Paleolithic lifestyle
Encyclopedia
A paleolithic lifestyle refers to living as humans did in the paleolithic era (Old Stone Age), or attempting to recreate such a lifestyle in the present day. The rationale for such an approach is that humans have evolved
Human evolution
Human evolution refers to the evolutionary history of the genus Homo, including the emergence of Homo sapiens as a distinct species and as a unique category of hominids and mammals...

 for millions of years in a paleolithic environment. Therefore, their body and mind can be expected to be perfectly adapted to the concomitant hunter-gatherer lifestyle. Agriculture
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...

, on the other hand, only appeared about 10 000 years ago at the beginning of the neolithic era, and industrial society only about 200 years ago. Proponents of a paleolithic lifestyle assert that insufficient time has passed for humans to adapt to the changes brought by farming and industrialization, leading to a misfit between modern lifestyle and the human genome.

While small number of cultures in the world continue to live a paleolithic hunter-gatherer
Hunter-gatherer
A hunter-gatherer or forage society is one in which most or all food is obtained from wild plants and animals, in contrast to agricultural societies which rely mainly on domesticated species. Hunting and gathering was the ancestral subsistence mode of Homo, and all modern humans were...

 lifestyle, a subculture of people has emerged in modern societies who try to recreate elements of a paleolithic lifestyle. Their motivation is to enhance health, fitness and happiness by avoiding the common "diseases of civilization
Diseases of affluence
Diseases of affluence is a term sometimes given to selected diseases and other health conditions which are commonly thought to be a result of increasing wealth in a society...

", such as obesity
Obesity
Obesity is a medical condition in which excess body fat has accumulated to the extent that it may have an adverse effect on health, leading to reduced life expectancy and/or increased health problems...

, some cardiovascular diseases, metabolic syndrome
Metabolic syndrome
Metabolic syndrome is a combination of medical disorders that, when occurring together, increase the risk of developing cardiovascular disease and diabetes. It affects one in five people in the United States and prevalence increases with age...

, increasingly prevalent allergies, some forms of depression and chronic stress
Chronic stress
Chronic stress is the response to emotional pressure suffered for a prolonged period over which an individual perceives he or she has no control. It involves an endocrine system response in which occurs a release of corticosteroids...

. These diseases are not yet evidenced among hunter-gatherers, and therefore they are attributed to modern, "civilized" lifestyle.

The movement is primarily associated with the paleolithic diet
Paleolithic diet
The modern dietary regimen known as the Paleolithic diet , also popularly referred to as the caveman diet, Stone Age diet and hunter-gatherer diet, is a nutritional plan based on the presumed ancient diet of wild plants and animals that various hominid species habitually consumed during the...

, but also includes going barefoot
Barefoot
Barefoot is the state of not wearing any footwear. Being barefoot is regarded as a human's natural state, though for functional, fashion and social reasons footwear is worn, at least on some occasions...

, and replicating a paleolithic exercise routine, or involve paleolithic survival skills
Survival skills
Survival skills are techniques a person may use in a dangerous situation to save themselves or others...

. Some people advocate prehistoric lifestyles for animals, notably raw feeding
Raw feeding
Raw feeding is the practice of feeding domestic dogs, cats and other animals a diet primarily of uncooked meat, edible bones, and organs.*Supporters of raw feeding believe that the natural diet of raw meat, bones, and organs is superior nutritionally to highly processed commercial pet food...

 and natural hoof care
Natural hoof care
Natural hoof care is the practice of keeping horses so that their hooves are worn down naturally and so do not suffer overgrowth, splitting and other disorders...

. More generally, the paleo movement fits within a "back to nature" philosophy, as advocated, e.g., by many environmentalists
Environmentalism
Environmentalism is a broad philosophy, ideology and social movement regarding concerns for environmental conservation and improvement of the health of the environment, particularly as the measure for this health seeks to incorporate the concerns of non-human elements...

. However, it distinguishes itself from some of the more naive, utopian ideas associated with this philosophy by focusing on a realistic, scientific view of what humanity's "true nature" is. For example, it rejects any notions that vegetarianism
Vegetarianism
Vegetarianism encompasses the practice of following plant-based diets , with or without the inclusion of dairy products or eggs, and with the exclusion of meat...

 or veganism
Veganism
Veganism is the practice of eliminating the use of animal products. Ethical vegans reject the commodity status of animals and the use of animal products for any purpose, while dietary vegans or strict vegetarians eliminate them from their diet only...

 is a natural lifestyle, given the evidence that paleolithic people and most present-day hunter-gatherers consumed substantial amounts of animal protein. Evidence such as this comes from scientific disciplines like anthropology
Anthropology
Anthropology is the study of humanity. It has origins in the humanities, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. The term "anthropology" is from the Greek anthrōpos , "man", understood to mean mankind or humanity, and -logia , "discourse" or "study", and was first used in 1501 by German...

