Everyone has heard their fair share of caveman jokes. There have even been TV commercials and sitcoms based on the stereotypical image of cavemen. Most people think of cavemen as a figure from the distant past who has nothing to do with life in the modern world. That’s why many people are surprised that the genetics that make up the human body today developed during the Stone Age; the age of the cave man.

This theory about the historical evolution of human genetics is the root of the Paleolithic Diet. This diet is also known as the Paleo diet. Its founders believe that human genetics take hundreds of thousands of years to evolve to accommodate dietary changes that occur over time. If this is true, then the genes within our bodies at this time were established based on the diet consumed in the Stone Age.

There are some signs that this theory is correct. For example, many people have trouble digesting wheat and other grain products today. This is likely due to the fact that wheat only entered the human diet around 10,000 years ago. If it takes hundreds of thousands of years for the human body to evolve to operate on new food sources, there simply hasn’t been enough time for the human body to learn how to process wheat.

The Paleo diet encourages followers to understand what their bodies were designed to do and stick with those foods. It turns out that they are foods that cavemen ate in the Paleolithic or Stone Age era.

So what did cavemen eat?

Basically it is lean meats that can be hunted and fresh fruits, berries, vegetables, nuts and seeds that can be gathered.

A general rule of thumb to keep in mind is that anything packed in a box or bag is off-limits for this diet. Stone Age hunters and gatherers found their food fresh and ate it fresh. They didn’t add preservatives to their fresh produce and they didn’t inject their wild animals with hormones.

Although many people believe that all dairy products are off-limits on this diet, you can have a limited amount of eggs. Paleo cavemen enjoyed eggs, but not to the extent that we consume them in the modern Western world. Protein sources should focus more on lean meats, lean poultry, and some organ meats, such as tongue and liver.

Eating a variety of lean meats is the key to staying full and satisfied on the Paleo diet. You should pair the meat with a variety of fresh produce, as well as nuts and seeds for a source of healthy fat. Walnuts have been shown to reduce the risk of heart disease and lower cholesterol. They may even reduce the risk of developing some types of cancer, including breast cancer.

What is your goal?

When deciding what to eat on the Paleo diet, you need to think about what you are trying to achieve. If you just want to reduce your risk of serious illness and live a healthy, balanced lifestyle, you should eat a healthy mix of all the foods allowed on the plan.

If your goal is to lose weight, then you need to watch your intake of nuts and seeds and be more vigilant about cutting all the fat out of your meats. The fat in these foods is healthy, but too much could get in the way of your weight loss.

When in doubt about a food, think about how cavemen lived and ask if that food could have been found in their forests and fields. If not, then you probably shouldn’t eat it either.

Sugar and artificial sweeteners are a good example of this. Cavemen did not have access to sweets, so any sugary food is prohibited. Today, there is a huge debate about whether sugar or artificial sweeteners are better for the body. Cavemen would argue that none of it is healthy, including syrup.

In general, sugary, starchy, and dairy foods were not eaten during the Paleolithic era.

The virtues of protein

The Paleo diet is very different from the way most people eat today. It requires some adjustment, as many of the tasty foods available today are not acceptable on the plan. However, there are enough benefits to following a high-protein diet rich in vegetables and fruits that most people adjust and feel better than ever on the diet.

Studies have shown that a high protein diet can take up to fifteen pounds off the average person. That’s a fifteen pound weight loss without exercise or counting every calorie that crosses your lips. If your goal is to lose weight, you can add an active lifestyle and a little exercise to jumpstart your weight loss for even greater success.

If you just want to learn how to eat healthy to live longer, then following the Paleo diet is definitely a step in the right direction.