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From Monkey to Man - Nutrition and Evolution

You are much older than you think.  The human body you walk around in is a result of millions of years of evolution, the vast majority of which was spent living in an environment and eating a diet very different to that of today.

Understanding the dynamics of our evolution can provide essential clues for promoting our health today - “you can't know where you are going until you know where you have been”. The old cliché makes a good point. If we cannot look to our past and learn, how can we improve?

As a species we have done pretty well so far. Unfortunately, our over zealous passion for innovation has begun to backfire. Modern living and all its conveniences have paved the way for amazing breakthroughs in all fields of knowledge and achievement, yet as we focus more and more upon science and information, we are losing sight of ourselves.

By becoming evermore successful and preoccupied, the daily requirements of the average person are getting higher and higher – we should be taking more care of ourselves. But we are not.  Rest and recreation time is consistently relegated in favour of longer work hours, family life, education and personal accomplishment.

Time is of the essence and is precious. And what is fuelling all our drive? What gives us the energy to compete in this highly stressful environment? It is certainly not the fresh natural produce that grows in abundance around us. We no longer live off the land, grazing at frequent intervals. Yet this approach sustained our astonishing evolution!

Eating little and often is commonly advised as a “slimming” tactic, yet is seldom implemented as a long term healthy attitude to food consumption.  The modern western diet dictates “Three Square Meals” per day; however, this is evidently not working. Levels of disease and illness are at record levels.

Mental health is declining. Death from natural causes is almost unheard of! What is going wrong?Through all our innovation and constant improvement, we have slowly eroded most of the nature from our existence.

Food is no longer easily available to us in its natural form. Exercise is no longer an essential component of a typical living day. Air is no longer clean and water is consistently contaminated.

The human body is struggling to adapt to these rapid changes and it is for these reasons you will struggle to remain lean.  The toxicity within our immediate environments pollutes our internal balance and forces the body into a state of constant stress.

As an evolutionary mechanism the body will respond to stress by entering a state of preservation and will proceed to resist any potential states of deprivation by clinging onto its vital resources – your stored body fat.

To remedy this unfortunate situation: simply look to your past and apply it to your future and instantly greatly improve your wellbeing.

Work with your body instead of against it. Find out what it takes to run, what hinders its performance, service it regularly and take good care of it.

Listen to Your Own Body rather than to the mass media. You only get one vessel – look after it well! 

If the prescribed western diet is not working for the western world, which is clearly isn’t, take it upon yourself to be different. And feel the difference.

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Jennifer Cargill 2008