Why are so many people in developed countries suffering from diseases that were not widespread even 100 years ago – certain types of cancer, type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis, allergies, depression, insomnia and others? And how best to take care of your body, given the millions of years of evolution, in order to stay healthy for as long as possible?
Some of the professor’s conclusions are contrary to popular beliefs about a healthy lifestyle. Like any publication or study, these theses are not the truth in the last instance, but despite the title and scientific degree of its author, I think it is worth getting to know them. Like any other myth, these five are not necessarily characteristic of every person on the planet.
Myth 1: Veganism and vegetarianism are useful because man has evolved to eat fruits and vegetables.
The human body is perfectly adapted to the consumption of meat and fish. Moreover, we are what we are, precisely because we started eating meat. The Homo genus has been around for several million years and according to archaeological finds, at least 2.6 million people (then even more like a monkey) have eaten meat – first raw and then heat treated.
Man’s earliest ancestors had a small brain and a large digestive system, because digesting plant foods requires more energy. As soon as we began to consume meat, which is a more efficient source of energy than fruit and roots, very slow stomachs, intestines and other digestive organs began to shrink and the brain began to grow.
At the same time, our teeth and jaws have become smaller, there are incisors and muscles in the lower face have shrunk – I think we have become more attractive. Our predecessors have more free time to paint a cave or make a spear tip.
Myth 2: Frescos and juices are useful.
To eat an apple is many times more useful than the juice made of it or even a handmade fresco. Fruits contain glucose and fructose (about half of the last liver is processed into glucose). The body really needs glucose – without it, cells, including the brain, die. But too much glucose has a harmful effect. The brain and pancreas constantly monitor blood glucose levels using insulin hormone.
However, the body has not adapted to quickly release exactly the amount of insulin it needs. Fruits were not as sweet as now, and cakes even 2000 years ago did not exist, not to mention juices and pepsi coles. If glucose comes at once a lot, then insulin is excreted more than necessary. More glucose is preserved as fat, and constantly elevated insulin levels lead to type 2 diabetes.
Glucose from an apple is processed more efficiently, because it is slower and the body is able to allocate the optimal amount of insulin and let it go, rather than panicking to hide in the fat.
Myth 3: Sports are the best way to get rid of excess weight.
The professor pays attention to how little calories we lose when we do sports and hard physical work. I ran a little over 5 km and burned up to 324 calories, which corresponds to the calories of three bananas, or one bun. And when a person suddenly spends a lot of energy, he gets the stress hormone cortisol, from which a person becomes hungry.
The body perceives this situation as a signal that it is necessary to escape from the predator, and the appropriate mechanisms are launched. And, if you exercise at the expense of sleep, the harm will be more than good, because lack of sleep contributes to the release of the hormone ghrelin hunger. I think that everyone saw the builders and other workers engaged in heavy physical labor, with bellies.
It is possible to lose weight due to physical activity, but it takes a lot of effort and time. I asked how to fight against excess pounds. – The diet is much faster. However, physical activity is crucial in order to maintain a healthy weight. Either way, whether you have to lose weight or not, physical activity has significant advantages.
The benefits of physical activity are a good part of the book. We’ve evolved to lead an active lifestyle. However, researchers have some doubts about the benefits of an extremely active lifestyle.
Myth 4: Long distance running is a separate sport that’s not suitable for everyone.
The human body has evolved over millions of years from being able to comfortably climb trees, to walking and running long distances. Once our ancestors stood on their hind legs, then they ran.
The adaptation of the body to a long run: we can cool ourselves in motion through sweating all over the skin, which does not interfere with the fur (other mammals, the same dogs, we have to stop, lie down and breathe hard to reduce body temperature),
We have short toes, comfortable for running form of foot, and the very muscles of the human body – buttocks – which, despite the name, work during the run. But in a sprint, even a domestic cat will make a joke out of us.
Myth 5: A healthy sleep requires complete silence and darkness…
About 10% of people in developed countries suffer from insomnia and even more do not sleep enough, which worsens their health and leads to numerous negative consequences. To the known reasons – stress, the possibility of interesting spending time after dark.
Sleeping alone or with one partner without any sensory stimuli is a relatively new way of doing it. Gradual falling asleep, where the human brain goes through several phases of light sleep before falling asleep deeply.
Man woke up, heard his tribesmen sniffing or snoring, howling at a distance, the sounds of a cricket, felt the touch of children and relatives, made sure everything was okay, and fell asleep again. The complete silence meant that something catastrophic had happened –
Also, those societies that still live according to true traditional values today don’t care about maintaining complete silence to put the baby to sleep. Sleeping on your hands during the tribal dance by the fire is good.
And the bonus is information, healthy lifestyle is none of my concern, but I found it very interesting. A woman who has lost weight – even half a kilogram in a month – will have difficulty getting pregnant within a month. It’s not an effective way to prevent pregnancy, but for those who dream…