Why Cavemen Were Healthy

The Paleo diet made the cavemen healthy and quick in movements because the foods in it were closer to nature without the harmful effects of sugar, salt and other additives or artificial flavorings that became part of modern man's diet after the agriculture revolution. It was the absence of "additives" and "artificial" in foods that basically distinguishes the Paleo diet from the Neolithic diet of today.


Before we learned farming, the cavemen hunted animals and gathered food plants from far and near. The physical activity that accrues from walking great distances for food may also be part of the health secrets of the Paleo diet.

Lean Meat

Meat was a prime staple of the caveman's daily diet but it came from animals that roamed freely in forests and plains. This meant that the meat was lean and free of fats that are heavy among animals reared and pampered in today's farms and ranches. Domesticated animals are also raised on artificial feeds unlike the animals that the cavemen hunted which fed on pasture and grass. That again is the big difference between the Paleo diet and today's Neolithic diet. The animals that the cavemen hunted gave healthier cuts of meat.

So if you want to go on a Paleo diet, the meats for you are the lean cuts of beef, pork, lamb, chicken and turkey. If you have a passion for steaks, make sure it's flank steak, London broil, sirloin steak, pork chops, etc. Even hamburger patties are fine if they contain less fat and broiled in as little lard as possible.
When it comes to fowls, you will hew closer to the Paleo diet if you pick the breast portion, the organs and even the eggs. Egg consumption must however be limited to 1 per day.

No Processed Foods

Processed or packaged foods are anathema to the Paleo diet since food processing came millions of years after the caveman. When you process foods to preserve or make them more attractive to consumers, you put all kinds of preservatives in them, plus sugar and salt. They are also packed in materials made from lead and other chemicals.

Processed foods to avoid are crackers, sweets, wheat and grain byproducts, bread and pastries. So are ice cream, butter, cheese, cow's milk and other dairy products. The least health consequence you get from putting these foods into your mouth are digestive problems.

Good and Bad

The good foods according to the Paleo diet are lean meat, chicken, fish, eggs, fruits, vegetables, nuts and berries. For vegetables, the best are leafy ones and roots except potatoes and their variants. Nuts are good if these are walnuts, macadamia, almond and Brazil nuts. As for berries, you have blueberries and raspberries, among others.

The foods to avoid are sugar, salt, grains, beans and dairy products.

If you follow the Paleo diet strictly, the immediate result is an increase in your vitamins and minerals intake and a decrease in your toxin ingestion.