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By Meghan Yost, Ivanhoe Health Correspondent
BALTIMORE, M.D. (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Throughout history, the human diet has evolved immensely. These changes have had major implications on human nutrition. Some experts say to help our bodies (and our planet) we need to eat more primitively.
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Seventy to 80 percent of our ancestors lives were dedicated to food-related issues, says John Bagnulo, M.P.H., Ph.D., a nutrition and fitness instructor at Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health in Stockridge, Mass; but today, the average person in the United States spends less than an hour a day dealing with foods, and that includes eating, Dr. Bagnulo told Ivanhoe. Rather than foraging for food, we rely on grocery stores and restaurants. One result food isnt as fresh. When you buy a head of iceberg lettuce at the local grocery store, it is typically six to nine weeks old, Dr. Bagnulo says.
Foods are also not as naturally produced. According to Dr. Bagnulo, the average person in an industrialized society consumes feedlot meat, or an animal fed a diet consisting of mainly grain. Some argue animals fed this diet, rather than a grass-fed diet, tend to be more fattening and contain less omega-3 and vitamin B. Fish has also been altered by human production methods. One 2004 study found farm-raised salmon had seven-times more Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) than wild salmon. The chemical, Dr. Bagnulo says, alters estrogen levels in the body and may also cause cancer by altering genes.
In addition to altered food, We are [also] eating so many foods that would have been foreign to our ancestors, Dr. Bagnulo said. For example, a significant portion of the average western diet is composed of dairy products, grains, refined sugars and refined vegetable oils.
To return to a more primitive, healthy diet, Dr. Bagnulo recommends eating large amounts of fresh, locally and organically grown produce and says to eat a handful of unsalted nuts every day. He also says avoid cooking foods at temperatures higher than 350 degrees Fahrenheit, consume animal protein that is free range and wild, reduce dairy consumption, use raw honey (especially locally produced honey) as your main sweetener, and avoid all chemical additives, including preservatives, sweeteners and flavorings.
SOURCE: Interview with John Bagnulo, M.P.H., Ph.D.; Food as Medicine Conference, Baltimore, M.D., June 12-15, 2008
This article was reported by Ivanhoe.com, who offers Medical Alerts by e-mail every day of the week. To subscribe, go to: http://www.ivanhoe.com/newsalert/.
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