The Evolution of Nutrition

From Cavemen to Consumers: How the Human Diet Has Evolved

Created by Stephanie Smith

Or both?!?

So, why did I choose this topic you ask?

Previous interest in Atkins Diet

Vegetarian for four yearsControversy

Paleo diet became popular

What are our bodies designed to eat? What is the perfect diet to make us live the longest?

Presentation Outline

Basic Human Taxonomy

Timeline of Dietary Shifts

Geological Ages vs brain, weight and teeth

Impact of … Carnivory Fire Tools Agriculture

Presentation Outline continued…

The Modern Paleo DietWhat is it?BenefitsGlutenLactose

Vegetarians on Paleo Diet

Opening Questions

1.First thing that comes to mind?

2.What is your opinion on the paleo diet?

Before we get startedBasic Human Taxonomy

Hominid: Only humans and their closest relatives. Modern meaning now includes great apes and humans. Appearance of the first “true humans” was 2.5 million years ago.

Paleolithic Period (“Old Stone Age”)

Epipaleolithic Period (“Upper Paleolithic Age”) : includes late developments of hunter-gatherer traditions.

Mesolithic Period: Stone Age between the Paleolithic and the Neolithic. Transition toward agriculture.

Neolithic Period (“New Stone Age”) Domestication

Timeline of Dietary Shifts

Timeline of Dietary Shifts

Geological ages & brain size

Species Geological ages (mya)

Brain Size (cm3)

A. afarensis 3.9-3.0 438

A. africanus 3.0-2.4 452

A. boisei 2.3-1.4 521

A. robustus 1.9-1.4 530

Homo habilis 1.9-1.6 612

H. Erectus (early)

1.8-1.5 863

H. Erectus (late) 0.5-0.3 980

H. sapiens 0.4-0.0 1350

Geological ages & Body Weight

Species Geological ages (mya)

Body Wt (kg)Female

Body Wt (kg) Male

A. afarensis 3.9-3.0 29 45

A. africanus 3.0-2.4 30 41

A. boisei 2.3-1.4 34 49

A. robustus 1.9-1.4 32 40

Homo habilis 1.9-1.6 32 37

H. Erectus (early) 1.8-1.5 54 66

H. Erectus (late) 0.5-0.3 55 60

H. sapiens 0.4-0.0 49 58

Geological ages & Post-canine surface area

Species Geological ages (mya)

Pcsa (mm2)

A. afarensis 3.9-3.0 460

A. africanus 3.0-2.4 516

A. boisei 2.3-1.4 756

A. robustus 1.9-1.4 588

Homo habilis 1.9-1.6 478

H. Erectus (early) 1.8-1.5 377

H. Erectus (late) 0.5-0.3 390

H. sapiens 0.4-0.0 334

Impact of Carnivory: More Energy, Less Food

Impact of Carnivory

GI Tract: Humans have a smaller gut volume compared to body size

Brain Development: human brain metabolism is 20-25% of the resting metabolic rate while it is only 8-10% in other primate species

Food Supply

Early Hominins

2.5 to 2 million years ago

Carnivore vs Herbivore GI Tract

• Simple stomach

• Short gut

• Little undigested food is egested

• Small or no cecum

• Complex gut

• Long gut

• Fermentation in stomach

• Large cecum

Non Carnivorous Claims

Carnivores have but humans do not have…

• Sharp, pointed Teeth and claws for tearing into flesh of prey

• A jaw that moves mostly up and down, with little lateral movement

• A head shape that allows for the digging into prey animals

• Ability to swallow food whole• Starch digesting enzymes

Meant to be Omnivores

Feeding Behavior: hunting and gathering

Adaptive Behavior: tools

No fermenting vats like herbivores

Short canines and molars

GI tract: intermediate between carnivores and herbivores

Impact of Fire: How Cooking Made Us Humans

Impact of Fire

Why was it necessary? Increases efficiency

What was its outcome?Dentition: smaller

molarsEasier on GI Tract Increased Food Supply

The Rise of Homo Sapiens

140,000-110,000 BC

Impact of Advanced Tools: The Beginnings of Hunting and Food Processing

Impact of Advanced

Tools

Road to agriculture Bow-and-arrow Mortars and pestles Domestication before

cultivation

What was its outcome? Added more variety

More meat Grains

Increased Food Supply

”Mesolithic” Period

20,000BC to 9,000 BC

Simple stone tools may have existed even before

this time (2.5 mya)

Hunter-gatherers

Impact of Agriculture: The Domestication of Wild Grains

Impact of Agriculture

Transition from hunter - gatherers to the domestication of crops and game

Popularity of Pastoralism: the branch of agriculture concerned with the raising of livestock.

Agricultural Revolution/

”Neolithic Age”

10,000 BC

Possible outcomes of Agriculture

Led to health conditions including: heart disease, high cholesterol, cancers, osteoporosis, obesity, depressed immune system, premature aging, and diabetes.

