“Brimming with ideas and a fascinating read.” –STEVEN PINKER, Johnstone Professor of Psychology, Harvard University
Food | Fasting | Movement | Bipedalism: Stand, Walk, Run | Hot + Cold | Sun + Sleep
Hunting | Veg*ism | Biohacking | NYC
1. What to Eat: Mimic a Hunter-Gatherer (or Herder) Diet
Stop counting calories. Eat the right foods: meat, seafood, roots and tubers, leafy vegetables, eggs, fruit, and nuts. Experiment with full-fat fermented dairy. Aim for a diet where the bulk of calories comes from seafood and animals, but the physical bulk comes from plants. Don’t be afraid of fat, eat nose to tail, and eat a variety of plants.
2. How to Eat: Follow Ancient Culinary Traditions
Respect ancient culinary wisdom. Follow traditional recipes. Eat fermented foods (sauerkraut, kimchi). Eat raw foods (sashimi, ceviche, tartare). Make broths and stocks. Cook at low heat, using traditional fats and oils (coconut oil, beef tallow, butter, ghee, olive oil). Eat your colors. Eat time-honored “superfoods”: liver, eggs, seaweed, cold water fish. Enjoy real butter. Salt to taste. Drink tea.
3. What Not to Eat: Avoid Industrial Foods, Sugars, and Seeds
Avoid processed foods of the Industrial Age, including sugar (sweetened foods, table sugar, dried fruit, plus artificial sweeteners) and vegetable oils (canola oil, soybean oil, corn oil, peanut oil). Avoid eating large, concentrated quantities of the seed-based crops of the Agricultural Age, such as grains (wheat, corn, barley, oats) and legumes (soy, beans, peanuts). If grains are eaten, go with rice.
BEVERAGES: Drink water as thirsty. Drink traditional beverages in moderation, if desired (tea, coffee, wine, alcohol, milk). Avoid industrial beverages (soda, energy drinks, skim milk).
4. Make It Meaningful: Experiment, Customize, Enjoy
Use these guidelines as a starting point for your own experimentation. Modify according to your own health, goals, tastes and preferences, background, and budget. Make your diet meaningful (family recipes, ethnic cuisine). Be comfortable breaking away from it to enjoy life (celebrations, unique experiences).
5. Lead a Healthy Lifestyle
Sleep as much as possible. Move and exercise regularly. Stay on your feet (stand, walk, run). Get regular, moderate sun. Try some intermittent fasting. Try some hot and cold exposure. Make it meaningful in order to make it an ongoing lifestyle.
Standing and Walking
Barefoot Running
John Durant is author of The Paleo Manifesto and founder of Wild Ventures. He has been featured in the New York Times, The New Yorker, NPR, and interviewed on Colbert.
Learn More...