Research
Micronutrients & recovery
Ancestral diets provided significantly higher micronutrient intake (1.5 to 8 times) than modern diets, with the exception of sodium, which was much lower in ancestral times.
Prioritize whole, unprocessed foods to maximize your intake of vitamins and minerals. Ancestral diets provided 1.5 to 8 times more micronutrients than modern diets. Focus on fruits, vegetables, and wild game to achieve this density, while keeping sodium intake low.
ModerateSupportsMEDIUM confidence
Vitamin, mineral and (probably) phytochemical intake was typically 1.5 to eight times that of today except for that of Na, generally <1000 mg/d, i.e. much less than that of K.
Why this rating
Based on retrojected estimates from modern hunter-gatherer groups.
Source
The ancestral human diet: what was it and should it be a paradigm for contemporary nutrition?
S. Boyd Eaton · Proceedings of The Nutrition Society · 2006
DOI 10.1079/pns2005471
narrative_reviewCited 200×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
More from this paper
- Adopting a hunter-gatherer-style macronutrient profile (approx. 35% fat, 35% carbs, 30% protein) with high polyunsaturated fat intake and minimal refined sugars improves metabolic health markers compared to the standard Western diet.Moderate
- An ancestral diet high in fruits and vegetables and low in grains and dairy is net base-yielding, which prevents the chronic metabolic acidosis associated with modern acid-producing diets.Moderate
Related findings · Micronutrients & recovery
- Trans fats (industrial trans-fatty acids) are unequivocally harmful and should be completely avoided as they raise LDL-C, TGs, and Apo B while lowering HDL-C.Strong
- For menopausal women with osteoporosis, first-line pharmacologic therapies include alendronate, risedronate, zoledronic acid, and denosumab for the prevention of hip, nonvertebral, and vertebral fractures.Strong
- Folic acid fortification of flour prevents neural tube birth defects, and mandatory fortification is more effective than voluntary supplementation alone.Strong
This is one finding among thousands. Every one is graded and traced to its source, so you can see what the evidence actually supports. Browse the research →