The Ancestral Table: Traditional Recipes for a Paleo Lifestyle (4 page)

Guiding principles

In this modern world of processed, hyper-palatable (and, admittedly, delicious) Frankenfoods, I find that the key to maintaining a healthy diet is to focus on tasty, nutrient-rich foods. The foundation of this book rests on the idea that throughout history, humankind has been cooking with taste—not health—in mind, and that our natural taste preferences are actually tuned in to what is most healthful; that’s why our preferences evolved in the first place. In other words, there’s a reason we crave fatty, salty foods—it’s because they are good for us (assuming that they come from natural whole-food sources).

With this book I hope to satisfy your innate food preferences while guiding you to better health. Here are the principles I use to guide my recipe development:

1
Nutrient-rich and low-toxicity foods.
Foods should be nourishing and support a healthy gut. Foods from happy, naturally raised animals are important. Fermented foods and bone broths should be daily meal staples, and other nutrient-rich foods, like egg yolks, organ meats, and seafood, should be consumed frequently. These ingredients are heavily represented in this cookbook, but in reality I’ve shown only the tip of the iceberg. Meals should be free of major toxins, like those found in most cereal grains, legumes, and processed foods (see “Prioritizing your food choices” 
here
).

2
Ideal macronutrient ratio.
I like to think in terms of plant foods versus animal foods, and I try to portion my plate to be three-quarters plant foods and one-quarter animal foods: one meat, one starch, and two vegetable sides. My two vegetable sides tend to be a hearty vegetable (carrots, broccoli) and a leafy vegetable (salad). Macronutrient (carbs/proteins/fats) ratios are highly individualized, but a ratio of 50% fats, 30% proteins, and 20% carbs is a good general figure. If you are looking to lose weight, I would suggest lowering your carbohydrate intake and increase your fat intake as appropriate. I have kept portion sizes purposely vague in this book so that you can build your meals to fit your own health goals.

3
Historically appropriate dishes.
Many traditional and international foods are naturally gluten-free and Paleo-friendly and have been developed and perfected over hundreds of years. I prefer to make these dishes with minimal tweaks instead of re-creating them using offbeat ingredient substitutions. I also support gentle cooking methods akin to those that were historically available; you’ll find a lot of recipes that involve simmering and roasting at low temperatures.

4
Natural umami flavors.
I use a heavy amount of natural flavor enhancers like broths, tomatoes, seafood, fermented foods, and acids to make dishes tasty. This has been done throughout history. Combining fats, acids, and starches is a common culinary practice, and a lot of evidence suggests that this combination aids in digestion and nutrient absorption.

5
A variety of plant parts.
Our ancestors often ate every edible part of any plant they could find and used a variety of cooking techniques to keep dishes interesting. We should do the same. Not to mention that if we ate only leafy greens or carrots all the time, we’d go crazy. In general, plants can be divided into seven main sections: tubers (potatoes), bulbs (onions, garlic), roots (carrots, parsnips, turnips), stems (asparagus, celery), leaves (cabbage, lettuce), flowers (broccoli, cauliflower, artichokes), and fruits (tomatoes, cucumbers, eggplant, squash). Botanically, tubers, bulbs, and roots are all considered roots, but you get my point. I make sure to eat a variety of plant parts each week. Eating a variety of fungi (mushrooms) is also ideal.

6
No shortcuts.
It’s a hard truth to face, but if you’re too busy to properly cook a meal, you may want to find out what’s making you so busy and reprioritize. There are several reasons for my belief that cooking is a challenge that should be faced head-on. First and foremost, cooking is a beautiful art that anyone can enjoy, and it’s something that mankind has embraced for thousands of years. Truly understanding how your food is prepared provides immense satisfaction. Next, foods often are at their most delicious when cooked for extended periods, as evidenced by the fact that many of the most delicious meals out there require a significant investment of time. They’re also often more nutritious—a bone broth cooked for ten hours, for example, is more nutrient-dense than a broth cooked for one hour. Finally, cooking is a skill that’s been passed down from generation to generation since the dawn of humankind. Somehow we’ve lost this tradition over the past 100 years. It’s time to take it back.

Environmental factors

I believe that our rise in food intolerances and allergies are the result of our modern environment. Today, we are more susceptible to and affected by problematic foods because we’re not connected to nature in the same ways humans have been throughout history.

Plenty of access to the great outdoors, constant contact with livestock, and the consumption of a wide variety of fresh, seasonal, and naturally fermented foods were all staples of the human condition until our modern era. We’ve further weakened our gut flora (the bacteria that helps us digest foods and absorb nutrients) by misusing antibiotics and overusing antibacterial products, which kill off both good and bad bacteria. The foods we eat today are less nutritious due to soil depletion and negligent mass-farming practices. We don’t get enough sleep, and we live in a constant state of low-level stress. These factors contribute to a weakened system and an increase in food allergies and autoimmune-related health issues.

Prioritizing your food choices

If I had to put foods into categories, I’d have three: Good, Great, and Bad. You should eat mostly Good foods, supplement with Great foods as much as possible, and avoid Bad foods.

GOOD:
MEATS, VEGETABLES, FRUITS

• Grass-fed ruminants (beef, lamb, and bison) and pastured pork and poultry are ideal.
  
• Berries are preferred over other fruits.
  
• Nuts, alcohol, and chocolate are okay if consumed in moderation and treated as pleasure foods.
  

GREAT:
FISH, SEAFOOD, FERMENTED (PROBIOTIC) FOODS, ORGAN MEATS, BROTHS, SEAWEED, EGG YOLKS

• Wild, sustainably-caught seafood is ideal, with the exception of molluscs, which are more sustainable when farmed (
  see here
  ). Consult the Seafood Watch Program run by the Monterey Bay Aquarium.
  

