Eat like an Amazonian.
- Eat only when the sun can shine on it. Don’t let it kiss your lips if the sun can’t kiss it first. Eat only between the hours of 6 am and 6 pm. Hunters and gatherers wouldn’t be out hunting and gathering at night lest they become the prey of another predator. And they certainly wouldn’t have been eating as many calories on a daily, regular basis as we do today. They might have even had times during the year when they might go days without eating. They would have had times of adversity and seasonal variety by default. This leads me to my next point.
- If you eat something one day, do not eat it the next. As hunters and gatherers, they would have eaten a variety of foods throughout the year. Refined foods with preservatives and refrigeration changed all that. We now eat the same things day after day after day. This leads to a lack of diversity in our gut flora resulting in food allergies, hormonal imbalances, and other deficiencies because of our modern technological conveniences. This leads me to my next point.
- Eat at least 95% whole-food/plant-based.* Hunters and gatherers wouldn’t have had the ability to eat animal-based proteins 3 meals a day as modern man does. They would have been eating a diet that was made up of mostly produce and ZERO processed foods or preservatives. There was no Piggly Wiggly, HEB, Costco, or Walmart. There were no refrigerators, burger joints, greasy spoons, or taco trucks to serve up meat three times a day like have available today.
And that is it. Not difficult at all, and it can be observed whether you are an omnivore, vegetarian, or vegan. Of course, if you do choose to keep animal-based protein in your diet, it will be in much smaller amounts than you might be accustomed to. But that’s okay. It’s much better for you that way.
These are the three main pillars of health that I have discovered from the last 5 years of my research into human physiology and disease pathology. It took a lot of time and observation of data from both anecdotal and scientific sources. I have read hundreds of books and countless scientific and medical journals on almost every aspect of how the human body functions and what the human body needs to perform at its optimal levels.
Is this my final opinion or word on this subject? By no means. This is my AT&T position. This is where I am at in my understanding AT THIS TIME.
I will say, however, that I am feeling a certain level of confidence that these three pillars will likely be the foundation for much of my future writings on the subjects of eating and how it relates to human physiology and disease pathology. Eating the right way shouldn’t be complex. I imagine it wasn’t complex for a hunter and gatherer that was living long before the time of agriculture and the use of crops as we understand the use of domesticated plant and animal food sources.
And by all means if you can, live life like a pre-industrial revolution farmer and rancher. Although, I imagine that would be hard to do in the modernized world we now find ourselves in. But in the meantime, here is an example of what that kind of life would look like so that you can incorporate as much of these practices into daily life as is practical for your living situation.
Here is a general overview:
- 1. Daily Life: Life revolved around the seasonal cycles of the crops or livestock.– Spring: Farmers prepared the soil and sowed seeds. This was a busy period, ensuring that fields were ready and that seeds were sown at the correct time.
– Summer: Tasks included tending to growing crops, weeding, and, in some cases, early harvesting. For ranchers, this might be a time of moving livestock to different pastures.
– Fall: Harvest season was the busiest time. All available hands, including children, would help collect, thresh, and store the crops. It was also a time to slaughter some animals for meat preservation for the winter.
– Winter: Maintenance tasks, repairing tools, tending to stored crops and preserved food, and preparing for the upcoming spring. Livestock needed care, ensuring they had enough feed and were sheltered from the harsh weather. - Labor Intensive: Without modern machinery, all tasks were done by hand or with the help of simple tools and draft animals. This meant that farming and ranching required physical strength and stamina.
- Knowledge and Skills: Farmers and ranchers had to possess a deep knowledge of the land, weather patterns, and natural indicators. They needed to know when it was best to plant and harvest, how to rotate crops to prevent soil depletion, and how to deal with pests.
- Reliance on Nature: Weather played a huge role in the success or failure of a harvest. A bad season could lead to famine and hardship. As a result, various cultural and religious practices revolved around harvests and prayers for good weather and crop yields.
- Economic Structure: Most farmers in a pre-industrial society practiced subsistence farming, where they grew enough food to feed their family and a little extra for trade or sale. Large feudal estates also existed where serfs or peasants worked the land for a noble or landowner.
- Livestock: Ranchers or pastoralists had to know how to breed and care for animals. They’d need skills in everything from birthing livestock to shearing sheep to treating diseases.
- Tools: The tools available were basic. Plows, often pulled by oxen or horses, wooden or metal hand-tools like hoes, scythes for harvesting, and basic machinery like grindstones for processing grains.
- Community: Farming and ranching communities were often tight-knit. They would come together for mutual assistance during harvests or times of need. Barn raisings, where neighbors would assemble to help construct a new barn, are classic examples of this communal spirit.
- Market Days: Many farmers took their surplus goods to local markets, trading for goods they couldn’t produce themselves. This was a vital source of income and resources.
- Threats: Beyond the weather, farmers had to worry about pests, diseases, bandits or raiders, and sometimes warfare which could see their lands become battlegrounds or be pillaged by armies.
- Education: While some farmers and ranchers might be literate and numerate, formal education was less common, especially in remote areas. Knowledge was often passed down orally through generations.
- Cultural and Religious Significance: In many pre-industrial cultures, the Earth and its fertility had strong religious connotations. Festivals celebrating planting or harvest, rites to ensure fertility, and rituals to placate or thank gods or nature spirits were common.
In essence, a farmer or rancher’s life in a pre-industrial world was one of hard work, reliance on the rhythms of nature, and a deep connection to the land. Their lives were woven into the fabric of their communities, and they played a foundational role in the sustenance and economy of their societies.
*For those of you that choose to consume non-plant-based food sources, be sure to limit them to 5% of your caloric intake at the most. This would best be observed by eating an animal-based meal in one sitting with 3-4 days spacing. This would allow enough time for the prior non-plant-based food sources to have been assimilated before introducing more non-plant-based food sources back into the body.