Deadly Harvest: The Intimate Relationship Between Our Heath and Our Food (33 page)

Salt and Sodium

Salt needs to be ruthlessly eliminated from the diet. By far the biggest source is in processed foods; seemingly innocent foods like cornflakes contain more salt than seawater, for example. The examples are legion in manufactured food, so the best rule of thumb, as ever, is to avoid them altogether.

Our preoccupation is with the salt-to-potassium ratio. As we have previously described, salt has moved from being absent in the human diet to massively contaminating all aspects of our food supply. We are therefore obliged to adopt a strategy of avoiding all salt, whether incorporated in processed foods or added at the table or in cooking. These measures, together with the high consumption of plant foods (which are rich in potassium), will ensure that an optimum sodium-to-potassium ratio is maintained.

Here, we focus on external sources of salt. Not everyone realizes that garlic salt is plain salt with garlic flavoring; regular stock cubes are over 50% salt; soy sauce is just liquid salt fermented with soybeans. The “Amber” column contains some low-salt seasonings and also salt substitute. Salt substitutes are based on potassium chloride rather than sodium chloride. There are dangers in over-consuming potassium chloride too, so although there is little or no sodium in salt substitutes (check the ingredients label), they should only be consumed sparingly.

Beverages

Earlier, we cast doubt on the current preoccupation with guzzling water at every opportunity. The slogan “drink 8 glasses a day” is a highly misleading piece of marketing by the mineral water companies. Other water manufacturers jumped on the bandwagon with so-called special property waters—mineralized, ionized, magnetized, polarized—a whole range of sales gimmicks to gull the public. We now live, quite falsely, in terror of not drinking enough water. Just know that if you follow the Savanna Model to the full, you will be getting 4 pints (64 ounces) of water just from what you eat. The bottom line is that we need only drink when thirsty. By all means, drink bottled water, but water out of the tap is probably just as good.

Do not forget that tea, herbal teas, and American coffee are valid thirst quenchers.
¹⁹⁴
Cocoa is fine too, but make it with 100% cocoa powder (not chocolate mix) combined with water or almond milk. If you like, use a “Green-Amber” sweetener.

The “Amber-Red” and “Red” columns are dominated by high-glycemic drinks, such as beer and colas, and by milk in its various forms. Milk is simply not human food and is harmful to our biochemistry. The milk of almonds (and other nuts) is a great alternative to regular milk, particularly in cookery. Fruit juices, even when freshly made, are glycemic—for this reason they get the “Amber” classification; it is much better to eat the fruit itself. Watch out for tomato juice: choose brands that are made from pure tomatoes and no salt. Sugar-sweetened carbonated drinks and colas are high glycemic and disrupt bone building.

Some alcohol drinks can be tolerated, but do not go out of your way to start consuming them if they are not already part of your diet. Beer is highly glycemic and potentially allergenic. Dry wine is acceptable and particularly red wine is mildly healthful when consumed in moderation. One might be surprised at the moderate classification of spirits like gin and whiskey. Most spirits are alright, especially if diluted in a suitable, low-sugar mixer (for example, whisky and soda, gin and diet tonic). Bear in mind that alcohol is empty calories and it disrupts your body’s ability to burn fat, so you will struggle to lose weight if you consume alcohol.

THE GOLDEN RULES FOR TODAY’S SAVANNA MODEL

A simple rule of thumb is to choose foods from the “Green” classes: “Green-Green,” “Green,” and “Green-Amber.” Of these, Food Group 3 (Vegetables, Non-Starchy) has no restriction on consumption. “Green” classes in the other food groups should be consumed in controlled amounts.

1.
The food to which as a species we are primarily adapted is plant food. Think big when planning volumes of salads and vegetables. Eat a minimum of one large mixed salad per day. Consume up to 24 ounces (900 grams) of salads and colored vegetables per day. Put vegetables at the center of the plate (“Green” classes, Food Group 3).

2.
Prefer raw vegetables to cooked. When cooking, use steaming, blanching, or stir-fry methods.

3.
Eat fruit every day. Consume at least 12 ounces (400 grams) of fruit per day, but spread it out over several eating sessions (“Green” classes, Food Group 4).

