eli5 why we have such complex dietary requirements. Did our ancestors thousands of years ago have extremely well balanced diets?
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I’m not a nutritionist, but I think people vastly overestimate what we need to survive, or even to be reasonably healthy.
In his book Two Years before the Mast, Richard Henry Dana recorded that he and the other sailors on his whaling ship ate nothing but salted beef and hard tack (flour and salt), and they were in better shape than those on land with more varied and traditional diets. He noted that after 6 months or so scurvy would set in, but according to him even a few bites of an onion or potato would be enough to reverse the symptoms. It should be noted that these men led very physically demanding lives.
The food pemmican is supposed to maintain people indefinitely, and some inuit and western (European) explorers are reported to have done so. This was a mix of lean game meat, suet or a saturated fat, and dried berries such as blueberry.
There’s also an example of an overweight Scotsman (I forget the name) who went a few months on only water, salt, and vitamin tables in order to lose weight.
I’ve heard that butter and potatoes will sustain a person indefinitely, but don’t know if it’s been tried.
Someone else alluded to this, but the best answer is that our ancestors died a lot younger than people nowadays and one of the many reasons for that was their diet.
Thousands or millions of years ago, food scarcity was a lot more of a problem than it is today. Diseases and other health problems were very common because people were not eating a well balanced diet for the most part.
Humans evolved to survive off of a variety of food sources because they had to. Often one food source would run out and we would fall back onto another. This swapping and depriving of some nutrients is tough on the body. We don’t want to live like that and have health problems and die young anymore, and we have a choice to eat better and prevent those things.
Someone else alluded to this, but the best answer is that our ancestors died a lot younger than people nowadays and one of the many reasons for that was their diet.
Thousands or millions of years ago, food scarcity was a lot more of a problem than it is today. Diseases and other health problems were very common because people were not eating a well balanced diet for the most part.
Humans evolved to survive off of a variety of food sources because they had to. Often one food source would run out and we would fall back onto another. This swapping and depriving of some nutrients is tough on the body. We don’t want to live like that and have health problems and die young anymore, and we have a choice to eat better and prevent those things.
I mean, they had shorter lives… Our dietary requirements really aren’t all that complex if long term health is not a concern. What we now think of as “healthy” is an attempt to keep our bodies operating well long past the age where there’s an evolutionary reason for us to be alive. As far as evolution is concerned, once your children are old enough to survive on their own, you’re dead weight.
Someone else alluded to this, but the best answer is that our ancestors died a lot younger than people nowadays and one of the many reasons for that was their diet.
Thousands or millions of years ago, food scarcity was a lot more of a problem than it is today. Diseases and other health problems were very common because people were not eating a well balanced diet for the most part.
Humans evolved to survive off of a variety of food sources because they had to. Often one food source would run out and we would fall back onto another. This swapping and depriving of some nutrients is tough on the body. We don’t want to live like that and have health problems and die young anymore, and we have a choice to eat better and prevent those things.
I mean, they had shorter lives… Our dietary requirements really aren’t all that complex if long term health is not a concern. What we now think of as “healthy” is an attempt to keep our bodies operating well long past the age where there’s an evolutionary reason for us to be alive. As far as evolution is concerned, once your children are old enough to survive on their own, you’re dead weight.
I mean, they had shorter lives… Our dietary requirements really aren’t all that complex if long term health is not a concern. What we now think of as “healthy” is an attempt to keep our bodies operating well long past the age where there’s an evolutionary reason for us to be alive. As far as evolution is concerned, once your children are old enough to survive on their own, you’re dead weight.
we have complexity now because we can afford to have options. in 3rd world countries, you eat whatever you can get your hands on, alive or dead. i would imagine thousands of years ago, the same rules apply.
we have complexity now because we can afford to have options. in 3rd world countries, you eat whatever you can get your hands on, alive or dead. i would imagine thousands of years ago, the same rules apply.
we have complexity now because we can afford to have options. in 3rd world countries, you eat whatever you can get your hands on, alive or dead. i would imagine thousands of years ago, the same rules apply.
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