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You Are What You Eat: Today's Diet Compared to The Healthiest Times

Get this – our digestive system has undergone very little change over the past several thousand years, yet our diet has changed so rapidly that some think our stomachs are unable to keep pace with it.

Author: Kevin Agrawal
Date: Jan 25, 2010 - 7:38:36 AM

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Get this - our digestive system has undergone very little change over the past several thousand years, yet our diet has changed so rapidly that some think our stomachs are  unable to keep pace with it. And therein lies the root of many modern-day nutrition and diet related issues.

Just think about it - did our grandparents' daily diet include a double cheese burger with a large soda and fries thrown in for good measure? Did they drink cups after cups of coffee to bust stress? Were they inundated with canned and processed food choices at the local supermarkets? Did they go days without having fruits and vegetables in their meal? We, on the other hand, routinely indulge in these supremely unhealthy food habits.

It's evident that we compare poorly to our grandparents' generation as far as food choices are concerned. But there is a school of thought that goes a step ahead and believes we should go back even further in time and compare our modern diet to the dietary habits prevailing in the Paleolithic era some 20,000 years ago to assess its quality. The rationale given behind such a comparison is that genetically, human bodies have changed little since that time while food habits have altered to an unrecognizable extent.

Hunter Gatherer Diet

Our ancestors during the Paleolithic era hunted and gathered foods rather than depending on mass agricultural products. This type of diet, also known as the Stone Age diet or the caveman diet, constituted mainly of wild plants and animals that could be hunted and gathered such as wild game meats, seafood, fruits, nuts, vegetables, etc.

The hunters and gatherers are cited as being the healthiest down the civilizations. However, there was a decline in human health with the advent of agricultural settlements during the Neolithic era. This was also accompanied by the lack of physical labor involved in the hunting and gathering of food. Since then, human health continues to deteriorate owing to modern day food habits and lifestyles.

In contrast to the hunter gatherer diet, the modern day diets lack in fiber as we hardly consume any fruits and vegetables. In fact, Americans get almost 70 percent of total daily energy from foods like dairy products, cereals, refined sugars, processed vegetable oils, and alcohol. In fact, such are the limitations of a modern diet that an average American consumes mostly fat and starch in his food. Add to this foods laden with additives, preservatives, antibiotics, hormones, etc. that find their way to our tables and lo and behold, you have a recipe for disaster!

That is why proponents of the hunter gatherer diet advocate replicating the dietary habits of our ancestors during the Paleolithic era. The basic surmise behind this advocacy is that our genetic composition is adapted to the Paleolithic diet and our system tends to discard all foods that were not or scarcely available at that time.

The modern Paleolithic diet consists mainly of meat, fish, vegetables, fruit, roots, and nuts, and excludes foods that were never or rarely consumed before the Neolithic and industrial eras such as grains, legumes, dairy products, salt, refined sugar, and processed oils.

This kind of diet has its takers as well as opponents, but truth be told many people may not find it feasible, affordable, or appealing to follow a strictly Paleolithic diet.

Personal Health Plan

The key here is to find your own nutritional balance and work out a personal healthy eating plan without having to deprive yourself of the foods you love. The importance of eating a balanced, fiber-rich diet cannot be stressed enough.

The mantra for good health is to eat plenty of fruits, vegetables, grains, and legumes that are a rich source of complex carbohydrates, fiber, minerals, and vitamins. In addition to this, limit your intake of refined sugar, salt, and processed food. Include a wide variety of food in your diet rather than just animal-based products and eat in moderation. Last, but not the least, drink plenty of water and get 30 minutes of exercise every day.

Colon Cleansing

A healthy diet plan should lead to a healthy digestive system and a healthy you. However, it is still possible to experience gastrointestinal and bowel discomfort from time to time. In such a scenario, it may help to flush out wastes and toxins from the body through colon cleanse.

Colon cleanse therapies include colon hydrotherapy, enema, and laxatives. But these days, natural and herbal colon cleanse products are rising in popularity as they are gentle on the system and aid quick and effective colon cleanse. These herbal colon cleanse products can be bought at any health store or even purchased online.

Complete herbal colon cleanse programs such as BeneCleanse are a safe, easy to use and effective way to promote intestinal hygiene. The colon cleanse program, formulated by a medical doctor, is based on 25 years of scientific research and each ingredient is scientifically supported for its purity, potency, and effectiveness.

Clearly, when it comes to healthy living, going back to the basics may not be a bad idea. And complementing it with a comprehensive colon cleanse program is better still!

NaturalDetox is a manufacturer of Herbal colon cleanse supplements that are carefully formulated by a physician. This colon cleanse program provides a 3-step approach for colon cleansing, promoting and nutritionally maintaining a healthy colon.

View all articles by Kevin Agrawal

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