I recently received a question regarding my involvement in Nutritarian and Paleolithic diets.
Here’s how I see the overlap in a Nutritarian and Paleolithic (paleotarian) diet and lifestyle.
For me, the Nutritarian and Paleotarian diet/lifestyle are very similar, and the raw food diet is right there, too (I’ll write again with thoughts/info about mixing in raw foods). Hunter gatherers ate a rich diet of veggies (raw and cooked). Adding meats, fish and fruits when available. To me – a Paleolithic diet means meat now and then, not at every meal, or every day. My imagination sees hunter-gatherers used meats/fish sparingly – a bit here, a bit there, at celebration meals, etc.
Working with clients, going to national conferences, reading articles and books I’ve learned that people’s dietary needs are different. Dietary needs differ from you and me, and my own changes per the season, the year, etc. Each of us are responsible to be in tune with ourselves so that we feed ourselves the right dose of … veggies, fish, meats, etc.
Here are a few similarities:
Dr. Joel Fuhrman, who coined the termed “Nutritarian,” promotes a diet of veggies and sometimes meat, fish.
The Nutritarian food pyramid includes beef in the smallest of the categories.
And Fuhrman comments that if you do eat meats then eat clean meats.
Loren Cordain, leading expert in – and author of – The Paleolithic Diet – says hunter gatherers – would have had lean meats, fish, veggies, fruits, nuts.
I serve grass-fed meat, line-caught fish, etc.
The Nutritarian diet promotes eating seasonal foods.
Hunter gatherers had no choice, except for dried goods.
For the most part I serve locally-grown foods, although, I do take a ‘trip-around-the-world’ for some coconuts, fruit, spices, etc. I use dried fruit for sweeteners, and sun-dried tomatoes to add depth in various dishes.
Nutritarian diet is all about eating whole foods, avoiding processed foods.
Hunter gatherers had no choice.
In keeping with the theme I go out of my way (a fan says: you take no short cuts) to avoid anything processed, oils included … I even render my own fat thinking that that would have been more used/available than pressed olives.
My dinners have lots of raw and cooked veggies/fruit … the appetizer, the soup, the main course is mostly veggies and the dessert, too. … and I serve some meat/fish with the entree … and I will make a vegan/vegetarian plate when requested.
I’ll add more here, another time. A few similarities were noted so next time I will write about the differences, and include thoughts about the raw food diet. Share your comments, I would like to hear your thoughts, please share’m with me and the readers.
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