BAD:
CEREAL GRAINS, LEGUMES, DAIRY, PROCESSED FOODS, SUGARS, ADDITIVES

• Cereal grains (wheat, barley, rye, corn, and so on) are becoming increasingly problematic for our digestive systems due to the weakened composition of our gut flora.
  
• Rice is the only grain I feel is completely okay to eat, as it is extremely low in toxins, especially white rice (
  see here
  ).
  
• Oils derived from seeds and grains (vegetable, corn, soybean, canola, and the like) are highly inflammatory and likely contribute to the rising rates of cardiovascular disease and stroke throughout the world.
  
• Fermented legumes (tamari, miso, natto, and tempeh) are acceptable, as most toxins are destroyed in the fermentation process. Soy is extremely disruptive to the endocrine system and should be avoided as much as possible. Beans that are prepared traditionally (soaked overnight) are superior to canned beans, but they may still cause issues for some people. Green beans, snow peas, sugar snap peas, and even green peas are low in toxins, and I consider them acceptable to eat in moderation.
  
• Some forms of dairy are better than others, and dairy tolerance is highly individualized (
  see here
  ).
  
• Certain natural sweeteners, like honey, maple syrup, and coconut palm sugar, are fine in moderation.
  

To sum it up, I think maintaining health is easy and fun: Eat a variety of good foods. Spend time outdoors. Get a lot of sleep. Minimize stress and addictive behaviors.

For further information about the science behind my dietary and culinary principles, I suggest consulting the following resources:

The Perfect Health Diet: Regain Health and Lose Weight by Eating the Way You Were Meant to Eat,
by Paul Jaminet, Ph.D. and Shou-Ching Jaminet, Ph.D.

The Paleo Solution: The Original Human Diet,
by Robb Wolf

Your Personal Paleo Code: The 3-Step Plan to Lose Weight, Reverse Disease, and Stay Fit and Healthy for Life,
by Chris Kresser

Rice, Potatoes, and Dairy

The use of rice, potatoes, and dairy may appear heretical in a cookbook tailored to a Paleo lifestyle, so I want to clear the air about their presence here. My belief is that the Paleo diet has evolved from its first descriptions, as it should, and appropriate forms and portions of rice, potatoes, and dairy are excellent additions to the dinner table in the amounts that are ideal for you. I do not consider these foods to be “cheat” foods, as if they were in violation of a healthy diet.

Having followed ancestral eating principles for several years now, I have seen common patterns in people who eat a strict Paleo diet. For many people, the implementation of strict Paleo over extended periods often results in eating “cheat meals” (which they would otherwise avoid on principle) because of powerful cravings, followed by a period of remorse or a compromise in health and weight-loss goals. I don’t think this pattern is healthy. Instead, I think it’s important for people to find a diet that works for them, one that doesn’t involve moments of weakness or seesaw eating patterns. Food should be a celebration, something to feel good about—not a reason to feel guilty. If you cannot sustain a strict Paleo diet for more than a few weeks before falling off the wagon, I believe there’s something wrong with the diet, not you. An optimal diet should be both nourishing and sustainable.

A diet filled with delicious, nutrient-dense foods that are low in toxins and taken from a diversity of sources is ideal. This is the same principle underlying a strict Paleo diet. But one overlooked fact is that the key to health is getting
enough
nutrients. You can still get enough nutrients while eating some foods that are nutritionally poor compared to others, including rice and potatoes. Few people would argue that iceberg lettuce and celery are evil foods, but they’re also nutritionally poor. That doesn’t mean you can’t eat them. Likewise, adding dairy to dishes makes them more satisfying and adds a significant depth of flavor. It is this variety that creates health, keeps meals interesting, and gives you the tools and power to sustain a lifetime of healthy eating choices.

If you’re worried about the carbohydrate content of rice, potatoes, and starch-based flours, whether you choose to eat them will be dependent on your weight-loss goals. All the same, the carbohydrate content of these foods is definitely manageable. A diet containing less than 150 grams of carbs a day is often considered low-carb and contributes to a steady loss of body fat: 1 pound of cooked rice contains 125 grams of carbs, 1 pound of white potatoes contains 87 grams of carbs, and 1 pound of sweet potatoes contains 80 grams of carbs. So while white rice and potatoes are more carb-intensive than other foods, you can still enjoy them and maintain a low-carb lifestyle.

I fully acknowledge that these foods may be problematic for some people, especially those who suffer from an autoimmune or allergy issue.
See here
for my chart on how to adjust this book’s recipes for a stricter version of Paleo.

Rice

Rice figures prominently in this book, but many people argue that white rice has no place in the Paleo diet because it is a grain. What first led me down the path of questioning the idea that rice isn’t “Paleo” is that it doesn’t make sense from a historical perspective. Historians estimate that the progenitor of rice existed some 130 million years ago—well before humans came on the scene.
¹
Wild rice was eaten by prehistoric peoples, and it was first domesticated around 13,000 years ago, well before the end of the Paleolithic era and a couple thousand years before wheat was domesticated. Second, rice has a reputation among many traditional cultures as being a safe food for digestion; indeed, congee (
see here
for my recipe) is a common food served worldwide to people who are ill and need to digest calories without upsetting their stomachs.

Rice has by far the lowest toxicity of all the cereal grains, and most of its toxins exist in the rice bran, which is the covering around the kernel (found in brown rice). Therefore, I recommend eating only white rice. There are concerns that rice contains phytic acid, which is a known toxin, but it may surprise you to learn that rice has less phytic acid than many foods approved by common Paleo diet standards, such as coconut, avocados, walnuts, almonds, coriander seeds, and sesame seeds.
²
Additionally, the vast majority of the toxins that remain in white rice are destroyed in the cooking process.