What Can We Learn From Our Ancient Ancestors?

Why Eating Like A Caveman (Or Woman) Might Help You Lose Weight

What did our ancient ancestors know about health?  Pretty serious question!  Think about it - they did not have any of the amenities that we have today:  no computers or internet, apps for our fancy phones, or even grocery stores.  Makes you really think, what did they know about health?

What they did know however, might really blow your mind.  Cavemen and women, or the hunters and gatherers, did know a little something that we take for granted today.  They spent all their free time walking, looking for food, or hunting dangerous animals.  The rivers and the sea were plentiful with fish and other marine life. 

Life expectancy was lower than it is today.  Viruses, bacteria, and being hunted by the same animals they were hunting led to decreased mortality.  The population at this time were lean, mean, fighting machines.  Here’s the reason why!

Cavemen and women did a lot of foraging for food.  Staples in their diet were shrubs, vegetables, plants, fish, and meat from grass-fed animals like mammoths, Saber-toothed tigers, and other small animals.  Most of the items in their diets were high in essential vitamins and minerals, low in fat, and had great sources of Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids.  The foods they did eat were full of nutrients that kept them lean, plus provided the energy that they needed to hunt, fight, or forage to protect their family and keep them healthy and strong.  Their diet consisted of leafy green plants and meat, when it was available.

Research shows that Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids are beneficial to the body.  This nutrient protects us from heart disease, can prevent diabetes, and has potential benefits against cancer.  Even though we know the amazing benefits of Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids, did you know that our diets are still lacking the right levels, and we have the wrong ratio of the two?  More on that in a second!

The most common food we eat today containing high levels of Omega-3s and Omega-6s are fatty fish and other marine sources.  Fish like Salmon, Tuna, Halibut, and Mackeral are fish that have higher levels of this essential fatty acid.  Also, do not let people tell you that shellfish is bad for you.  Certain shellfish, like lobster, crab, and oysters are full of this heart-healthy fatty acid, which makes this an ideal food to eat.

Here is a complete list of Fish with High Omega-3s:
(Levels of Omega-3s are per 100g or 3.5 ounces of edible fish)

• Fresh Tuna:  .28-.51g

• Atlantic Salmon: 1.28-2.15g

• Mackeral: .4-1.85g

• Atlantic Herring: 2.01g

• Rainbow Trout: 1.15g

• Sardines: 1.15-2.0g

• Halibut: .47-1.18g

• Canned Tuna: .31g

• Cod: .28g

• Haddock: 0.24g

• Catfish: .18g

• Flounder or Sole: .4g

• Oysters: .44g

• Shrimp: .32g

• Scallops: .2g

• Cod liver capsule: .19g

• Omacor (provona): .85g


Now this food just might blow your mind because people do not associate red meat with Omega-3s!  Did you know that grass-fed beef has high levels of Omega-3 fats, almost as high as some marine sources?  That’s right, grass-fed beef has higher levels of Omega-3s than once thought.  One of the reasons why grass-fed beef is better for you than other beef is that these animals are free to roam and feed on the good stuff that was given to us.  They are free from injectable hormones that increase the amount of meat they produce, and antibiotics that keep them healthy.  All the hormones and antibiotics end up getting into our food supply, which means that we are eating it too!  Some of the meat that we consume today comes from animals that have been fed corn and soy products, which alter our ratios.  Here are more astonishing facts about animals that are in the wild.

Research done by Simpoulos, determined that birds who feed off the land have lower fat body-fat levels.  Not only that, their muscle contained higher levels of polyunsaturated fatty acids, most of it coming from Omega-3s than poultry on regular feed.  Also on the plus side, wild birds and wild cattle are not pumped full of hormones and antibiotics.  That is just not the case with caged poultry and cattle.  Read on!

