Ancestral Effective Diet
The Jungle Effect or the Ancestral diet (but not as you may have heard it referred to in the Paleo world) theories that diets relying on moderation and localized but not very many ingredients often result in healthier people. Dr. Daphne Miller who first brought this idea main stream in 2008, took an anthropological and medical perspective, in explaining how certain populations of people tend to avoid various illnesses that plague other cultures. Because they tend to stick to foods that their ancestors ate and their genes recognize. And a lot of her research was done around Jungle communities, hence the name The Jungle Effect.
For instance, those with a Chinese background do better on white rice then french fries. And us Irish people do better on potatoes then we do with say corn. Because these types of foods have been embedded in our genes for hundreds of years.
Another example would be people in Iceland who tend to have much lower incidence of risk for some very devastating diseases because their diet has not been influences too much by the west, and they still stick very much to the diet of their ancestors and culture.
A jungle effect diet of optimum quality has several components. It usually doesn’t include processed “bad” oils, and most foods are locally available. The healthiest diets may be very different from culture to culture, but they often share common traits, like being based on a locally grown foods, containing some form of fermented food and having some form of seasoning or spice. Also that communal eating, like sharing meals with family and friends, and having a community, seems to be more healthful and may matter as much or more than what foods you eat at said meals.
The research shows that sticking to foods in your day to day diet may be less inflammatory and stressful on your body, but also allow you to absorb more nutrients and satisfaction from your food.
I am not saying you should soley eat what your ancestors ate but it would be wise to reflect on what your grandparents ate, or some of the foods you ate as a child (provided they werent what we would consider “junk food”). Then incorporate some of those into your day/meals.
From what I have learned, Candian and Irish people had somewhat of the same diet, except we ate more potatoes, beef, ham and cabbage. Canadians had more wild meat and tubers. There is plenty of fish in both our backgrounds.
What foods did your ancestors mostly consume?