Once upon a time, man ate only what he was able to hunt. Apparently that time was last week in New York City, where the "caveman lifestyle" is a burgeoning trend. The New York Times profiles a group of men who live at the intersection of hipster and naturalist, choosing to eat large quantities of meat and then fast between feedings.
Bread is off limits and fruits and vegetables can be consumed at will or not at all. It's a carbs-are-evil diet via the concept of cave paintings.
So, it's official: The irritating man cave concept has leaked into the world of food. I like that the men in the story are truly attempting to return to the diet of our ancestors (though not without a three-foot refrigerated meat locker).
There is also an exercise component:
These urban cavemen also choose exercise routines focused on sprinting and jumping, to replicate how a prehistoric person might have fled from a mastodon. In a city crowded with vegetarian restaurants and yoga studios, the cavemen defy other people's ideas of healthy living. There is an indisputable macho component to the lifestyle.
For those who say that Kansas City is behind the times: I know a lot of men in the city of fountains who eat barbecue, steak and chicken (in that order) and eschew vegetables, except in potato form. They might not run and jump, but I suspect that's because a true caveman would not have resorted to some form of parkour for exercise.
And in reality, if you're going to go whole hog and adopt the caveman lifestyle, then you might as well not worry about exercise. Being overweight must have been a status symbol in the times of caves -- since it meant you were a good hunter and well fed. Besides, Kansas Citians have mastered GPS technology -- it's no accident that Garmin is headquartered here -- and have well-developed senses of smell from driving past Gate's with the windows rolled down.
Welcome to the party Manhattan. Let us know when you figure out how to use a smoker.
[Image via Flickr: Lord Jim]
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Sure, life expectancy has increased radically in a time span that has also seen the increase of cultivation and consumption of grains. But a causal relationship? Clean water/basic sanitation, shelter and now medicine seem much likely explanations than grains.
The benefits of grains beyond being cheap, easy to produce eats, are hard to find (that is, if they exist). On the other hand, though, Googling "cereal grains" will find you a host of legitimate sites showing the role of such foods in hyperinsulinism, Celiac's disease and a bevy of other health concerns.
The real shame here is that a good diet is being made to look silly by how it is presented. Contrary to the picture Faith, and I'm sure others, got from these articles, the "Paleo" diet does in fact recommend a balanced diet, filled with natural, unprocessed, nutrient rich foods. Eat lean meat, plus plenty of fruits, veggies and nuts. It doesn't sound so crazy once you take out the meat-hoarding caveman image...
"Since", "sense"...potato, potahto? Uh...not really. Anywho...
I'm glad Barry was here to say the smart stuff. Healthy life = balanced diet, pure and simple. Your body cannot get all the vitamins and minerals it needs from a diet heavy in one food group, and light in the others. Effing ridiculous people...
http://www.healingcrow.com/die...
here's a video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...
enjoy
And let the string of cultists commence...
As the article points out, cavemen also lived to 30. The Masai still eat a paleo-ish diet, and have the lowest life expectancy in the world.
It's a cult, people, akin to the low-calorie people, raw foodists, and some (organized) strains of veganism.
Cultivating grains has doubled-to-tripled man's life expectancy. Eating a varied diet based primarily on whole plants (vegetables and grains) and augmented with lean protein has scientifically proven to result in enhanced health for, oh, a century now.
This is hardly a novel observation. I understand how people are so stupid -- I spent almost half my life as a vegetarian, even though I like to consider myself rational. But it's really perverse to see something so unscientific thrive today.
Until the media jumped on this diet we called it the Paleolithic Diet. It covers two million years, a far longer time frame than whatever years our ancestors used caves for paintings.
The KC men that are eating potatoes are not at all paleo, as potatoes are definitely excluded from the paleo diet, as are all starches. And if you were a hunter and well fed you wouldn't be fat. Being fat comes from eating carbs, not meat.
I started this life style last Monday and have dropped 18 lbs already, the research I did just made since.
Well, I don't know about Manhattan, but there are people in Brooklyn who know their way around a smoker.
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