The Paleo Manifesto Book Summary - The Paleo Manifesto Book explained in key points

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The Paleo Manifesto summary

Name: The Paleo Manifesto
Rating: 4.2 (46 reviews)
Author: John Durant

John Durant

Ancient Wisdom for Lifelong Health

4.2 (46 ratings)

14 mins

Brief summary

The Paleo Manifesto by John Durant is a guide to living a healthy lifestyle based on principles of Paleolithic diets and hunter-gatherer societies. It explores the evolutionary basis of human nutrition, fitness, and social behavior.

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Weight Loss Cook Books Aging Wisdom Diet

Table of Contents

The Paleo Manifesto
Summary of 6 key ideas

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Key idea 1 of 6

What’s in it for me? Go paleo!

You’ve probably already heard of the paleo movement. If you don’t know anything about it, you’re probably one of those people who thinks paleo means channeling your inner caveman, running around in loincloths with berry seeds stuck in your teeth.

If that’s what you think going paleo is about, well, you’re wrong! The paleo movement isn’t about stone tools or nudity. It’s about examining the dietary habits of prehistoric man and applying them to our modern lifestyle.

In these blinks, you’ll learn

what your teeth say about your diet;
why you should avoid eating cereal grains; and
what thermoregulation has to do with weight loss.

The lives we lead today are at odds with our evolutionary history.

Despite all the incredible technological innovations of the modern world, we aren’t getting any healthier or happier.

Just compare the typical day of an average person today with that of his ancestors. For instance, before the author became a leading force in the paleo movement, he lived in New York City and was clocking endless hours at a consulting firm, day after day.

He worked well into the night and went to the office on the weekends. He barely had time to exercise, and subsisted on take-out food. To make matters worse, he replenished his depleted energy by overloading on caffeine.

But what about the typical day of an ancient human, without all the technology?

Our ancestors dedicated most of the day to the necessities of survival – hunting, gathering and cooking. That lifestyle is still inside of us; we’re actually better suited to our ancestors’ lifestyle than our contemporary technology-driven one.

For clear evidence of the negative impacts of modern living, let’s look at what happened to the gorillas – our nearest primate cousins – at the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo. Even though they were kept on a strict diet according to official health guidelines, the gorillas were always sick. They suffered from obesity, high blood pressure, increased cholesterol and triglycerides and had a marked level of heart disease indicators. On top of that, they had behavioral issues, like yanking out their hair and regurgitating their food before re-ingesting it.

However, as soon as the zookeepers replaced the processed gorilla biscuits with natural plants, the gorillas’ health stabilized and their behavior normalized.

Why?

Because they were eating what they ate in the wild, that is, what their bodies had adapted to eating through evolution.

Humans were healthier before the advent of agriculture.

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.

We can return to a natural mode of healthy living by reclaiming the hunter-gatherer diet.

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.

What we don’t eat is almost as important as what we do eat.

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.

Many popular dieting trends are founded on misconceptions and ideology instead of hard science.

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.

Temperature and activity are also important factors in the paleo lifestyle.

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.

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What is The Paleo Manifesto about?

The Paleo Manifesto (2013) is the go-to guide to going paleo. It explains why the Paleo diet is in sync with our ancestors’ diet, and how you can use humanity’s anthropological and evolutionary history to get fit, feel great and lead the healthy lifestyle you’ve always wanted to.

The Paleo Manifesto Review

The Paleo Manifesto (2013) by John Durant is an insightful exploration of the benefits of returning to our ancestral diet and lifestyle. Here's why this book is worth reading:

It offers a measured and well-researched argument for adopting a paleo lifestyle, backed by scientific evidence and Durant's personal experiences.
Blending history, anthropology, and nutrition, the book presents a well-rounded perspective on the paleo movement, making it informative and thought-provoking.
With its fascinating stories about early humans and the impact of modernity on our health, the book manages to engage readers and keeps them eager to learn more.

Who should read The Paleo Manifesto?

Anybody looking for a sustainable, intelligent diet
People tired of calorie-counting methods to lose weight
Anyone interested in the history and development of the human diet

About the Author

John Durant is a leading figure of the paleo movement. He is the founder of Paleo NYC and Barefoot Runners NYC, and blogs at HunterGatherer.com. He’s been featured on The Colbert Report, NPR and in The New York Times.

Categories with The Paleo Manifesto

Health & Nutrition

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