, paleoanthropology
Paleoanthropology
Paleoanthropology, which combines the disciplines of paleontology and physical anthropology, is the study of ancient humans as found in fossil hominid evidence such as petrifacted bones and footprints.-19th century:...

, evolutionary medicine
Evolutionary medicine
Evolutionary medicine or Darwinian medicine is the application of modern evolutionary theory to understanding health and disease. It provides a complementary scientific approach to the present mechanistic explanations that dominate medical science, and particularly modern medical education...

, evolutionary psychology
Evolutionary psychology
Evolutionary psychology is an approach in the social and natural sciences that examines psychological traits such as memory, perception, and language from a modern evolutionary perspective. It seeks to identify which human psychological traits are evolved adaptations, that is, the functional...

 and environmental psychology
Environmental psychology
Environmental psychology is an interdisciplinary field focused on the interplay between humans and their surroundings. The field defines the term environment broadly, encompassing natural environments, social settings, built environments, learning environments, and informational environments...

.

Basic Recommendations

In order to bring our modern lifestyle more in line with the one of our paleolithic ancestors, authors inspired by the paleo philosophy formulate a variety of guidelines, which include the following:
  • adopt as much as possible a Paleo diet: lots of meat, fish, vegetables and fruit, while avoiding most forms of food not in existence in paleolithic time. It implies avoiding all processed food, and in particular junk food
    Junk food
    Junk food is an informal term applied to some foods that are perceived to have little or no nutritional value ; to products with nutritional value, but which also have ingredients considered unhealthy when regularly eaten; or to those considered unhealthy to consume at all...

    . It also stresses avoiding high carbohydrate vegetables that have been recently created; mostly, avoiding wheat.
  • exercise frequently, but with a variety of durations and intensities (including rest periods) rather than doing always the same, extended routines in a gym or while jogging
  • perform a variety of complex "natural movements", such as walking, running, jumping, crawling, climbing, carrying, throwing, swimming..., rather than artificially constrained exercises (like those afforded by most gym equipment)
  • maximize contact with nature
    Nature
    Nature, in the broadest sense, is equivalent to the natural world, physical world, or material world. "Nature" refers to the phenomena of the physical world, and also to life in general...

    , e.g. by keeping plants, gardening, working with animals, hiking in the woods, or climbing trees (as also proposed by the biophilia
    Biophilia Hypothesis
    The biophilia hypothesis suggests that there is an instinctive bond between human beings and other living systems. Edward O. Wilson introduced and popularized the hypothesis in his book entitled Biophilia.- Love of living systems :...

     philosophy)

  • use a minimum of clothes, shoes or other protective material: exposure to heat, cold, pressure, and other natural forces strengthens rather than weakens the body
  • expose yourself regularly to the sun or at least to natural light, to get sufficient vitamin D
    Vitamin D
    Vitamin D is a group of fat-soluble secosteroids. In humans, vitamin D is unique both because it functions as a prohormone and because the body can synthesize it when sun exposure is adequate ....

     and prevent depression
  • try to sleep
    Sleep
    Sleep is a naturally recurring state characterized by reduced or absent consciousness, relatively suspended sensory activity, and inactivity of nearly all voluntary muscles. It is distinguished from quiet wakefulness by a decreased ability to react to stimuli, and is more easily reversible than...

     at least 8 hours a day, preferably in line with natural day-night rhythms
  • spend sufficient time relaxing, playing, and just "being in the present", without worrying about later
  • reduce overall levels of stress; avoid overworking in favor of downshifting
    Downshifting
    Downshifting is a social behavior or trend in which individuals live simpler lives to escape from the rat race of obsessive materialism and to reduce the “stress, overtime, and psychological expense that may accompany it.” It emphasizes finding an improved balance between leisure and work and...

     and simple living
    Simple living
    Simple living encompasses a number of different voluntary practices to simplify one's lifestyle. These may include reducing one's possessions or increasing self-sufficiency, for example. Simple living may be characterized by individuals being satisfied with what they need rather than want...

  • allow contact with "dirt": soil contains plenty of beneficial bacteria that strengthen immunity
    Immunity
    -Medicine:* Immunity , resistance of an organism to infection or disease.* Immunity , a scientific journal published by Cell Press-Law:*Amnesty law, immunity from past crimes...

