Full continental breakfasts are still a staple; they’re now supplemented with avocado toast, overnight oats or superfood smoothies. It may seem a bit haphazard to those without a solid understanding of nutrition, but beneath every new menu item lies a hidden trail of scientific research suggesting a healthier path.
One of the latest dietary trends to emerge attempts to answer the question, “Before the agricultural revolution, what did our ancestors eat to stay healthy throughout the four seasons?” The ancestral diet, which is somewhat controversial because it rejects veganism and the wider push for plant-based diets, is based on anthropological evidence that the human species has always been an ‘opportunistic omnivore’, as much a flexible scavenger as a cunning fisherman and tenacious hunter.
Without going into too much detail about what our Paleolithic cousins ate (although grasses like purslane were on our ancestors’ menus), what this meant was that we set traps and gorged on wild berries in the summer and early fall, while in the winter we tracked down large animals and found a way to roast every last bite of meat. Nothing went to waste. With animal husbandry still in its infancy, all dairy eaten was either raw milk or a microbially diverse, fermented product like kefir. Similarly, grains and pseudo-grains were at the ‘hobby farmer’ stage at this point, and were only consumed in a slow, fermented form.
Aside from the general lesson of avoiding ultra-processed foods and choosing more organic ingredients, the principles of the ancestral diet can be applied to any F&B outlet to differentiate the operation from its competitors, offer menu items that are scientifically backed to promote better health, and appeal to the growing subculture willing to pay a little more for paleo-approved options. Here are a few to get you on the right track.
1/ Wild fruit varieties. What has happened over the last few centuries is that we have started to breed fruit for greater yields and higher sweetness to increase profits and taste. As a result, our fruits are now unnaturally high in sugar and have reduced antioxidant levels; they are not as ‘nutrient dense’ as their wild ancestors. Make no mistake: eating any fruit is a step in the right direction (except for diabetics). But if you’re going to opt for ‘nature’s candy’, why not eat the best version of it?
While berries are touted for their low fructose content (a type of sugar that can overload the liver) and high levels of polyphenols, consider blueberries, arguably one of the healthiest foods on the planet. Most blueberries that reach the market, organic or not, are of the highbush variety, engineered for their large size and high sugar content. Restaurants can impress their customers by sourcing the antioxidant-laden lowbush variety (often sold frozen from Nova Scotia), which is a fraction of the size but mysteriously dark navy blue in color.
2/ Sourdough breadWhile food and beverage outlets are now forced to label products gluten-free and find alternatives for celiacs, such as chickpea-based pastas, researchers are simultaneously beginning to investigate why people in Southern Europe and the Levant can consume grains regularly into their nineties, while we North Americans feel bloated and lethargic after a serving or two of bread. While there are a number of other contributing factors stemming from the revered Mediterranean diet, one culprit here is that we don’t let the yeast do its job.
Bread that is mechanically processed for several hours does not give the microbes enough time to chew the gluten. This process takes days, and the yeast breaks down the proteins, which irritate the gut with the fermented byproduct of acid for that distinctive sour taste. Working with sourdough requires patience and therefore an additional cost for a commercial kitchen, but the word itself is quite marketable and you don’t have to limit yourself to just bread, sourdough pizza and pasta are both trendy.
3/ Soaked or sprouted nuts. An important aspect of evolution to understand is that while animals avoid being eaten by running away, plants respond with chemical warfare. Flora don’t want you to eat their young, and in order to ensure the next generation thrives, they coat their seeds with compounds that can be highly toxic (or indigestible) to any potential scavengers. With this in mind, we often forget that nuts are the seeds of trees, and that the outer layer is coated with antinutrients that can cause problems when consumed in large quantities.
The solution our ancestors came up with was to soak the nuts in water for half a day or a full 24 hours to dissolve the tannins and phytic acid from the shell. The next step was to subject the nuts to several wet and then dry conditions so that the seeds would sprout (this also works for beans). From there, you simply dry the nuts back to their dry form. Again, this is a slow and more costly process, but adjectives like ‘soaked’ or ‘sprouted’ are worth the extra charge.
4/ Goat or sheep milkMoving on to the animal kingdom, we’ve already talked about kefir doing wonders for restoring the gut microbiome. But what nutritionists are finding is that goat and sheep milk are significantly healthier for us than cow’s milk, and more anthropological evidence points to an earlier point of domestication of these two species than larger farm animals.
Goat and sheep dairy products naturally contain more medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs), which are keto-friendly and help support metabolic flexibility for a healthier liver. What’s more, unlike Northern European cows, which contain potentially harmful A1-casein protein, goat and sheep milk or cheese do not contain it, making both safer for those who feel under the weather after drinking regular cow’s milk.
5/ Nose-to-tail burgers or sausages. A basic mantra adopted by ancestral dieters is that our ancestors ate every part of an animal; snout, giblets, beef tail, and all the other nerve parts were often simmered in a collagen stew. It follows that we should all eat more offal because, 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 because we are one of the only places on the planet where you don’t regularly find these cuts of meat on the menu.
Italians eat trippa alla parmigiana (tripe); in Turkey, it’s a common street food, kokoretsi (spit-roasted offal), and you can easily find barbecued chicken hearts at any Thai night market. We don’t want you to go full Liver King on your menu, but fortunately, meat producers are starting to grind offal into burgers and sausages, making the healthier organs a tasty treat for Canadians and Americans. This is one way to get your guests accustomed to these foods.
6/ Intermittent fasting. We’re not focusing on a specific ingredient, but rather a way of eating that’s gaining popularity. In a traditional hunt, our ancestors likely went long periods without eating, and much research shows the tremendous health benefits of giving your digestive system regular breaks between meals.
When you think existentially about your F&B revenues and how they fit into the larger profitability mix of a hotel, what happens when, as this trend gains momentum, a large portion of your guests no longer eat breakfast and are therefore unmotivated by your B&B offerings? The obvious answer is to offer an incredible coffee service, but unfortunately the idea of fasting is something every hotelier has to face in terms of how it impacts foodservice revenues and hotel packaging.
Larry MogelonskyMBA, P.Eng. – Hotel Strategist, Industry Expert, Experienced Marketer and Public Speaker.
With over 40 years in the hospitality industry, Hotel Mogel Consulting helps hoteliers maximize property performance and technology vendors overcome the industry’s barriers to entry to achieve financial success. Visit our contact page to start the conversation.
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