For millions of years our ancestors lived as hunter-gatherers. Foraging for food provided a diet high in nuts, berries, vegetables and lean meat. It's become known as the Stone Age diet and researchers believe it's the key to a long and healthy life.

These days we roam aisles rather than plains in search of food. We don't have to chase our dinner for miles anymore, but that doesn't mean we can't learn a lesson or two from our past. The diet that kept that kept us healthy all those years ago is still available to us today

Let's have a look at what kept our ancestors so lean and mean:

Because we spent so long hunting and gathering we became genetically predisposed towards certain food types. Theorists say this is why the diet works - it's in sync with the way we evolved. The revolution in our eating habits happened so quickly that our bodies haven't been able to catch up. Refined carbohydrates like pasta, rice and bread are all relatively new to us. Even the humble potato is off-limits because it's poisonous when raw. If our ancestors couldn't eat it in its natural state then it isn't part of the Stone Age diet. Say goodbye to dairy too; eggs are fine, but cheese, milk and butter would not have been on the caveman's breakfast table.

The trouble started with the advent of agriculture around 10,000 years ago. Until that point we lived on what nature provided. Once we learnt to control the land, our lives became more sedentary. Diets changed from wild foods to dairy products, grains and farmed meat. We also learnt to cook. Once heated, normally inedible food like beans, grains and potatoes were suddenly on the menu. This revolution caused societies to turn their backs on millions of years of evolution. The change was compounded in the 1900s with the onset of industrialisation. Refined sugars, cereals and fats also began to play an increasing role in what we ate.

What are the benefits? Followers believe many of the chronic illnesses that burden our society are down to what we eat today. Scientists at Lund University in Sweden found that following a Stone Age diet could help prevent diabetes. The same university also noticed an absence of cardiovascular disease in the hunter gatherer tribes of Papua New Guinea. Research shows that stone age man did not suffer from heart disease, strokes, allergies and a host of other conditions.

Of course exercise played a part; hunter-gatherers had to chase their prey which would have kept them fit. It is recommended that those following the diet maintain an active lifestyle. Critics say that too much meat is required in the diet and this can lead to heart disease, cancer and premature ageing. As with any drastic change in your eating habits it's best to seek advice first. The truth is that the Stone Age diet is growing in popularity and it's certainly got millions years of evolution on its side.

So what should we eat?

Lean meat & Poultry - leaner the better. Farmed meat is fattier than wild, so game would be good.

Poultry - chicken and turkey are fine, but gamier birds are better. Try duck, pheasant or quail.

Fish - very important to our ancestors. High in omega 3 for the development of the brain and eyes

Vegetables - leafy green types. Before we became hunters we survived on veg, so eat lots. All root vegetables like carrots, parsnips,sweet potatoes, etc.

Fungi - edible mushrooms would have been a staple of the hunter-gatherer

Fruits & Berries - berries of all kinds are high in anti-oxidants. They would have been easy to gather and carry. All fruits are good.

Nuts - another staple of our ancestors. Lots of health benefits like heart protecting chemicals and a good source of protein.

Grains - eat the whole grain variety. Our forebears did not have the tools to harvest grains so they did appear in our diet until we began farming 10,000 ago.

- More food and drink
- Dig it and cook it
- Vegetarian cooking
- Healthy living