What Our Ancestors Ate

There’s a dozen books on the subject of “Paleolithic Dieting”, or eating the way our ancestors ate back before Abe Vigoda was born…kidding. While the facts remain open to debate, most authorities agree that the caveman ate his fair share of meat. In his book The Warrior Diet, Ori Hofmekler makes some rather bold claims regarding this fact, pointing out that the caveman ate not only the meat from wild game, but also the intestines, eyes, liver you name it. After all, he didn’t have the luxury of a Denny’s around the corner.

However, the meat from those days, and even the meat from 100 years ago, has changed quite a bit. Cows are now fed countless amounts of hormones and, worst of all, grain. Cows are herbivores. They aren’t supposed to eat grain! This makes for major problems in the fat distribution in cattle. Once, the Omega 3 to Omega 6 ratio (the good EFA and the not-so-good EFA) was about 1:1 or 1:2. Now, with the advent of ‘engineered cattle’, it’s more like 1:20, or higher! This is the primary reason that excessive beef can alter one’s cholesterol ratios. The actual ingestion of cholesterol itself has little to do with it—it’s the excessive Omega 6 content of the fat.

Yea or Nay

So am I saying not to eat meat? No…and for many reasons. First, we were created to eat meat. Vegetarians, you may want to cover your eyes lest you be confused by facts and common sense. Obviously our ancestors ate meat, so digestion isn’t the issue if the Omega 6 fat is addressed (more on that later). Also, go to a mirror and open your mouth. See those pointy teeth? Unless God was creating something useless, these teeth were made for ripping flesh and nothing else. Meat, for most people, is delicious…and that is a crucial part of any lifetime dietary program. Your food has to be enjoyable. Also, most people have a natural, built-in craving for animal flesh. There’s a reason for this. Then there’s vegans. I used to say that I’ve never seen a healthy vegan, but people like Robbie Hazeley and the amazing Spice Williams (shown above) changed my mind. However, I will say that it’s very rare to meet a healthy vegan. Sure, vegetarians who consume ample fish, eggs, dairy, etc. are usually pretty healthy people.

Making Meat Work For You

I’m not suggesting you start consuming massive amounts of steak in order to be healthy. Try this approach instead:

First, if you can get by with a higher percentage of carbs in your diet, i.e. you’re naturally lean or have boosted your metabolism sky-high, then play around with what I did for years: Become an ‘almost vegetarian’. I got the idea from Clarence Bass (www.cbass.com). Clarence uses meat and animal products to ‘flavor’ his food. Just a few ounces will make rice and veggies into a really good tasting meal. In fact, during my ‘pseudo-vege’ period, I consumed animal products at every meal in some form or fashion. I ate one serving of meat per day (only about 4-5 ounces) or salmon three times per week, along with ample amounts of low-fat yogurt.

If this doesn’t suit you, or if you have alot of stubborn bodyfat, try what I’m doing now. I choose only free-range poultry, grass-fed beef (or longhorn, as grass-fed beef is hard to come by. You can check www.mercola.com for sources), salmon, turkey and egg whites. Nowadays I’m building my diet around these foods as I try to shed the last 10 pounds of unwanted bodyfat (the really stubborn stuff!) Of course, I like meat, so this isn’t a great sacrifice for me. Grass-fed beef is perfectly healthy for you. The omega ratios are close to perfect. Salmon (with the exception of mercury) is a perfect choice as well, as it’s loaded with Omega 3s. Just take extra C for the mercury…at least that’s what worked for me. And free-range poultry is leaner than caged chicken. Almost every package of chicken breasts you’ll find in the typical grocery store is from caged sources, so the fat ratios are off. I use Omega 3 Eggs (eggs fortified with Omega 3) to balance the ratios. All-in-all, this makes eating a diet heavy in animal products safe and effective for fat loss. Whey protein is excellent and should be consumed once per day.

Be sure to continue with your high intake of fresh raw veggies and some fruit in the day. A great way to be sure you get the enzymes and phytochemicals you need, as few of us will eat what we need from these food groups, is by using the supplement Juice Plus. Juice Plus comes in four pills, which is the biological equivalent of eating several POUNDS of raw vegetables and fruit per day! This is accomplished by preserving the enzymatic structure of the fruits and vegetables using dehydration (removing the carbs and water) at only 36 degrees over a long period of time. Fruits and vegetables contain heat-sensitive enzymes that are killed the moment you cook them. This is the only supplement I personally distribute, as I’ve seen it do wonders for me and others. Plus the research on Juice Plus is staggering. Email me for more info.

Hopefully this brief look at eating meat has shed some light on the subject. If you have any questions, email me. Until then, it’s moo-meat time!

Editor’s Note: To read more about Spice Williams, order Fit Over 40: Role Models For Excellence At Any Age!