Customer Reviews

Evolution of the Human Diet: The Known, the Unknown, and the Unknowable (Human Evolution)

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I bought this book because I am interested in the proper diet for humans at our stage of evolution, but really didn't learn much in that regard. While it is clear we didn't evolve eating grains, and our ancestors consumed less omega-6 fatty acids and more omega 3's, what is not clear to me is the evolutionary effects of fructose, saturated fats, and cooked proteins. If that is because science doesn't yet know, that would explain the vagueness of the conclusions in that regard, but it also diminishes the value of the book. Also, while the essays near the end of the book addressed the difference between past human diets and today's, they sometimes lumped all animal proteins and all animal fats together, without distinguishing between today's typical grain-fed birds and animals and those raised on organic pasture land. Overall, I found the book somewhat interesting, but not particularly helpful.

If you are interested in knowing more about our ancestor's diets, and how we have evolved over the last 100,000 years, but you already know our ancestors' diets consisted of more omega-3 fatty acids and virtually no grains, this book may be of limited value to you.