Here is the problem:  The feed that is given to cows, fish, and poultry have the wrong mix of Omega-3 to Omega-6 fatty acids.  They contain a high ratio (high Omega-6 than Omega-3) which translates into lower Omega-3 in our diets.  Most of the feed that farm-raised cattle, fish, and poultry get today is loaded with Omega-6 fatty acids and less Omega-3s.  This is one of the reasons why our ratio of Omega-3 and Omega-6 are completely out of whack!  The other: not eating enough essential fats!  The proper ratio for Omega-3 to Omega-6 is about 2:1 with higher ratios being more beneficial.  Research shows that the higher the ratio between Omega-3 to Omega-6 can decrease disease and mortality by as much as 70%!  There is more!  

What happens when your ratio is too high?  Higher ratios of Omega-6 to Omega-3s can possibly promote the increase of different disease processes.  A higher ratio of Omega-6 to Omega-3 can lead to increased inflammation, risk for heart disease, developing certain types of cancers, and increase the chance of developing auto-immune diseases.  It is not too late to alter your ratio! 

Here are some more statistics on how higher levels of Omega-3 to -6s can benefit your health:

• 5:1-has been shown helpful in controlling asthma

• Ratio of 4:1- decreases mortality and chronic disease

• Ratio of 4:1- same ratio decreases risk of developing breast cancer

• 2.5:1-shown to help stop cells from multiplying in colorectal cancer

• Increases HDL cholesterol and reduces both triglycerides and LDL cholesterol levels

• Take home message: a higher ratio of Omega-3/6 is more beneficial to the body!

Now that we have the science out of the way, let us turn our attention back to the basics.  What are Omega-3s and where you can get more of it?

Omega fatty acids are considered essential fats because our bodies cannot produce it, so we need to consume it from the environment.  Marine and vegetable sources of Omega-3s are typically considered n-3 PUFA or polyunsaturated fats.  Once in the body, they are further broken down into DHA and EPA, two nutrients shown to help reduce inflammation and have positive effects on cholesterol and triglyceride levels.  We can also get Omega-3s from non-marine sources, such as vegetables, nuts, and oils that we consume, or should consume every day. 

Omega-3s found in plants is in the form of ALA or alpha linoleic acid.  Once ingested, this fat is converted to DHA and EPA nutrients that you find in fish and shrimp, and Krill oil supplements.  Even though ALA is converted to DHA and EPA, this process is inefficient and only a portion of ALA is actually converted. However, once ALA is converted, these two nutrients are used by the body.  With this extra conversion step, it takes longer for the nutrients to get into the cells.  Since fish and fish oil already contain EPA and DHA, these provide more rapid results than ingesting ALA alone.  

So, before you stop eating your vegetables because it takes ALA longer to convert, do not forget the most important message:  There are added benefits from eating plant sources that have high levels of ALA.  Your intake of fiber increases, as does your intake of essential vitamins and minerals your body needs for healing and overall balance.  Besides, with these added vitamins, fiber, and ALA, you also get plenty of phytosterols, which show promise for promoting heart, eye, and overall health.

Great sources of heart-healthy Omega-3s from plant sources come from dark leafy green vegetables full of nutrients and ALA.  Other sources are:

• Flaxseed oil: 1 tablespoon provides 8.5g

• Flaxseed: 1 tablespoon: 2.2g

• Walnuts: 1 ounces: 2.6g

• Canola Oil: 1 tablespoon: 1.2g

• Purslane: 3.5 ounces: 0.35g

The bottom line is: We are not taking in enough heart-healthy Omega fatty acids and our ratio is all wrong.  We are consuming too much Omega-6 and not enough Omega-3.  There are ways to balance our levels by increasing our intake of vegetables, lean grass-fed beef, fish, and Krill Oil supplements.  We can re-learn what we already have ingrained in us on how to eat right, lose weight, and increase energy levels.  By eating like our ancestors, we can increase our Omega-3 intake and help reduce our risk factors for many chronic diseases, and as a side effect, lose weight in the process.