Proper Primal Peck [Paleo Renegade]

I'm not absolutely sure what led to what and had me reading about the Renegade Diet since I hate the notion of Diets (capitalised) but The Renegade Diet appears on the face of it to be something very familiar to paleo, primal and generally ancestral eaters and very close to something I wrote about here, inspired by Cordain's notion of ancestral food timing.

It's a framework, like the Primal Blueprint, incorporating eat, sleep, work and fast.

The foundation appears to be a long fast of 16 hours. Once you've eaten in the evening, fast for 16 hours. I tend to eat around half seven, or so, and be done by eight, so sixteen hours later takes me to noon the following day ... about the very time that I like a light lunch ... like this.

The Renegade Diet breaks the fast ("breakfast"?) at this point and begins a period of "undereating" with light, easily digestible foods mostly protein and fat: white fish, yoghurt, avocado, vegetables ... sound familiar? Four hours. Carbs are okay, but keep 'em low ... small amounts, say, from berries. Again, hunter/gatherer-style. After that four hour period, a new period of "overeating" comes into play, during which we're to feast. Carbs are in, from simple sources like root vegetables.

I have not read the eBook which you can go and find for yourself, but on the face of it this all seems very familiar and something I came to myself through ancestral eating - notably, Cordain, but through Sissons, too.

Furthermore, this is exactly what J Stanton is talking about in his excellent (and free) guide to practical ancestral eating: Eat Like a Predator.

Beyond how and when to eat, J gives us a simple guide about what to eat: "foods that can be picked, dug up or speared ... mostly speared" ... and so, my lunch is fruits like avocado and tomato, that can be picked, meats or fish, usually fish, eggs, and keep the things I can dig up for my evening meal.

Cordain's notion is borne out here; that the main meal of an ancestral human's day would have been early evening, breakfast skipped, scraps of leftovers at most and small items that could readily be grabbed or quickly speared and gobbled down during the day - a fish, a lizard, a small mammal, an item of fruit, a handful of greens.

Summary? Skip breakfast, enjoy a light, protein and fat orientated lunch, feast in the evening! As J would say, "Eat like a predator ... fast ... and gorge; prey graze".