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Caveman food catching on

Diet inspired by the foods available to humans in the Stone Age
food_epicurious1

Two million years ago there was no bread, no milkshakes, no pasta, no gravy to go on the roasted boar and, for certain, nobody was making Oreo cookies. Until about 10,000 years ago, the human diet consisted mainly of meat, fish, seafood, fruits, vegetables, seeds, nuts and oils from olives, coconuts, avocados, macadamias, walnuts and flaxseed.

At the start of the agricultural revolution humans began to rely more on farms for food and fewer people nourished themselves through hunting and gathering.

Kara Thornton of Whistler has been following the so-called Paleo Diet for almost three years. Before committing to the paleo system Thornton was vegan for two years.

"It was the treatment of animals and the things that were being put into meat... antibiotics, and the way the whole system works that bothered me," says Thornton.

With that as her main concern and inspiration to moving to a vegan diet she learned after joining Crossfit that there are other meat choices available.

"I wasn't as educated as I am now in how much my dollar can mean," she says.

Thornton now eats meats from grass-fed animals that aren't treated with antibiotics.

After about a year of working out at the gym she said she decided to make the radical shift from vegan to paleo. Part of her inspiration, she explains from her office at Caveman Grocer was her own experience of seeing fellow Crossfit clients who looked great and were full of energy she didn't have.

According to Thornton, she's more energetic now compared to her vegan days when she was consuming large amounts of carbohydrates.

"You'll never catch me eating pasta or bread," says Thornton now that she's a full believer in the Paleo Diet.

Thornton and her partner, Travis McMaster, have been operating Caveman Grocer for a year now, providing an online grocery service focused on selling hard-to find paleo food items, along with pre-made paleo meals to customers in Vancouver and throughout the Sea to Sky corridor.

The couple offers products that aren't readily available in most mainstream grocery stores; things like grass-fed beef free of antibiotics and coconut aminos.

Jordan Glasser of Crossfit Whistler has been following a paleo diet since 2005 when he says he started flirting with it.

"Once you eliminate things in your life that are potentially harmful or cause you a little bit of inflammation, once they're gone, when you re-introduce them back you tend to notice what they were doing the whole time," says Glasser. "You keep them out for a reason."

Glasser notes the diet isn't for everyone but it works for him in his lifestyle, which has an athletic focus.

"For me, the foods that I've taken out, I work better, I run better, I feel better without them," says the gym owner.

Glasser is delivering a talk on the Paleo Diet on Thursday, July 4 at 10:30 a.m. at Nesters Market for anyone who wants to learn more about it.