the foundation for a staying healthy diet“...The hunter-gatherers were very physically active, walk-
ing and running 5–10 miles a day to forage for food and hunted
food sources. They cross-trained by lifting, carrying, climbing,
stretching, leaping, and whatever else was necessary to secure
food and protect themselves. They also had recovery days. Man’s
Paleolithic ancestors did aerobic training, resistance training,
and flexibility exercises.”^7 (From O’Keefe JH Jr, Cordain L. Cardio-
vascular disease resulting from a diet and lifestyle at odds with our
paleolithic genome: how to become a 21st-century hunter-gather-
er. Mayo Clin Proc. 2004; 79(1):101–108. Used with permission.)What Does This Mean for Us Today?
Unfortunately, we will never know how long Paleolithic man
would have lived with his diet and lifestyle in our modern, urban-
ized society to compare its benefits with what we know today,
especially in a rapidly aging world. Though the dwindling hunter-
gatherer populations of today may have low incidences of chronic
diseases with their higher animal foods yet generally grain-free
diets, the diets of the longest living people in the world include
some grains. For example, rice and noodles in the Okinawans,
wheat bread in the Sardinians, and multiple grains in the Seventh
Day Adventists. Most all other healthy aging or Blue Zone popula-
tions have a staple grain or grains.
We also know that we no longer live the way humans did in the
Paleolithic world. The types of meats commonly available to the
masses are not lean, hunted wild game rich in omega-3 fatty acids
and low in total fat. Yes, there is grass-fed, free-ranged animals for
those who have access and who can afford these animal products.
Yet I have never received a good answer from anyone where all
this “free-range” land is going to come from to raise these types of
animals to feed the ever-increasing world population’s appetite for
animal foods.
Furthermore, the average urbanized citizen isn’t foraging and
“cross-training” for food five to ten miles per day or walking six
or so hours per day over difficult terrain (well, maybe a Sardinian