The Paleo Cure

Imagine a world where humans thrived for millions of years, living lean, fit, and virtually free of the chronic diseases that plague us today. This was the reality for our Paleolithic ancestors, whose genetics and biology were finely tuned over sixty-six thousand generations to the environment they inhabited. Our modern health crisis is largely a product of a profound mismatch between our ancient biology and the rapid changes brought by agriculture and industrialization. When early humans transitioned from hunting and gathering to farming just 11,000 years ago—a blink in evolutionary time—their diets shifted dramatically from diverse, nutrient-dense foods to starchy crops and domesticated animals. This change, though socially transformative, came at a great cost to health.

Archaeological evidence reveals that early farmers experienced a marked decline in physical stature, increased tooth decay, anemia, and a drop in life expectancy. For example, skeletal remains from Greece and Turkey show men shrinking from an average of 5'9" to 5'3" after adopting agriculture. These health issues stemmed from nutrient deficiencies caused by limited diets heavy in carbohydrates and low in quality protein and micronutrients.

Yet, while average life expectancy was lower, this was largely due to high infant and childhood mortality from accidents, infections, and violence. Those who survived childhood often lived as long as people do today, but crucially, without the degenerative diseases now considered normal. This suggests that the natural human state is one of vitality and resilience, not chronic illness.

Contemporary hunter-gatherer populations, such as the Kitavans, Inuit, and Aboriginal Australians, provide living examples of this ancestral health. Despite diverse diets ranging from root vegetables and fish to high-fat marine mammals, these groups exhibit low rates of obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and autoimmune disorders. Their robust health underscores the importance of diet and lifestyle aligned with our evolutionary heritage.

However, human evolution has not stopped. Some adaptations, like lactase persistence allowing milk digestion into adulthood, have emerged in response to agricultural foods. Still, these changes are recent and incomplete, and do not fully mitigate the adverse effects of modern processed diets rich in refined grains, sugars, and industrial seed oils. Thus, the best approach is to base our diets on the nutrient-dense foods our ancestors thrived on, while personalizing to our unique genetics and circumstances.

Understanding this evolutionary foundation is crucial as we embark on the journey of The Paleo Cure. It frames why certain foods and lifestyle factors promote health, while others contribute to disease. With this knowledge, we can reset our bodies, rebuild our lives, and revive our health in harmony with our biology.

Let us now explore the first practical step: resetting your diet to reclaim vitality and reduce inflammation.