The Stone Age began a pair million years ago and ended in Europe about 6,000 years ago. Our forefathers began to cultivate the earth and hold domestic livestock no more than 10,000 years ago. The introduction of grain and milk to our diet is therefore recent in an evolutionary perspective. Before that time, Stone Age man lived on different plants, berries, fruit, roots, nuts, fish, shellfish, and lean meat. “Mr. and Mrs. Flintstone” received almost 3 times more potassium and at least six times more sodium through their diets than we do today. They received many more antioxidants and more omega 3 fatty acids than the average populace today, and some nutrition researcher say that we are still genetically coded to live on this Stone Age diet.
Many women will nod in recognition when they hear this information and will be able to add other traits of Palaeolithic times which they have noticed function largely unchanged in their mates.
Anyway, we have, or some have, a problem with a modern diet filled with things which violate our rigorously tested Stone Age defences. Digestive problems and food hypersensitivity is common. Even in the cases when hypersensitivity is not an issue, our diet can be a problem. Our food is refined, processed, and wrong.
Maybe we need another 10,000 to 90,000 years of evolution or a consultation with a genetic therapist before we are able to eat Neapolitan pizza without risking diseases like cardiovascular disease, arthritis, obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, and the like.
The above named illnesses are some examples of diseases which some researchers maintain are the result of our modern, high tech diet. Today over half of the foods that we eat are completely new when considering Stone Age diet. These foods include grain and milk products, industrially prepared fats, alcohol, and a plethora of food additives. Stone Age man almost certainly ate wild honey when it was available, but compared to our current sugar consumption where we on average eat about 50 kg annually, Stone Age man ate an infinitesimal amount of sugar.
The reality is that only a minority of people associate “problem food” with consequences to health because their symptoms are often to diffuse to make this association. Even so, the foods that we eat most often and in greatest amounts can cause symptoms of withdrawal if they are no longer eaten. There are however ways to find out what roles our choices of food have in relationship to health problems.
ELISA
The easiest way to find out which foods cause hypersensitivity is by examining the blood for antibodies with an ELISA test. An ELISA test can measure the blood’s immunological reaction to over 100 different foods from meat and fish to fruit, vegetables, nuts, and sugar. This data is then analysed along with other clinical data by a therapist.
Fasting
Another cheap but effective way to find out which foods cause unwanted reactions in the body is by fasting for a few days until the digestive system is empty and any reactions to foods have disappeared. This should be followed by introducing foods one at a time while paying attention to how the body reacts. Fasting can be dangerous if suffering from certain medical or physical conditions, so it is advisable to seek advice from a licensed therapist before embarking on this endeavour.
Stone Age gastronomy
Far from everyone can accomplish such a fast, but we can all enjoy benefits from our ancestors’ diet from a time when fast food meant chasing down supper with flint-tipped spears. This can be done by reintroducing this Stone Age diet in an updated version, after which we can watch our hypersensitivity symptoms disappear. The diet in its pure form is made up of fish, meat, fruit, and fresh vegetables. No grains or milk products are included because these are the foods which, in addition to peanuts, tomatoes, soy, and coffee, cause most hypersensitivity problems. The only spice used should be sea salt. In addition, foods suspected of causing hypersensitivity should be avoided.
Naturally, pure spring water or fruit or vegetable juice form fruits and vegetables not on the “forbidden list” are the beverages of choice.
If you suffer from food hypersensitivity and start a diet without the responsible foods, you will not feel good for the first few days. In extreme cases this can be compared to taking a pacifier from a baby or methadone from a drug addict. This is also an indication of a problem with the food in question. After 4 - 5 days it is most typical to feel relief from many of the hypersensitivity symptoms were problematic. These symptoms can be tiredness, headache, symptoms from the digestive tract and more.
As mentioned, after five days you can start to introduce foods back into the diet. Experience from food hypersensitive children has shown marked psychological and physical changes.
One of the things which provoke the immune system in those susceptible to hypersensitivity is eating the same foods day in and day out. We should eat a far more varied diet that we do today, which is to say we should rotate between the many kinds of foodstuffs which we tolerate. This is definitely easier now than it was in the Stone Age. Nor should we eat too much. Food creates free radicals in the body as a by product, which are detrimental to health and age us prematurely. It is clear that more food creates more free radicals.
Food hypersensitivity is one of the most under diagnosed disorders. Some people are both physically and mentally strained to a degree of invalidity by foods which they cannot tolerate. We should be more conscience of the foods which we eat and the effects that they have on our welfare. But who knows; maybe all of our problems with food we cannot tolerate are a passing phenomenon. Maybe genetic researchers will succeed in manipulating our genes in such a way that we can live with the chemical garbage we eat. But until that happens, we need to watch what we eat.
Note
This description of the Stone Age diet is only intended as general advice and is not sufficient for designing a diet programme. Please contact an experienced therapist for more information and guidance.