Micronutrient deficiencies: Grains can act as bulky fillers with less vitamins, minerals, carotenes, and flavonoids than fruits and vegetables.

Reduced quality of life: reduction of stature, increase in infant deaths, reduction in life span, increase in infectious diseases, increase in anemia, diseased bones, and tooth decay.

Mid Presentation Activity

Let’s Get The Blood Flowing

The Modern Paleo Diet

Going Back to Basics

The Modern Paleo Diet:Components

• The breakdown: Roughly, 35% fat, 40% carbohydrate, 25% protein.

• Staple foods: Wild and free-range meats, vegetables, fruits, nuts, nut-like seeds, some tubers, such as sweet potatoes

• Not allowed: grains, grain-like seeds, legumes, soy, starchy tubers, dairy, alcohol, most sugars

Benefits of The Paleo Diet

The Modern Paleo Diet:Benefits

• It’s unprocessed

• It reduces bloating

• It’s high in fruits and vegetables

• It’s high in healthy fats

• Its filling

The Modern Paleo Diet:Gluten

• Wheat is new food for us (0.4%)

• Our ingenuity is ahead of our biology

The Modern Paleo Diet:Lactose

• Humans started becoming tolerant 6,000-8,000 years ago in dairying cultures

• Has a high “selection differential”: Those who couldn’t drink milk, were more likely to die before they could reproduce.

• Approx. 2/3 of of adults are lactose intolerant today

• Evolutionary biologists are still puzzled today

The Modern Paleo Diet:Vegetarians

• Tough for vegetarians• No grains• No major sources of protein

• Impossible Paleo Options as a Vegetarian:• Eat lots of eggs (6 grams/day, need a dozen to

meet needs)• Hemp seeds and grain-like seeds• Soaked/sprouted beans and legumes• Antinutrients

Take Home MessageIS THIS REALISTIC IN TODAY’S SOCIETY?

A Dietitian’s View on THE Paleo DIET

PALEO VIDEO

Why is this important for us to know?

Must know the past before the present

It is okay to each grains, beans and dairy

Although this diet is healthy, moderation is still key to any/all diets

References that I used:

Allen, J. (2012). The Omnivorous Mind: Our Evolving Relationship with Food. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.

Bond, G. (2007). Deadly Harvest: The Intimate Relationship between Our Health and Our Food. Square One: Garden City Park.

Cordain, L. (2010). Cereal Grains: Humanity's Double-Edged Sword. World Rev Nutr Diet , 84, 19-73.

Cordain, L., Eaton, S. B., Sebastian, A., Mann, N., Lindeberg, S., Watkins, B. A., et al. (2005). Origins and evolution of the western diet: health implications for the 21at century. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition , 341-354.

Dunn, R. (2011). The Wild Life of Our Bodies: Predators, Parasites, and Partners That Shape Who We Are Today. NewYork: HarperCollins.

Eisenstein, M. (2010). The First Supper: Diet-directed evolution shaped our brains, but whether it was meat or tubers, or their preparation, that spurred our divergence from other primates remains a matter of hot debate. Nature , S8-S9.

References that I used:

Goodman, A. H., Dufour, D. L., & Pelto, G. H. (2000). Nutritional Anthropology: Biocultural Perspectives on Food and Nutrition. Mountain View: Mayfield Publishing Company.

Harris, M., & Ross, E. B. (1987). Food and Evolution: Toward a Theory of Human Food Habits. Temple University Press: Philadelphia.

Leonard, R., Snodgrass, J. J., & Robertson, M. L. (2007). Effects of Brain Evolution on Human Nutrition and Metabolism. The Annual Review of Nutrition , 311-327.

Manning, R. (2004). Against the Grain: How Agriculture Has Hijacked Civilization. Union Square West: North Point Press.

Phelan, B. (2012 йил 23-October). The Mysterious, Mutant, Civilizing Power of Milk. Retrieved 2013 from Slate.com: http://www.slate.com/artcles/health_and_science/human_evolution/2012/10/evolution_of_lactose_tolerance.html

References that I used: Pickrell, J. (2005 19-February). Human 'dental chaos' linked to evolution of

cooking. Retrieved 2013 from New Scientist: http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn7035-human-dental-chaos-linked-to-evolution-of-cooking.html

Pollan, M. (2002). The Botany of Desire: A Plant's-Eye View of the World. New York: Random House.

Ragir, S. (2000). Diet and Food Preparation: Rethinking Early Hominid Behavior. Evolutionary Anthropology , 153-155.

Ungar, P. S., & Sponheimer, M. (2011). The Diets of Early Hominins. Science , 190-193.

Wolf, R., & Cordain, L. (2010). The Paleo Solution: The Original Human Diet. Las Vegas: Victory Belt Publishing.

Wood, B. (2005). Human Evolution: A Brief Insight. New York: Sterling.

Wrangham, R. (2009). Catching Fire: How Cooking Made Us Human. New York: Basic Books.

Thank You for Your Time and Attention!

Any Questions?