4.
The food to which as a species we are secondarily adapted is animal matter. Think modest when planning servings of meat, poultry, eggs, and fish (Food Group 6).

5.
Avoid red or fatty meat and their products (“Red” classes, Food Group 6).

6.
Don’t overeat protein: limit consumption to about 10 ounces per day of protein-rich foods. Concentrate on sources of “good” proteins (“Green” classes, Food Groups 6 and 8).

7.
Avoid dairy products (All classes, Food Group 5).

8.
Be frugal with fats and oils, even the “Green” classes. If cooking at high temperatures, only use olive oil. Replace “Red” classes of fats and oils with “Green” classes such as canola (rapeseed) oil, walnut, hemp, and flax oils (Food Group 9).

9.
Avoid the use of salt in cooking and at the table (Food Group 11).

10.
Avoid all manufactured (processed) food. Be wary of anything that comes in a packet, can, jar, bottle, or box. Be wary of anything that has an ingredient label—read the fine print on the label and act on it!

11.
There is no need to count calories with the Savanna Model. You can eat to satiety provided these rules are followed. Your body, now receiving the correct fuel supply, will do the rest.

12.
Feel hungry for at least 30 minutes two or three times a day.

Chapter 7

Eating the “Savanna Model” Way

Our Pleistocene ancestors were not following any feeding strategies—they just followed their instincts. Their eating patterns would have changed from day to day according to the hazards of foraging. From season to season, they would have changed according to the availability of flora and fauna in the environment. Even so, the possible variations would have fallen within fairly strict limits.

Today, “what is there” is mostly artificial. The artful food manufacturers are masters at giving us taste without food value at all, and our instincts are readily duped by the divorce of taste from nutritional quality. The fluctuations of “what is there” fall within much wider limits. There is virtually no external discipline of what, and how much, we eat. So, we are obliged to adopt eating strategies.

Here, we look at ways for realizing the Savanna Model pattern. The objective is to give an example of the thought processes, the questioning, and the discipline that it is necessary to adopt it. Do not get fixated on the patterns described here. Within the boundaries of the Owner’s Manual, there is a wide variety of ways you can organize your eating day. Use the examples given here to limber up the brain and begin working in a new paradigm.

We favor eating at home whenever possible, because you have the most control over your food supply. Nevertheless, there will be times when you are obliged to eat away from home—in restaurants or at the homes of friends and family. Try to rid yourself of notions about which foods are to be eaten at which meals: for example, eggs are often thought of as being purely a breakfast food. In fact, you can eat them at any meal. The same goes for just about every dish: they can be eaten at any time of day. The following strategies are to help you make these changes to your way of eating. Refer back to the Owner’s Manual in chapter 6 for specific information on food groups.

EATING AT HOME

Morning

Our Pleistocene ancestors would rouse themselves with the sunrise and gradually get organized for the day. By mid-morning, the first groups, having set off on foraging expeditions, would start to feed on what they found. We should be doing the same: not rush into eating a heavy, early breakfast. Don’t worry about hunger cravings—there won’t be any unless your blood sugar is out of control (in which case you need to be particularly careful to follow these recommendations). Suppress any prejudices you may have about the desirability of eating a “hearty” breakfast. Commercial interests, perhaps more than for any other meal, have manipulated our ideas of breakfast. Just in the last 50 years, public relations consultants have manipulated the American public into accepting corn flakes and bacon as breakfast foods.

A common reaction when people hear about the Savanna Model for the first time is: “What on Earth can we now have for breakfast?” In fact, there are many options, many of them being simply a return to what our grandparents ate as children.

Breakfast Ideas

Strategy A: Eat Conforming Fruit (Food Group 4, “Green”)
—A good time to eat fruit is a short time after waking up in the morning. Your stomach is empty (or should be). You can then eat small portions of conforming fruit all through the morning until lunch time. You will feel a little empty as the morning progresses, so you can then eat another portion of fruit. Eat until the feeling of emptiness is gone. You may have eaten a little or a lot, but it doesn’t matter because nobody is counting. Remember that an important part of feeling satisfied has to do with putting our eating apparatus to work. That is, feeling the fruit on the lips and teeth; tearing a bite out, chomping it, grinding it in our mouths, and feeling the sensation against our tongues, gums, and mouth linings.