Paleolithic diet

[repost from Gone to Croatoan]

I am going to begin an experiment. My studies In the Peak Oil phenomenon, like many of us willing to think about it, have lead me to contemplate what it would be like to experience a complete collapse of everything; economic, societal, food distribution etc. What would it be like to suddenly find ourselves existing, in not only a pre-industrial world, but even a pre-agricultural world. This is how we lived, anthropologists and others, say for 99% of our existence as a species.

This curiosity, combined with the end of semester/vacation excesses, weight gain, lethargy etc are compelling me to find out the effects of applying a Paleolithic diet and activity level.

I know I am being extremely vague, but I am figuring this out as I go along. I have taken the before photos and will be tracking various biomarkers over the next ten weeks before the new semester begins.

Today I will eat what you see in the above photo and will walk about five miles. On the theory that Paleolithic people walked a lot, my daily walking goal will eventually be ten miles, with spurts of upwards of twenty. If I need it, I am also going to allow myself one day a week to follow the ‘normal-early 21^st century-urban-American-male' diet (minus the booze).

BON APPÉTIT

[UPDATE: 4:30 PM]
I chose a route from my neighborhood, the Castro, through the Haight and into Golden Gate Park. Actually, I skirted Haight St. When you are a tourist, of course you must stand on the corner of Haight and Ashbury. If you live here however, and have passed through the neighborhood enough, the panhandling can be annoying. I have seen homeless people get hit up for money. There are other roads into the park. Once inside, I walked down JFK Drive, which runs east to west along the north side of the park. It is amazing to me that such raw nature exists so close to a big city. Did you know that there are Bison in G.G. Park?

And how about this little fellow, trotting across the golf course.

I made it to the archery range, one of my goals today, in two hours. Why the archery range, you ask? Why, did not Paleolithic man use a bow and arrow with which to hunt? Yes, this summer, I will be buying a bow and learning how to use it. I then took a long walk, with pants legs rolled up in the cold Pacific surf.

I figure, based on the amount of time walked and an average speed of 2.5 miles an hour, that I walked 8.25 miles today; pretty good for a 43-year old out of shape cave man.