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Should we eat like Caveman
? 
By Dr Narinder Saini
Several magazine articles and books suggest
that if only we would eat more like the cave dwellers
of the Paleolithic era, we would not be facing the
obesity and health problems that have become so
common in America.
For cavemen, every extra bit of food consumed meant
more work hunting or foraging. They did not have
fellow cavemen offering to supersize their meals,
and eating was probably not considered a recreational
activity.
The difference between our activity level today
and that of cave dwellers is most likely to a primary
reason for our varying incidences of obesity. Cave
dwellers didn’t have the opportunity to overeat
often. Cavemen were not faced with the temptations
of kitchens stocked with umpteen varieties of cookies,
chips and ice cream. We make the decision to bring
these foods home.
Compared to the typical American diet, the traditional
Mediterranean or Asian diet included a greater abundance
of vegetables and fruits throughout the day and
lower consumption of saturated fat from fatty meats
and rich dairy products.
Obesity was not a problem in the hunter-gatherer
society because the diet consisted of plenty of
meat from hunted animals along with fruits, vegetables
and nuts. The lack of sugar, bread and other grain
products is proclaimed the key to good health. The
difference between our activity level today and
that of cave dwellers is most likely to a primary
reason for our varying incidences of obesity.
Since we don’t live like cave dwellers, there’s
no reason to eat like them.
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