Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

Question

1

In hunter gather, traditional cultures, or even in paleo times it was a hard thing to get daily water. In moder time water usually comes out of the tap, quick and easy.

Some people walked and walk long ways to get water. And that filled their day activities.

Do you include something like this? Do you also have to walk long ways to get your water? How could you include something like a long walk to get your water?

i got inspired by this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BCHhwxvQqxg&feature=player_embedded

also experienced in spending time outdoors.

flag	asked Apr 25 2011 at 18:06 oak0y

Did you see Human Planet last night? It was the dessert episode. A group of women take an annual trip that lasts 10 days in the Sahara Desert, in order to sell camels at market. They only take 3 days of water and must find the only well on the way in the middle of enormous shifting dunes - or die. Really amazing! – Dave S. Apr 25 2011 at 18:41

Kit · Accepted Answer · 2011-04-26 19:14:15Z UTC

After 4 days of NO WATER AT ALL then weeks of collecting water in containers, waiting at the end of the road for the water tanker, queuing for the water, getting (the VERY heavy) water back home...wheel barrows, the kids balanced a bucket on a skateboard, I have a whole new appreciation for water. I had no idea how much we use in a day, and when you try to wash clothes, pots and people as well as drink and cook in the stuff we use gallons and gallons in a day.

My area still does not have clean water, although contaminated water does now flow from the tap, no sewers however (another water use we take for granted in this modern world), we are using a very primal long drop up the garden, even in the dark and the rain.

So...water is heavy, and inconvenient to carry (it slops) and to store. I appreciate we use more in our modern life than we did in paleo times, but even so, given the difficulties of containers...another problem we have had over the last two months and thank you to whoever it was out there who donated the 20L water containers that were distributed at the welfare centre, they have been a God send.....but given all the above I believe that unless our paleo ancestors were deeply stupid, and there is no evidence that they were, they lived very near water. People who carry water today do so because of the laws governing land. One lives on the land one owns even after a drought (or earthquake) our paleo ancestors would have moved!

Kit.

Edit: We live in Christchurch NZ. Thank you to all who sent help. We truly appreciated it and we are very grateful.

Andy S · Answer 2 · 2011-04-25 18:26:30Z UTC

Someday I plan on getting this:

http://www.amazon.com/Katadyn-8013618-Pocket-Water-Microfilter/dp/B0007U00YE/ref=sr_1_2?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1303755307&sr=1-2

It's a portable water filter that lasts for 13,000 gallons. That's a gallon a day for 35 years.

Concerning the video, there is a really cool low tech water filter that's just a ceramic pot mixed with silver particles.

http://www.pottersforpeace.org/?page_id=9

Kathi · Answer 3 · 2011-04-26 08:43:47Z UTC

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Water does kill your appetite. Some dieters drink water before a meal.

For me this just sounds like filing up again with no nutrition.

Here is a table showing the water content of foods. Wouldn't it make more sense to get most of our water along with nutrients?

http://www.ca.uky.edu/enri/pubs/enri129.pdf

answered Apr 26 2011 at 8:43

Kathi
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hej kathi. i looked at the table. Sorry most of the fruits and vegetables are not local so very expensive in season. There are people who claim this not to drink only eat fruits and vegetables. For some places if you have spring water running you go for it. yeah it makes sense to me. also a lot plants have water content. espacially in the morning. its very good to look how people in surival get their water or hunter and gatherer tribes. enjoy your time – oak0y Apr 26 2011 at 14:25

Adam Landry · Answer 4 · 2011-04-25 19:03:06Z UTC

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Personally, I just drink when I am thirsty. Some times, I'll have a glass of water all day, or I'll have eight. I feel that my body is "smart" enough to know when it needs water. Sitting here and drinking the mythical eight glasses of water a day when my body doesn't need it is just a waste of my time.

answered Apr 25 2011 at 19:03

Adam Landry
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	I so second this one – MasterB Apr 26 2011 at 5:33
	I agreee. If you are eating improperly including all those dry grain cakes and cookies...you need water. If you are eating veggies and some fruit...you have plenty. I might drink a glass a day if that. But 2 cups of coffee for sure. – Kathi Apr 26 2011 at 8:39
	only 2 ? Hopefully with lots of cream – DudleyP Apr 26 2011 at 8:43
	I love cream but gave it up when I realized my daughter is intolerant to dairy. I use coconut milk. – Kathi Apr 26 2011 at 16:57

Yoannah_offca · Answer 5 · 2011-04-26 14:26:09Z UTC

I think it really depends where people were living. it wouldn't be a surprise that hunter-gatherers would prefer to live close to springs, rivers or lakes. Mountains and hill countries often have a lot of springs. Which means that all the people who lived more to the north or in tropical areas, have plenty of water. The difficulties were for people from savannas and semi-desert areas. In addition to it we have water in plants, blood of animals, etc. Humans developed very good water conservation systems in their bodies.

Lareth · Answer 6 · 2011-04-26 15:30:46Z UTC

We evolved to thrive in an environment where fresh, moving water was vastly more plentiful than it is now, and much less heavily guarded.

Pottery is a mesolithic/neolithic invention. Waterskins probably date to around 60000 YBP, and no doubt aided in human migration, but came long after anatomically modern humans. Without any means to carry water, early humans probably set spent most of their time no more than several minutes from a stream or river.

All the best food can be found next to water. If a pack of lions or a herd of elephants wants to use that spot, move farther upstream. (Or chase them off. Seriously. A tribe of spear-using humans was not something you wanted to mess with.) Make camp just far enough away to avoid the worst of the biting insects and crocodiles and you're golden.

Now that said, clean water on tap is a bit more convenient, and we're certainly capable of going all day without water when we have to, but we sure as heck didn't evolve lugging buckets of water back and forth all day. Our distant ancestors probably had access to water about as convenient as anyone with a well in the village square, or even the back yard.

Fremen we ain't. ;)

Phocion_Timon · Answer 7 · 2011-04-26 15:49:33Z UTC

I doubt we evolved carrying water for many miles. My opinion is that we evolved in areas that had easy access to water. Those hunters that ranged over the land would either stay fairly close to water or would indeed have carried water with them but I don't think they lived in an area devoid of water without a really good reason.

Water. and how we get it

7 Answers