Nutrition

The Principles of Health

31. März 2025 9 min read

The key to health isn't about living like our ancestors, but understanding fundamental nutrition principles rooted in our evolutionary physiology.

Whenever we write about the history of humanity, about our evolution, about our development history, and the «genetic mismatch,» as researchers call it, between our genetic makeup and today's environment, some particularly clever people answer us:

«Well, sure, what happened back then is nice enough. The fact that our ancestors hunted wild boar and didn't go to the bakery might be true, but they had a different lifestyle too!»

Nothing understood, unfortunately. Far too often we still experience (or increasingly) people who simply cannot think in abstractions. So much information, so little reading comprehension. They understand what's written the way it's written—not the way it's meant. Namely, in a metaphorical sense.

Recently we posted an image of American fitness legend Jack LaLanne (died in 2011 at age 96), who for decades like no other brought healthy living to millions of Americans, with the quote: «Would you wake up your dog in the morning and give it a cup of coffee, a cigarette, and a donut? You'd kill the dog!»

He was getting at the fact that millions of Americans start every morning with coffee, a cigarette, and a donut, then wonder why they're sick. What does that have to do with the dog? Exactly, almost nothing.

With this rhetorical device, Jack LaLanne tried to get us into a meta-perspective so we could better understand how far away we are—trapped in our bubble of prosperity—from the natural nutrition that every living thing on this planet normally eats.

So it's not about the dog, nor about a donut or coffee per se. Still, someone commented: «Dogs can't tolerate many things that humans can tolerate well.» Oh, really? Seriously? :-)

When we talk about our genetics, shaped over three million years and still defining us today, and we look at indigenous peoples or try to reconstruct what a hunter-gatherer ate 15,000 years ago, we do so to derive principles—so we can emulate a genetically appropriate lifestyle, not copy it!

Physiologist Loren Cordain and his colleagues published remarkable work on the «paleo diet» that focuses precisely on these core features and shows us the principles we're talking about when it comes to nutrition:

Protein Principle: Our ancestors ate significantly more protein than we do. And it's become common knowledge by now that more dietary protein offers many health benefits.
Meat Principle: Protein is probably the central principle. But it's becoming increasingly clear that meat itself is a principle, since it supplies many substances with very beneficial effects that the body can no longer produce on its own. A certain amount of meat should be part of every healthy diet.
Carbohydrate Principle: Our bodies don't know refined carbohydrates. We're talking about flour and sugar in pure form. Everyone understands that, right? Root vegetables—in our language: potatoes and carrots—our ancestors certainly saw before.
Grain Principle: Humans have only eaten grains (cereals) in large parts of Europe for about 6,000 years. That's just a mere 0.2% of our evolutionary history since Australopithecus. Today we eat them as a main staple. Mostly in highly processed form too. Maybe not so healthy?
Fat Principle: The fatty acid composition of wild animals is completely different from what we consume today. Active animals = healthy fat. That's why unsaturated fatty acids are simply good for the body—like those found in olive oil. Alternatively, you can choose wild meat or grass-fed animal meat.
Essential Fat Principle: Today, humans «garnish» almost all their food with refined vegetable oils, often high in plant-based omega-6 fats. Our ancestors didn't know these. Instead, they ate more omega-3, especially from marine sources—DHA and EPA. The omega-3 index is key. People should simply understand it... and act on it.
Micronutrient Density Principle: «Stone Age humans didn't have vitamin pills, did they?» But their ancestors' food typically had much higher micronutrient density. If you understand the principle, you emulate it, right? For many, that means one multivitamin capsule daily.
Macronutrient Principle: We don't just eat the wrong things, we eat them in strange ratios. Dietary extremes are in fashion—some eat «low fat,» others «no carb.» In reality, for most of us it's probably best to eat as balanced as possible, meaning neither high carb nor high fat.
Glycemic Load Principle: We eat too many carbs, but especially too many refined ones that are quickly available. That sends our blood sugar on a roller coaster. Every child knows that. So the glycemic load should be lower. Instead of pastries, have an apple and Brussels sprouts.
Fiber Principle: A diet based on refined foods (bakery products!) contains too little fiber. Your gut microbiome needs to be fed. Wild plants often contain much more fiber than modern cultivated varieties. So we need to make extra effort to eat enough. Plant fibers matter—so eat your carrots raw sometimes.
Potassium Principle: There's constant argument about «salt.» Sometimes you're allowed to eat salt, sometimes you shouldn't. The truth is it's about potassium. We lack potassium in our diet. Calculations show our ancestors consumed up to 10 grams of potassium daily. Key words: fruit, vegetables, natural foods—potassium powerhouses. Of course you can salt it then, because the potassium-to-sodium ratio is right.
Dairy Principle: Dairy products are an excellent source of nutrients. It was a survival advantage in the Bronze Age. Unfortunately they appear on the menu even less frequently than grains. Meaning: if you have health problems, try going without them for a while. Could be worth it. Otherwise they certainly help meet the protein principle.

These are the principles of healthy nutrition. Who would seriously dispute that eating mostly unprocessed foods, with plenty of fruits and vegetables, high-quality meat or lots of lean proteins, good fats, lots of fiber and so on... is healthy? Nobody has to live like people did before. But to stay healthy, you must understand principles.

Of course, you're an individual who needs to integrate these principles into your personal life—so each of us will have a slightly modified version in everyday practice. Whether coffee belongs for you or not, you'll have to figure out. If we follow the principles of «eat nothing» (= fast sometimes) or «don't always eat the same thing» (= food variety), which surely carved themselves deep into us over three million years, then sometimes there really is no coffee at all. So what?

Let's be clear: it's not about dogs. It's not about some peccary either. It's not even about what our ancestors ate, and certainly not that you should kill a deer for breakfast. It's about principles, about laws that are deeply rooted in our physiology.

By the way, you can do the same with sport and movement. And what comes out is:

Cardiovascular Fitness Principle: Lots of moderate, easy movement (walking, cycling, gardening, household chores, carrying water cans, etc.) on a daily basis
Training Principle: 2–3 times weekly push yourself to your physical limit (strength training, endurance sports, sprints, etc.)
Nature Principle: Preferably outdoors (think serotonin, cold/heat exposure, forest bathing)
Community Principle: Especially enjoy it in a social setting
Training Specificity Principle: Ideally as versatile as possible (CrossFit shows the way)
Play Principle: «Power of play»—exercise through play: ball sports for example

Sounds... reasonable. Right? Aligns with findings from modern sports science. Nobody needs to wonder exactly how a Neanderthal trained if they... understand the principles.

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