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Over 10,000 years ago the diet of man was quite different from today’s. Lacking agriculture, dairy farms, or modern food processing methods, man ate only what he could either kill or pick. Many scientists believe that returning to man’s earlier dietary habits will make us thinner, healthier, and with less susceptible to cancer and diabetes.

The modern food industry is a wonderful thing. Through advances in science we can now feed millions more people on the same amount of land that once fed thousands. We lose fewer crops to disease and drought, and we can produce more bushels per acre than ever before. Our livestock are more healthy, the animals are less susceptible to disease, and they grow much larger (providing more food) than before antibiotics, steroids, and genetic engineering entered the picture.

Once the food enters our homes, we enjoy longer shelf life and easier preparation. Canned and dried goods can stay “fresh” literally for years. And it is quite possible to exist with no knowledge of cooking other than how to turn on the microwave.

With all of these modern advances one would think that the human species would be healthier, and better nourished, than ever in our history, but the truth is quite the opposite. While it is true that hunger is less of a problem in most of the developed world, we now face an obesity epidemic, and diabetes is growing ever more common. Disease and death from chronic overeating, and eating the wrong food, could be considered the major contributors making heart disease the leading cause of death in the United States.

By going back to the way our ancestors ate we can alleviate many of the causes of obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. This type of diet is also believed to drastically reduce incidents of cancer. The diet I’m talking about has been called many things. Some refer to it as the Hunter-Gatherer Diet, others call it the Paleolithic Diet, and in this article I’m referring to it simply as the Caveman Diet.

The Caveman Diet, as the name suggests, means we eat like a caveman; well sort of. What all of these diets prescribe is that we eat the way people ate before modern farming, ranching, or even agriculture existed. This type of diet means we eat what the human species evolved (or was created) to eat, before man learned how to place a seed in the ground or dig a crude irrigation ditch.

Hunter-Gatherer perhaps best describes the Caveman diet. If you can kill it or pick it, then that is what you eat. This is exactly what our pre-agriculture ancestors ate. In this type of diet any and all meat, including fish, poultry, beef, pork, etc. is on the menu. Also, most items that can be picked and eaten WITHOUT cooking, such as fruits and vegetables, are also on the menu. What we avoid is processed foods, added sugars, excessive salt and dairy products.

Specific items to avoid are:

• Grains – including bread, pasta, noodles (processed grains are thought to provide excessive carbohydrates that can damage our gastrointestinal tract. Other studies have show that carbohydrates are not as necessary as previously thought)
• Beans – including string beans, kidney beans, lentils, peanuts, snow-peas and peas (while very controversial, beans produce gastrointestinal problems and could result in a mineral deficiency)
• Potatoes
• Dairy Products
• Added Sugars
• Added Salt
• Canola Oil

Here is what you can eat:

• Beef, Poultry, and Fish
• Eggs
• Fruit
• Vegetables (except potatoes or sweet potatoes)
• Nuts such as walnuts, pecans, macadamia, and almond. (Do not eat peanuts, which are not actually a nut, but a bean.)
• All types of Berries
• Honey can be used as a sweetener
• Olive Oil

This type of diet is obviously extreme, and goes against most conventional wisdom. A change of this magnitude will also undoubtedly take some getting used to. Try starting with only one meal per day, with breakfast probably being the easiest place to incorporate it. As you become comfortable with your new diet for breakfast, then move on to other meals.

The goal of the Caveman Diet is to bring us back to the foods that the human body was intended to consume prior to man’s ingenuity taking over. This type of diet is not without controversy, but the empirical evidence suggests that societies employing the Caveman Diet are thinner, healthier, and live longer, while greatly reducing heart disease, diabetes, and cancer.

About the Author:

Article about ‘Cave Man Diet’ was written by: Scott Pettigrew from Capstone Health and Fitness

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Article syndicated from Buzzle.com

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While most of us are aware of the importance of drinking a sufficient amount of water each day, we do not always think about our body fluids in terms of our health.

Tears, one of our most important body fluids, are made up of three different materials:

• Mucous secretions
• Watery tears
• Oil

Mucous secretions originate from what is called the goblet cells. Goblet cells are found in our eyelids, and they are responsible for producing the layer of tears that are in the closest contact with our eyes. It is important for our bodies to ingest adequate amounts of Vitamin A and carotenoids because they play an important role in helping our goblet cells to produce mucous. All it takes is the depletion of one component of our tears to create a dry-eye situation, and to put our eyes at risk of developing health problems.

The watery part of our tears comes from the lachrymal glands. This component of our tears is critical for maintaining healthy moisture in our eyes, so drinking lots of water is very important.

