Paleo in a Nutshell

Geoff Bond originally qualified in applied sciences and has written widely on living in harmony with nature and embodying 'the lifestyle that nature designed for us in Palaeolithic times.' He has read widely, as well as studying tribal societies. It is evident, as Sir Robert McCarrison observed a hundred years ago, that the modern refined diet is strongly correlated with the diseases of civilisation, which were absent in the Hunza people he studied. So in order to recover our health, we need to review our lifestyles and learn from these long-lived people. Geoff's approach is based on the hunter gatherer, who ate 75% plant and 25% animal matter as well as taking a lot of exercise. He stresses the importance of an alkalising diet rich in micronutrients and fibre, which is low in sodium and high in potassium.

His chapter on how things went wrong explains the problems with cereals, potatoes, sugar, dairy and beans. He produces his own pyramid based on these insights and gives an owner's manual as an overall guide, dealing in detail with 12 separate food groups, giving colour coding to desirable and undesirable foods. He then explains how to adopt this way of eating so we are no longer so dependent for fuel on carbohydrates. Overall, this means replacing grains, legumes and sugars with leafy greens, vegetables, fruits and nuts. This involves a fundamental review for most people, but the potential benefits for a healthy lifespan are priceless. Geoff helps by providing recipes and resources (his own website is www.thebondeffect.com). Based on my reading of many different approaches, it seems more important to avoid refined and processed foods as the positive benefits of individual approaches are less clear. I also wondered about how the Ayurvedic approach might square with this, with its three types of vata, kapha and pitta requiring different kinds of nutrients. Having said that, I think it is certainly worthwhile to move in the Paleo direction, especially from a public health angle. This is an excellent introduction.