Only recently have we messed it up by altering grains to give greater yields, making food in labs and paying scientists to make frankenfoods that are cheap to produce and last on the shelves for ages. Next time you walk down the cereal aisle ask yourself 'do I really believe this is healthy for me?'
Our ancestors ate a diet rich in good fats with some protein, minimal carbohydrates and practically zero sugar, unless it was autumn and there was some seasonal fruit which was good to fatten up for the winter. Or maybe our ancestors came by a guarded beehive and found a little bit of honey, maybe a tablespoon each. Now we eat the equivalent to at least a tablespoon worth of honey e v e r y d a y. It's like we are preparing for a winter that never comes, food is in abundance. A Standard Australian Diet (SAD, love that acronym as it does make you indeed SAD) is low in fat and high in sugars and carbohydrates. We exercise now more than we ever have done (did your Grandma go to the gym or run 10kms a day? Mine didn't, she got her exercise from cleaning the house, preparing food, going down the shops and raising a family) but we are getting FATTER.
Cancer, obesity, diabetes, neurological diseases such as dementia and Alzheimer's are rife for us now yet our ancestors didn't suffer these diseases. Our hospitals and Doctors are amazing at treating acute illnesses and accidents but really struggle with treating chronic diseases. As humans we typically try to get away with as much as we can, its in our nature, "yeah I've heard gluten probably isn't good for me but I am not a celiac so I can get away with it", no one is going to be more interested in your own health than YOU. We trust our health to Doctors who prescribe medication to treat the symptoms not the cause.
I think that if you don't want to die of some god awful degenerative disease then the information is out there to take your health into your own hands and make a difference. I have read oodles of research as I think it is AMAZING but appreciate that not all of you share the same desire that's why I've left the research and referencing out of this blog to date and am just passing on the key points to you in a laymans way. It's the N=1 idea. That means, try the experiment on yourself, give it 30-60 days and see how you feel. Be sure to let me know.
How does all of that trickle down to your dinner plate? Well I aim to half fill my plate with veggies, some protein (I go for about 75-100g per meal as in raw meat or fish or eggs not actual protein content of food) and fat, (I go for about a tablespoon of additional fat per meal in the way of coconut oil, butter, cream, avocado, olive oil etc.) Add carbs if you wish, like if you are really craving some mash, have it, or a delicious root mash go for it, but I am trying to eat above ground veggies more as they are less carby, but I do enjoy root veggies and have some quinoa and rice too.
When I first flicked through a few paleo cookbooks I felt disheartened, it was just lots of fancy ways with meat....and looks very different to what we had previously eaten. Now however I have taken what I have learnt and adapted our family faves to be more primal and thus more body compatible and nutritious. Primal cooking has surprised me in that its become a lot more simple - the food speaks for itself. I used to slave away over fancy sauces (low fat of course) and bloody gravies there was so much prep time (and so many undesirable ingredients). The other day I had planned on cooking some grass fed pork in a white wine and cream sauce with prunes and a root puree. I looked at the recipe and felt uninspired, I couldn't be bothered. So we simply barbequed the pork, had the puree (carrot, parsnip and sweet potato with butter) with some steamed greens from the veggie patch to the side. The food was amazing. I have never tasted pork like that before. I would have ruined it with cream etc. The freshly picked veggies coated in butter were simply stunning too. Simple and delicious. Way much more enjoyment. Oh and also did you know that the vitamins in vegetable are fat soluble? I pop organic grass fed butter over all of our veggies now, they taste so much better, who knew? Finally a way of eating that satisfies, delights, there is certainly none of the deprivation that I expected to encounter.
What about the cost? Yes grass fed meat and organic dairy products are more expensive but a little goes a long way, somehow this perfect, as nature intended food is more satisfying, more tasty and makes you feel FRIKKIN AWESOME. I buy cheaper cuts (which are actually more nutritious as they are usually on the bone so think bone broth benefits) and slow cook them, we have leftovers for lunch, a little goes a long way. If you buy seasonal veggies they will be cheaper, and if you grow your own and keep a few chooks you are laughing. I bake most of our cakes, biccies and bread and now I have fine tuned my quirky ingredients such as almond meal and coconut flour its inexpensive to make better versions of yummy treats. We are drinking less grog, so that's a saving too. But ultimately what is the cost? I would have gladly spent thousands to stop feeling so nauseous, turns out I didn't have too. Invest in a primal lifestyle for yourself and your family and you could be saving on your long term health.
A bit more on exercise, as you know, I have been a devoted gym junkie for 25 years, chronic cardio works, calories in versus calories out kinda thinking. Well that doesn't work for me anymore. Exercise is a form of stress on the body and raises cortisol, the stress hormone, this was bad news for my adrenals and left me feeling overwhelmed with anxiety and some sort of mild depression I suppose, yeah more like a dark cloud of it all being 'too hard'. When I was feeling really shit I just couldn't face going to the gym at all but the gym junkie in me said I should probably get some exercise, so I did other things like walked on the beach, did some yoga in my living room and had some bike rides in the countryside. It felt great! Little did I know but I was starting to incorporate other factors of a primal lifestyle such as spending time in nature and getting some UV exposure for vitamin D (essential to good digestion and good mood, I think 20 mins of unprotected sun exposure per day is what to aim for but you should check). Think what our ancestors would have done, they moved around a lot all day long, didn't spend much time at all sitting down and they lifted heavy things, maybe they would have had to do a quick sprint here and there to catch some dinner or save themselves been someone elses dinner!
So some take aways for you my darling soapboxers: EATING FAT DOES NOT MAKE YOU FAT. Move your body lots throughout the day (if you're a Mum like me then you're winning) lift heavy things (like your kids) and workouts can be short bursts of sprints that leave you breathless or tabata style workouts. If you get to the gym and you're not feeling it, listen to your body and go home.
I've found that living a primal lifestyle is workout enough! On Sunday I spent three hours power gardening, trying to feed and mulch my fruit trees, grass and veggie patches before some heavy rain came in, then I spent three hours cooking in the kitchen. That's enough right? I've started to look at my activity throughout the week on the whole as opposed to how many times I've hit the gym in the past seven days.
Here's Mike trying a H induced Tabata style workout down the beach recently. Exercise, family time and time spent in nature all rolled into one, too easy
So in case you didn't already figure it out, I am ON A KIN MISSION to spread the word about how getting back to ancestral basics can really help everyone experience a better life! If you are experiencing some vague health problems that the Dr can't help you with then consider giving some of the primal lifestyle ideas a try. Also, if you know of anyone who could benefit please spread the word about my blog and facebook page, thanks in advance, H xx
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