We can learn a lot from our caveman ancestors about food, nutrition, and portion sizes. While walking the earth about 2 million years ago, stone age hunter-gatherers ate small amounts of fruits, vegetables, fish, and lean meat throughout the day. Storing food for long periods or transporting it great distances was impractical, so hunter-gatherers generally ate what they could when they could find it.

People today have a different approach. Many admit to skipping breakfast, a big lunch, and an even bigger dinner. Thinking of your metabolism as a fire helps explain why it’s not a good idea. Ideally, you want to keep your metabolism at a steady rate throughout the day. Skipping meals is like depriving fire of oxygen. Eating large portions is like taking a large log and throwing it into the fire. In both cases the fire does not respond well. On the other hand, eating small portions regularly is like taking a handful of twigs and throwing them into the fire at regular intervals. The result: the fire burns evenly throughout the day and will stave off those sudden hunger pangs.

The ideal number of meals is six a day and consists of a good breakfast, a medium lunch and a small dinner. You need less energy while you sleep, so the serving size is smaller closer to bedtime. Your 3 main meals should be supplemented throughout the day with 3 smaller healthy snacks, like fresh fruit or a handful of nuts.

A bowl of oatmeal in the morning garnished with dried fruit is a great way to start the day. Porridge is an example of a slow-release carbohydrate. Slowly and steadily releases energy to your body. Fast-release carbohydrates like cakes, cookies, and candy tend to provide a sudden burst of energy followed by a slump. It is this drop in energy that can leave you hungry for more food.

Other foods like sweet potatoes with skin, carrots and parsnips provide us with the essential carbohydrates we need to stay healthy. The lack of carbohydrates in an eating plan can sometimes cause concentration problems and headaches.

For fruits and vegetables, you should consume at least 5 servings daily spread over your meals and snacks. One serving is roughly equivalent to:

• 1 large piece of fruit such as an apple, banana, or pear
• 2 medium pieces of fruit such as kiwis or peaches
• 1 cup of berries or grapes
• 2 tablespoons of cooked vegetables
• 1 small bowl of salad

For meat and other protein sources, we should consume 2-3 servings every day. One serving is roughly equivalent to:

• 1 chicken breast
• 1 medium lean steak
• 1 fish fillet such as salmon, cod or haddock
• 1 can of tuna
• 2 boiled eggs

For fatty and sugary foods and foods high in salt, try to consume as little as possible. Reduce your intake of saturated fat by cooking with small amounts of vegetable oils and use reduced-fat spreads like margarine. Avoid refined sugars, as they are essentially empty calories and have little or no nutritional value.

So if you’re trying to jumpstart a healthier lifestyle, a great place to start is eating the kind of natural foods our caveman ancestors would have eaten in small portions and at regular intervals throughout the day. .