Eating as our Ancestors – The Paleo Diet

For eons, American Indians lived off the bounty of North America. They adapted and evolved based in part on their diet. Grains, other than maize and wild rice, were not eaten consistently or widely by many. The only sweeteners were indigenous fruits and berries. The American Indian survived on wild game, fish, and locally gathered and grown plants. This is the basis of the Paleolithic Diet, a return to how our Ancestors ate.

There is evidence of ancient travels and migrations, such as trade along the Silk Road, commerce between Europe and the Mediterranean, and the population of the Pacific Islands. However, the vast majority of People on Earth were isolated for millennia. Our bodies evolved based on where we lived and what we ate.

With the onset of European exploration and colonization, foreign foods were introduced to indigenous peoples worldwide. In American, those from Europe brought the means to continue eating what they were accustomed to, predominantly grains and milk products. This is generally referred to as the Neolithic Diet. They exported our food crops, such as corn (maize), potatoes, and tomatoes, and grew their food crops here. In a reasonably short time, some crops had practically circumnavigated the globe. Sugar cane, tea, rice and cocoa are just a few. As these imported foods became more accessible, they became part of the indigenous Peoples’ diet. We all like variety, but this happened too quickly. There was not time for our bodies to adapt and some of these new "foods" had addictive qualities.

For American Indians and other indigenous Peoples, this abrupt change in diet was accompanied by disease and relocation. In less than 350 years, Eastern Tribes went from living off the land to desolate reservations in another climate. They had to eat what was provided and it was basically the Neolithic diet. Others who were able to assimilate into the European based society of the new United States ate as their neighbors did. Many farmed these imported food crops.

Less than 200 years later, obesity, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia, asthma, heart, liver, and gall bladder disease are epidemic among Native Americans. Could it be we are not genetically or evolutionarily able to eat as Europeans? According to scientists, our rate of evolution has dramatically increased since agriculture developed. But that’s a 20 or 30 thousand year span, and the Neolithic, grain based diet was introduced to the Americas a little more than 500 years ago. For some of the remote Tribes, it’s been less than 200 years. Adaptation and evolution are not that fast.

David Bender is Standing Rock Sioux and describes his family’s ordeal with health issues in an Indian Country Today article. He attributes their ill health to eating foods of the Neolithic diet which can be addictive to American Indians. They, like so many, relied on the US government guidelines of the "Food Pyramid" with grains as the diet basis. After much research, the entire family went on the Paleolithic diet to eat as their Ancestors did. He states, "Our ancestors were lean and as athletic as any modern elite athlete. We are our ancestors, warriors. We should eat and exercise as warriors in a good way to achieve the gifts that the Creator has for each of us." With three young children, this has not been easy, but it has been worth it. Their overall wellness has dramatically improved.

For those of mixed blood it can be confusing. After a decade long battle, trying to find out why I was so sick, I finally realized the diet connection. Although my ethnicities are quite mixed and I appear to be quite "White," genetically and evolutionarily, my body is quite more "Indian" than I thought. A diagnosis of diabetes forced me into the Paleo Diet. Now that I eat more like my Indian Ancestors, I am much better. However, I can enjoy, in moderation, some of the Neolithic foods my other Ancestors survived on.

As Darrin Carlson states in his guest post The Five Failings of Paleo, "There is no ONE diet." A chemist who left the pharmaceutical industry to join research in biofuels, Darrin began eating "Paleo" and found it to be the easiest diet with the best results for his health and fitness. He suggests that we concentrate on food quality and experiment with Neolithic foods. Depending upon our ethnic mix, many of us may be able to include some grains, dairy and legumes more easily than one of a single ethnicity.

Eating as my Ancestors has required some balance in our home. While I must eat more Paleo, my husband is a full blooded Neolith. With experimentation, we’ve found the balance that works for us. We also have a deeper respect and appreciation for the Old Ways and natural food, the Creator’s bounty.

Native Family Turns to its Roots to Combat Poor Health and Food Addition
By David Bender
Guest Post: The Five Failings of Paleo
By Darrin Carlson