Home > Encyclopedia of Alternative Medicine > Paleolithic Diet

Definition

The Paleolithic, or caveman, diet is a reversion to the foods eaten by humans prior to the advents of civilization, agriculture, and technology. Before those developments, the human diet during the Stone Age is thought to have consisted largely of lean red meat and vegetation. Modern-day adherents to Paleolithic diets add vigorous physical activity to mimic the Stone Age's hunter-gatherer lifestyle. In some cases, modern-day "Paleos" actually adopt such a lifestyle, hunting their own food in the natural environment.

Origins

The Paleolithic Period of human development, characterized by the use of chipped, stone tools, began about 2.5 million years ago. Whenever possible, Paleolithic peoples consumed large amounts of animal meat and offal, deriving 45-65% of their energy from animals. Among those aboriginal, hunter-gatherer...