The Paleo Manifesto summary

The organisms we scientifically define as “human” distinguished themselves from our evolutionary ancestors during the Paleolithic Age, which spanned more than 2.5 million years, and ended about 10,000 years ago. During this time, modern humans emerged with bigger brains nourished by a greater intake of roots, tubers and meat.

These early humans were exceptionally healthy.

The contemporary routine of driving to the supermarket and stuffing a shopping cart with food from all over the world couldn’t be more different from the eating practices of our Paleolithic, hunter-gatherer ancestors. They consumed a much more diverse diet based on seasonal availability.

Over the course of the year, they’d consume hundreds of different plants and dozens of animals, including mammals, fish and insects. On top of that, they ate animals from “nose to tail,” that is, every part of them, including the nutritious innards and bones.

So, you’re ready to be a modern hunter-gatherer. Great, but unfortunately most of what we think of as food – the stuff on grocery store shelves – would be unrecognizable to our ancestors. It’s all processed!

You might’ve heard people say that they “don’t eat processed food.” What they’re really saying is that they don’t eat “industrial food.” After all, “processed” is a misleading term. Any food not in its original, whole form has been “processed” somehow, whether it’s been cooked, cured or canned.

Plenty of people follow all kinds of mainstream “healthy” diet fads based on drastically limiting calories, eating low-fat foods or going vegetarian. The problem with these programs is that their adherents often don’t understand the science behind them (or the lack thereof).

The truth is, not all calories are created equal. For instance, lots of people try to lose weight through “calories in, calories out” methods. They figure they can burn every calorie they take in. But then they start to fear high-caloric foods, like fats. But remember, not all calories are equal: a gram of healthy fats from, say, an avocado, is healthier than a gram of carbohydrates.

The paleo lifestyle isn’t all about food. It’s also about your daily activities. After all, humans evolved in active and diverse conditions. We can – and should! – adopt some of those conditions, starting with small changes in our day-to-day lives.

For instance, by using thermoregulation, that is, the regulation of internal temperatures, you can reduce inflammation and boost metabolism simply by experiencing extreme temperatures. For example, the intense heat of saunas and hot springs has been found to relax the mind, kill external bacteria and lead to lower levels of inflammation.