonder that our genotype could be having problems adjusting to the this relatively 'new' diet that is vastly different from what it was for thousands of years. Our bodies apparently haven't had enough time to adapt and process this change at a similar digital pace quite yet.
In addition, autoimmune diseases such as type 1 diabetes, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, and skin diseases such as psoriasis have no known cause. There is growing evidence that diet is an environmental trigger that expresses these diseases in susceptible people. The dietary factors implicated in this connection link back to the development of agriculture and the industrialization of our food. Before then, our ancestors subsisted mostly on mininally processed plants and animals. Learning about the history of our food and where our health problems may be originating from does not mean to resort to a stone age cuisine. You don't need to go back to eating like a caveman to follow advice that seems to withstand the test of time.
Until we fully understand the links of our food and our health and its implications in chronic disease, it stands to reason that we should follow what health professionals have been recommending for years. Eat your fruits and vegetables, lean proteins and avoid processed foods.
Finally, what we may also learn from our hunter-gatherer ancestors that could get us back to a healthier society is exercise. If there's anything that most people won't argue about is that we work very little for our food or the way we work for our food is vastly different than our ancestral past.
I think after sitting at my computer for the past hour or so, I'm thinking a little foraging for some berries might be a fitting pursuit.
