Our carbohydrate metabolism evolved thousands of years ago and was perfectly suited to the hunter/gatherer diet. Early man obtained all his food from the wild. About 70% of it was meat: hunted animals, birds, and fish.

He supplemented his diet with gathered foods: herbs, berries and eggs, which made up 30% of his diet.

When carbs were eaten, insulin was released which efficiently hustled the resulting glucose molecules into the cells to be used as fuel. Any extra need for fuel was supplied by the protein and fat he was consuming.

Then man began to settle down to farming and his diet changed from meat-based to plant-based. Now 70% of his diet was carbs and 30% was meat.

One of the earliest agrarian societies that we have been able to study is the ancient Egyptians of the pharaoh period, about 4000 BC, because of their written records and the practice of mummification.

This society should have been the poster child for health. The rich Nile Valley provided plenty of whole grains, fruits and vegetables, fish from the river and birds from the marshes. With that kind of diet they should have lived long lives, totally free of the diseases attributed to a meat and fat diet. But did they? No!

Records show that their life span was relatively short. Heart disease and obesity was prevalent. Their teeth were worn down and lost, leading to gum disease. Researchers dissecting the mummies found arteries clogged with plaque, indicating they must has suffered heart attack, stroke, diabetes, and other diseases associated with cardiovascular disease.

To our modern way of thinking, this should not have been so. They were eating a low-fat, whole-grain, antioxidant-rich diet.

Other studies have been done comparing the skeletal remains of ancient hunter/gatherer and agrarian peoples. The high-protein, low-carbohydrate hunter societies showed healthier remains that the farmers.

The nomadic clans had longer life expectancies and lower infant mortality. They had less iron deficiencies, lower infection rates and less bone and tooth decay.

Perhaps we need to rethink our “healthy diets”.

http://www.food-addicts-weight-loss.com/insulin-control-diet.html