Peter Ungar, writing in Scientific American stated on the 17th April 2017,
“From the standpoint of paleoecology, the so-called Paleo diet is a myth”
Some physicians have argued that many of our modern illnesses are a result of our bodies having insufficient time to evolve to the kind of foodstuffs we consume today. They suggest that we should return to a 'natural' diet like that of our early ancestors. Is there any real evidence to support this theory?
I assume the oldest written evidence of diet from an agricultural society comes from the Sumerians.
As for hunter gatherers there are still plenty of tribes around the world that can and have been studied.
Surely the answer will be that even the hunter gatherer diet is less than ideal, but that the human physiology is adaptable enough to thrive/survive on most diets.
I predict the the real problem will be that the human diet is actually so very varied (around the globe and across cultures that there is no single mean).
I pity the researcher who tries to conduct a multi-variate analysis of health as a function of diet. Defining health and well-being is a big set of variables and as for diet! I wonder just how many dietary variables there are?
It is not surprising that dietary advice is a minefield of pseudo-science, quacks, opportunistic capitalists, etc. etc.....
http://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/1349279/
Cain and Abel were sons of Adam and Eve. Cain, the firstborn, tilled the soil, and his brother Abel was a shepherd.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cain_and_Abel
What ever they found to be eatable!!! In raw form!!! Because the concept of fire and baking was not conceived during that point of time.
I assume the oldest written evidence of diet from an agricultural society comes from the Sumerians.
As for hunter gatherers there are still plenty of tribes around the world that can and have been studied.
Surely the answer will be that even the hunter gatherer diet is less than ideal, but that the human physiology is adaptable enough to thrive/survive on most diets.
I predict the the real problem will be that the human diet is actually so very varied (around the globe and across cultures that there is no single mean).
I pity the researcher who tries to conduct a multi-variate analysis of health as a function of diet. Defining health and well-being is a big set of variables and as for diet! I wonder just how many dietary variables there are?
It is not surprising that dietary advice is a minefield of pseudo-science, quacks, opportunistic capitalists, etc. etc.....
http://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/1349279/
Whatever gave an early human more energy than they expended to gather, hunt and forage. Since, I am a fan of the theory that living at the waterside (sea, river, lake) played a pivotal role in human evolution. The protein and fats in the diet would include a lot of shellfish and shallow water fish. Plus anything else that was edible.
http://aquatic-human-ancestor.org/evidence/diet.html
Article Aquarboreal ancestors?
Article The plant component of an Acheulian diet at Gesher Benot Ya‘...
They had to eat what the found. And before discovering fire the had to eat fruits and raw animals. No sign of diet, just the attempt to survive.
In the early timings, better human being take easily digestive food. Humans take vegetables or liquid food.
The problem is that the food industry with its development is changing unfavorably. We have a wide selection of food products, but they are more processed than ever. Production technology allows the use of a variety of substances, such as extending their usefulness. All this negatively affects our health. To enjoy the health possible we should choose simple and least processed products. The human being is not carnivorous and does not need to consume so much meat and meat products as it is consumed today. The prehistoric human basically eat what he found and eat primarily a plants, and the meat when he managed to hunt animal.
I gree with that physicians about that many of our modern illnesses related to foodstuffs
I think old people eat every thing available , if they live near sea they can eat fishes , same if there live near River like old Egyptian, but how they develop the way of cooking this is the question? also there is no more pollution as now.
regards
I agree with the colleagues who support that early humans had to eat whatever available. As regards the possible benefits from a 'return to a natural diet, like that of our early ancestors', things are complicated taking into account, from one point of view, air and soil pollution which seem unavoidable.
Regards
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