Ancient Evidence Challenges Paleo Diet, Showing Humans Long Ate ‘Processed Foods’
Mettmann, Germany – New archaeological research isโฃ upending the โpopular image of โearly humanโข diets, revealing that our ancestors โฃweren’t solely focused on meat consumption but skillfully processed and โคrelied heavily on plant-basedโข foods for sustenance – thousands of years before โคthe advent โof agriculture. The study challenges the โขcore โฃtenets of the modern “Paleo diet,” which advocates for โa lifestyle modeled afterโค the โpresumed eating habits of prehistoric โคhumans.
Published in the Journal of Archaeological Research, the findings from โฃresearchers at the Australian โNational University and the University โof Toronto Mississauga demonstrate that early Homo โขsapiens consumed carbohydrates โขandโค fats from a diverse range of plant sources, including wildโข seeds, starchy tubers, and even bitter nuts. Crucially, these foods weren’t eaten raw; they were often ground, cooked, or โคdetoxified using rudimentary tools and techniques.
“Plant use is frequently enough assumed to have become crucial only wiht the rise of farming,” explained Dr. Anna Florin, co-author of the study. “Though, archaeological discoveries show that early humansโข were processing plant foods thousands of years before agriculture began, โindicating a โฃlong-standing relationship with plant-based nutrition.”
the research identifies humans asโ a “broad-spectrum species,” possessingโฃ a remarkable dietary adaptability that allowed them โto thrive in varied environments. Dr. Monica Ramsey, the studyS othre co-author, emphasized the importance โof this processing ability. “This ability to prepare and process plant โคfoods gave early humans critical energy โand nutrients,” she said. “It also helped โขthem survive in different regions across the globe.”
Ramsey further explained that early humans utilized tools and botanical knowledge to transform naturally occurring ingredients into edible meals, showcasing their innovative and adaptable eating habits long before the advancement of farming. “They were turning manyโ natural ingredientsโ into edible meals,” she stated, “making them innovative and adaptable eaters well before the farming era.”
The findings callโฃ intoโค question the assumptions underpinningโ the Paleo diet trend, which frequently overlooks the important role of plant processing in human evolution. The study suggests that the narrative of a purely meat-focused prehistoric diet is a simplification of a โfar more complex and nuanced โreality.
