Full continental breakfasts are still a staple; only now their presence is being supplemented by avocado toast, overnight oats or superfood smoothies. It may seem a little haphazard to those who don’t have a good understanding of nutrition, but beneath every new menu unveiled is a hidden trail of scientific research suggesting a healthier path forward.
One of the latest diet trends to emerge attempts to answer the question, “What did our ancestors eat before the agricultural revolution to stay healthy through all four seasons?” Ancestral eating is somewhat controversial because of the way it rejects veganism and the broader push toward plant-based eating, but it is based on the anthropological evidence that the human species has always been an “opportunistic omnivore” – that we’re flexible scavengers, but also adroit fishers and tough hunters.
Without getting too deep into what our Paleolithic cousins ate (although weeds like purslane were on the menu for our ancestors), this meant that in the summer and early fall we set traps and gorged ourselves on wild fruits, while in the winter we hunted down big beasts and then found a way to roast every last bit of meat. Nothing went to waste. With animal agriculture in its infancy, all dairy eaten was either raw milk or a microbially diverse, fermented product like kefir. Likewise, grains and pseudograins were in the “hobby farmer” stage at this point and were only consumed in a slow, yeast-processed form.
Beyond the overarching lesson of avoiding ultra-processed foods and opting for more organic ingredients, the principles of Ancestral Diets can be applied to any F&B restaurant to differentiate the operation from its competitors, offer menu items that are science-backed to support better health, and appeal to the growing subculture willing to pay a little more for paleo-approved options. Here are a few to consider that will get you on the right track.
1/ Wild berry cultivars. What has happened over the last few centuries is that we have bred fruits for higher yields and increased sweetness to increase profit and palatability. The result is that our fruits now have unnaturally high sugar levels and lowered antioxidant levels; they are not as ‘nutritious’ as their wild ancestors. Make no mistake: eating any fruit is a step in the right direction (except for diabetics). But if you are going to eat ‘nature’s candy’, why not eat the best version possible?
Now that berries are being touted for their low fructose content (the type of sugar that can overwhelm the liver) and high levels of polyphenols, let’s look at blueberries—undoubtedly one of the healthiest foods on the planet. Whether they’re organic or not, most blueberries that hit the market are of the highbush cultivar, which is designed for its large size and high sugar content. So restaurants can amaze their guests by sourcing the antioxidant-laden lowbush variety (often sold frozen out of Nova Scotia), which is a fraction of the size but has a mysterious deep indigo color.
2/ Sourdough bread. Now that F&B outlets are required to label products as gluten-free and come up with alternatives for celiacs, such as chickpea-based pastas, researchers have simultaneously begun to investigate why people in Southern Europe and the Levant can regularly eat grains well into their 90s without chronic problems, while us North Americans feel bloated and lethargic after one or two helpings of bread. While there are countless other contributing factors to the revered Mediterranean diet, one culprit on this side of the pond is that we don’t let yeast do its thing.
Bread that is mechanically processed in a few hours does not give the microbes enough time to chew away the gluten. This process takes days, with the yeast breaking down those gut-irritating proteins with the fermented byproduct of acid for that unmistakable sour taste. While working with sourdough requires patience and is therefore an added expense for a commercial kitchen, the word itself is very marketable and you don’t have to limit yourself to just bread, as sourdough pizza and pasta are both in vogue.
3/ Soaked or sprouted nuts. An important aspect of evolution to understand is that while animals avoid being eaten by running away, plants fight back through chemical warfare. Flora don’t want you to eat their young, and they coat their seeds with compounds that can be highly toxic (or indigestible) to a potential scavenger in order to allow the next generation to thrive. With this in mind, we often forget that nuts are the seeds of trees, and the outer layer is laced with antinutrients that can cause problems if consumed in large quantities.
The solution our ancestors came up with was to simply soak the nuts in water for half a day or a full 24 hours, which would dissolve the tannins and phytic acid from the shell. Taking it a step further was to put the nuts through periods of wet and then dry conditions, which would cause the seeds to germinate (this also works for beans). From there, you simply dehydrate the nuts back to their dry form. Again, this is a slower and more expensive process, but adjectives like “soaked” or “germinated” are appropriately priced.
4/ Goat or sheep dairy. Moving into the animal kingdom, we’ve already talked about kefir, which does wonders for restoring the gut microbiome. What nutritionists have discovered, however, is that the milk of goats and sheep is significantly healthier for us than that of cows, with further anthropological evidence pointing to an earlier point of domestication for these two species than for larger cattle.
Dairy products from goats and sheep are naturally higher in medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs), which are keto-friendly and help promote metabolic flexibility for a healthier liver. Additionally, unlike cows of Northern European descent that contain the potentially harmful A1 casein protein, goat and sheep milk or cheese do not have it, making both safer for those who feel lousy after drinking regular cow’s milk.
5/ Nose-to-tail burgers or sausages. A core mantra embraced by ancestral dietists is that our ancestors ate every part of an animal; the nose, the organ meats, the oxtail, and every other bit of tendon was often boiled down into a collagen stew. It follows that we should all be eating more organ meats, as gram for gram, they are technically the most nutrient-dense food on the planet. North America is a bit of an oddity in this regard, as we are one of the few places on the planet where you won’t find these cuts on a regular menu.
Italians have trippa alla parmigiana (tripe); a common street food in Turkey is kokoretsi (spit-roasted organ meat); and you can easily find barbecued chicken hearts at any Thai night market. We’re not asking you to base your menu entirely on Liver King, but thankfully meat producers are starting to incorporate the healthier organs into a form that Canadians and Americans will find palatable by grinding organ products into burgers and sausages. It’s just one way to get your guests used to this food.
6/ Intermittent fasting. We’re not narrowing down on any one ingredient, but on a way of eating that’s growing in popularity. During a traditional hunt, our ancestors likely went long periods without food, with study after study showing the huge health benefits of giving your digestive tract regular breaks from meals.
Think existentially about your F&B revenue and how it fits into the larger profitability mix of a hotel, what happens if a large number of your guests are no longer eating breakfast and therefore not motivated by your B&B offerings as this trend gains traction? The obvious answer is to have incredible coffee service, but unfortunately the idea around fasting is something that every hotelier has to deal with as far as how it impacts foodservice revenue and hotel packaging.
Larry MogelonskyMBA, P. Eng. – Hotel strategist, industry expert, experienced marketer and speaker.
With over 40 years of experience in the hospitality industry, Hotel Mogel Consulting helps both hotel owners maximize the performance of their properties and technology providers overcome the industry’s barriers to entry and achieve financial success. Visit our contact page to start the conversation.
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