The oil component is produced in the Meibomian glands. This oil is generated on top of the watery component so that more moisture can be retained in our eyes. You must consume appropriate amounts of fatty acids in order to keep the oil production in your eyes at a healthy and constant level. While most people never think of any oils as being a part of our vital body fluids, they are an intricate and necessary component of maintaining good health.

What You Need To Know For Maintaining Healthy Tear Production

Overall, it is very important for us to consume adequate amounts of protein, potassium, zinc, and Vitamins A, B6, and C in order to maintain healthy tear production. It should be noted, however, that it is possible to consume too much when it comes to certain parts of your diet. Studies have shown that eating too much salt, alcohol, fat, protein, sugar, or salt can lead to abnormal tear production.

Lactoferrin

Lactoferrin is a protein that serves many functions in our bodies. It is found in some of our body fluids, most notably our mucous secretions such as tears, saliva, nasal secretions, and pancreatic juice. The highest levels of lactoferrin are found in human milk. This protein is very important because it acts as an antibacterial and antifungal agent.

Though research is still ongoing as to the many benefits that lactoferrin may potentially offer to human health, it is known to be a huge defense against a variety of pathogens. For example, recent research has shown that lactoferrin prevents bacteria from generating into potentially deadly biofilms.

Biofilms

Biofilms are microorganisms that are known to bear at least some responsibility for various microbial infections in the human body. There is a definite relationship between normal goblet and cilia cells and biofilms. Those who have normal levels of body fluids in their goblet and cilia cells do not develop biofilms. Biofilms are believed to play a part in the following health problems:

• Gingivitis
• Dental plaque
• Inner ear infections
• Urinary tract infections
• Catheter infections
• Coating of contact lenses

Biofilms grow and develop from a variety of bacteria that may be present in the human body. These microorganisms thrive on iron, as it is a necessary component for biofilms to be able to grow and flourish.

Did you know that biofilms generally only develop in people whose immune systems have been compromised?

It is important to note that biofilm research is still in the early stages. It has only been in the last 20 years that scientists have realized that there was more to disease than simple bacteria. What this means is that a vast majority of vaccines and antibiotics are ineffective against diseases and illnesses that are caused by the presence of biofilms.

The best precaution that we can all take is to make sure that we have sufficient lactoferrin in our bodies, as it is the best defense against the development of biofilms.

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These days there is a lot of talk and more than a little bit of hype about internal cleansing and detoxification. In this article I want to clarify what internal cleansing is, identify the types of cleansing and give you an idea of where to start.

The first thing to understand about cleansing and detoxification is that it’s something that the body does everyday, all day long. The body is perfectly designed to eliminate toxins and unusable substances on its own.

The major cleaning organs of the body are the lungs, the liver, the kidneys, the colon and the skin. When these organs are working at their best, radiant health naturally follows. However, over time, they can start to function poorly, which opens the door for disease.

There are three major factors that determine how well the 5 organs of elimination work. First is the quality of the air you breathe, the water you drink and the food you eat. If any of these is contaminated with chemicals like chlorine and pesticide residues or pollution like dust and carbon, you put extra stress on these organs.

Second is the quantity and type of food you eat. The organs of elimination do best with simple whole fresh foods eaten in small quantities. Finally there is the question of exercise. All internal systems work better when you get plenty of exercise.

Simply changing these 3 elements will help your body detox naturally. It can also help to regenerate and restore your organs. And that’s where internal cleansing starts – with changing any habits that interfere with the function of the lungs, liver, kidneys, skin and colon.

7 Things You Can Do To Help With Cleansing

Here are 7 things you can do to support these organs.

1. Practice deep breathing – yoga and chigong are two traditional disciplines that can help you learn how to do this.
2. Take liver cleansing herbs such as dandelion and milk thistle.
3. Drink 1 oz. fresh parsley juice to cleanse the kidneys.
4. Practice skin brushing and stop using any chemical soaps and lotions on your skin.
5. Complete a cleansing program that addresses you colon health.
6. Change your diet to include mostly fresh fruits and vegetables.
7. Learn to fast regularly – this gives your body a chance to regenerate.

There is no doubt that the range of potential health benefits is broad and impressive when you learn to care for internal systems of your body.

For the beginner I recommend starting with a complete program that teaches you how to change your diet and slowly add herbs that will help restore the function of the internal cleansing organs.

About the Author:

Mark Ament is an expert on internal cleansing and raw foods nutrition. He is the author of “Homemade Colon Cleansing Made Easy” and several other books on natural health. Discover how to make your own safe homemade colon cleanse, using Mark’s proven colon cleanse recipes at: http://www.safecoloncleanse.com

This article was syndicated from Buzzle.com.

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