As Hamlet exhorted Polonius, King Claudius’ officious adviser, when he was rattling off incoherent nonsense, “Brevity is the soul of wit.”  So I will be as succinct as possible about the best Paleo/Primal Eating Strategy for you.

The Paleo is short for “paleolithic” which is the time in prehistoric history prior to the advent of civilization.  This was the time, approximately from 10,000,000 million years ago to 10,000 years ago in which our ancestors hunted and gathered for sustenance.  They foraged and hunted in a close-knit clan structure.   This period was prior to the Agricultural Revolution and the domestication of animals.  Meat was eaten from what you caught and there was no domesticated grain (wheat, corn, rye, et al).

Paleo/Primal Eating Strategy

The general belief among the Paleo community was that evolutionarilyy speaking we are meant to eat the way our cavemen ancestors did.  Over those millennia our bodies became very efficient at metabolizing those foods.  What are those foods?  I think it could best be described as “if God didn’t make it, don’t eat it!”

{Read our article on the most Paleo-friendly fruits.}

So if you are true Paleo what can you eat?

1. Meat, fish, fowl and any other type of meat.  Preferably, wild-caught, or at the least Organic.
2. Vegetables and fruits. Local, in-season and/or Organic.  Coconut milk as well.
3. Seeds and nuts and their natural oils and butters.  Nut milks as well.
4. Coffee, tea, cocoa
5. Herbs and spices (Read our article on most important herbs & spices.)
6. Eggs

All of these foods existed in its natural state for thousands of years and as such our bodies developed to digest their nutrients in an optimal way.  Around 10,000 years ago we learned to grow and harvest grains.  With the advent of the Agricultural Revolution we no longer needed to forage and hunt so we developed towns and began the specialization of labor.   We began to eat grains.  Now 10,000 years seems like a long time and no doubt it is (almost as long as a fast-food french fry would last unblemished in the bottom of the couch), but it is a drop in the bucket compared to 2 million years of adaptation.  Simply stated, our bodies are not developed to break down grains (and the ubiquitous flour that is milled from it) efficiently.

With the Industrial Revolution and the ability to mass produce and refrigerate products, packaged and processed foods came about laden with added sugar, salt, and fake fats for taste enhancement and to preserve food.  The body was not meant to handle such an inundation of “fake Franken-foods” since for 2 million years we never ate it.  Thus begins the dawn of chronic and metabolic diseases.

{Read our article on Top 5 morning biohacks.}

So what can’t you eat if you are Paleo?  (Let’s get the weepy violins out!)

1. Anything derived from grain. (crackers, pasta, cereals, cookies, cakes, pies).
2. Jams, margarine, most condiments
3. All types of candies
4. Sodas, energy drinks, etc

(Read how to purge your pantry & fridge of toxic foods.)

So that pretty much eliminates the aisles at a supermarket.  Remember, if “God didn’t make it…don’t eat it.”  Did God make pastries? Lasagna? Vanilla wafers? Gummy bears?  Alas, it did not.

There are some foods that are on the fence.

1. Legumes (Peas, lentils, beans did occur in nature)
2. Dairy (This is a controversial topic.  We were able to harness the milk of cows prior to the domestication of animals.  Most Paleos stay away from dairy due to its possible inflammatory issues.  Those who consume it only consume butter, ghee, and FULL FAT unpasteurized milk.  Local or Organic of course.)
3. Chocolate  (I have extolled the virtues of the cocoa bean.  Did 90% dark chocolate bars exist in nature?  The cocoa bean did, but not the bars. A Paleo person would likely make an exception for these bars given the minimal processing that goes into it and its high nutritional value.)
4. Wine  (Stone Age man was not cultivating grapes and fermenting them, but most people in the Paleo world embrace well-made wine not the typical store-bought ones laden with preservatives.)

Well, I tried to be as quick as my boy, Augustus Gloop, gulping down a chocolate bar in this Best Paleo/Primal Eating Strategy for you.  I hope this was helpful.  I appreciate your comments.

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