    . Eat fermented foods like sauerkraut
    Sauerkraut
    Sauerkraut , directly translated from German: "sour cabbage", is finely shredded cabbage that has been fermented by various lactic acid bacteria, including Leuconostoc, Lactobacillus, and Pediococcus. It has a long shelf-life and a distinctive sour flavor, both of which result from the lactic acid...

    , kim chi, kombucha
    Kombucha
    Kombucha is an effervescent tea-based beverage that is often drunk for its anecdotal health benefits or medicinal purposes. Kombucha is available commercially and can be made at home by fermenting tea using a visible, solid mass of yeast and bacteria which forms the kombucha culture, often referred...

    , etc.
  • rear children like hunter-gatherers do: extended breast-feeding, carrying of babies on the body, co-sleeping
    Co-sleeping
    Co-sleeping is a practice in which babies and young children sleep close to one or both parents, as opposed to in a separate room. It is standard practice in many parts of the world, and is practiced by a significant minority in countries where cribs are also used...

    , while allowing children to play and explore autonomously
  • sit with legs level with rear end (essentially, in the squatting position
    Squatting position
    Squatting is a posture where the weight of the body is on the feet but the knees are bent either fully or partially . In contrast, sitting, involves taking the weight of the body, at least in part, on the buttocks against the ground or a horizontal object such as a chair seat...

    ). Raising legs somewhat is also advice given by mainstream medical practitioners to avoid Deep Vein Thrombosis
    Deep vein thrombosis
    Deep vein thrombosis is the formation of a blood clot in a deep vein. Deep vein thrombosis commonly affects the leg veins or the deep veins of the pelvis. Occasionally the veins of the arm are affected...

     and to increase circulation in those at risk from such concerns. This squatting position is how indigenous tribes, poorer people in unwesternized regions of the world, and all other primates (and indeed many other mammals like cats and dogs) not only sit, but also defecate.

External links

The following, regularly updated websites provide a variety of additional material about the paleo lifestyle:
  • Evolutionary Well-Being: the paleolithic model, by Francis Heylighen
    Francis Heylighen
    Francis Paul Heylighen is a Belgian cyberneticist, and research professor at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel, the Dutch-speaking Free University of Brussels, where he directs the transdisciplinary research group on "Evolution, Complexity and Cognition".-Biography:Francis Heylighen was born on...

  • Essay on Evolutionary Fitness, by Arthur De Vany
    Arthur De Vany
    Arthur De Vany is an American economist and author of a book on the economics of motion pictures titled: Hollywood Economics: How Extreme Uncertainty Shapes the Film Industry. Professor Emeritus of Economics at the University of California, Irvine, he is listed in Who's Who in America and Who's...

  • Mark's Daily Apple, "primal" health and fitness by Mark Sisson
    Mark Sisson
    Mark Sisson is an American fitness author and blogger, and a former distance runner, triathlete and Ironman competitor. Sisson finished 4th in the February 1982 Ironman World Championship. He has written several books, including The Primal Blueprint, which is based on the paleolithic diet. The...

  • Movnat: Erwan Le Corre's "moving naturally/moving in nature" method of exercise inspired by the Paleo lifestyle
  • Evfit: reflections on health and fitness from an evolutionary perspective, including a short chronology of the Paleo movement
  • The Fitness Explorer: a health and fitness blog inspired by the paleo lifestyle.

See also

  • Ishi
    Ishi
    Ishi was the last member of the Yahi, the last surviving group of the Yana people of the U.S. state of California. Ishi is believed to have been the last Native American in Northern California to have lived most of his life completely outside the European American culture...

     – last contacted Native American, source of many paleolithic skills
  • Evolutionary psychology
    Evolutionary psychology
    Evolutionary psychology is an approach in the social and natural sciences that examines psychological traits such as memory, perception, and language from a modern evolutionary perspective. It seeks to identify which human psychological traits are evolved adaptations, that is, the functional...

  • Darwinian medicine
  • Darwinian Happiness
    Darwinian Happiness
    Darwinian Happiness: Evolution As a Guide for Living and Understanding Human Behavior, ISBN 0-87850-159-2, is a 2002 book by the Norwegian biologist Bjørn Grinde from the Norwegian Institute of Public Health...

  • Universal Darwinism
    Universal darwinism
    Universal Darwinism refers to a variety of approaches that extend the theory of Darwinism beyond its original domain of biological evolution on Earth...

  • Jean Liedloff
    Jean Liedloff
    Jean Liedloff was an American author, born in New York, and best known for her 1975 book The Continuum Concept....

    's The Continuum Concept on the way hunter-gatherer childcare produces mental health and happiness
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