{"id":7347,"date":"2015-10-15T10:50:45","date_gmt":"2015-10-15T17:50:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/oneingredientchef.com\/?p=7347"},"modified":"2017-02-23T14:19:08","modified_gmt":"2017-02-23T22:19:08","slug":"eat-like-a-forager","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/oneingredientchef.com\/eat-like-a-forager\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Eat Like a Forager"},"content":{"rendered":"

One of my favorite books of this year was Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind<\/a><\/em>. Early in the book, the author discusses our ancestors, the hunter-gatherer tribes from 50,000 – 10,000 years ago. We tend to think of these early humans as simpleminded prehistoric cavemen. But Sapiens<\/em> explains how they were almost certainly the happiness, healthiest, fittest, and most skilled human beings in the history of our species.<\/p>\n

The interesting thing is that the DNA of humans was shaped during this time \u2013 the same DNA that we all share today. We are, in effect, foragers living in a very different environment. <\/p>\n

This is a huge problem because many aspects of our modern life conflict with the nature of our DNA. I would suggest that this conflict is the primary cause of the suffering we experience. Things like loneliness, depression, anxiety disorders, unhappiness, overwork, and diet-related diseases that are so prevalent today would have been very rare to our ancestors. This conflict is happening in all areas, but nowhere can it be seen more clearly than with our diet. Our ancestors were eating the ideal human diet:<\/p>\n

\u201cIn most places and at most times, foraging provided ideal nutrition. That is hardly surprising \u2013 this had been the human diet for hundreds of thousands of years, and the human body was well adapted to it. Evidence from fossilised skeletons indicates that ancient foragers were less likely to suffer from starvation or malnutrition, and were generally taller and healthier than their peasant descendants.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

It\u2019s interesting to think about what these foragers\u2019 lives would have been like. We might imagine some members of a tribe spending a few hours in the morning gathering root vegetables, berries, nuts, seeds, tree fruit, and leafy greens \u2013 all wild, organic pesticide free, non-GMO, sustainably grown, and free. Yes, they ate meat as well, but typically in small quantities to supplement a primarily plant-based diet. Thankfully, one of the positive things about our lives today is that we have developed such abundant supplies of plant protein in the form of legumes, grains, nuts, and seeds so that supplementing with animal protein is unnecessary.<\/p>\n

The way our ancestors ate reminds me so much of the philosophy behind the One Ingredient Diet. “The foraging diet” is<\/em> the One Ingredient Diet. These foragers were, in fact, the original One Ingredient Chefs. Everything they ate was one whole ingredient \u2013 and they didn’t even have my course<\/a> to show them how! \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n

Lately I often find myself approaching life through the lens of our foraging ancestors. They were happier and healthier versions of us, so why not follow their example? In terms of food, it leads right back to the One Ingredient Diet at its core: simple meals with simple ingredients. What I want to share today is a very simple recipe that I eat for lunch most days. It\u2019s made from only one ingredient \u201cforager foods\u201d \u2013 seeds (quinoa, in this case), leafy greens, vegetables, nuts, and berries. That\u2019s it. No fancy Vitamixed sauces, nothing too creative; just whole, simple, timeless ingredients in a bowl.
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\n\"forager-bowl-ground\"<\/p>\n

The incredible thing is, every time I eat this forager bowl it shows me the truth in these ideas. It\u2019s not an exaggeration to say that eating food that aligns with our DNA makes everything right in the world. It\u2019s almost impossible to eat this bowl and not feel a sense of joy and stability. Plus, the food tastes amazing, it\u2019s naturally balanced with the right nutrients and caloric density, has tons of antioxidant protection, and is completely sustainable for the environment in which it was grown.<\/p>\n

I think this massive contrast between human nature and our modern lifestyle is going to be one of the biggest challenges we need to face over the next century. It would be misguided to try going backwards and boycott all the good things about our modern lives. The only solution is to go forward, to use our greatest human strengths, ingenuity and technology, in positive ways to create healthier and more harmonious lives for ourselves and our larger ecosystem. All areas of our life need to be addressed: the way we work, the types of homes and communities in which we live, the way we build relationships, and more. I can think of no better place to start, however, than with the food we eat. Making this change is as simple as learning to eat like a forager.<\/p>\n

So, let’s make a forager bowl!<\/p>\n

How to Make a Forager Bowl<\/strong><\/h3>\n

\"forager-bowl-stone\"<\/p>\n

This bowl can be made any number of ways. Simply start with a base of quinoa, add some leafy greens, some root vegetables like green onions or carrots, berries, and top with nuts or seeds.<\/p>\n

This is the most beautiful thing about real \/ One Ingredient food: there\u2019s no wrong way to do it. Virtually any whole foods you want to throw in this bowl will create amazing flavors. Here\u2019s how I make mine:<\/p>\n

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Ingredients:<\/h4>\n
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