Hmm... Dearest primal eaters, how do I put this delicately? Oh hell, when was the last time I put anything delicately?
New research out of George Washington University shows that Neanderthals not only ate their veggies, but also consumed grains. From Scientific American:
After analyzing a selection of these particles from European and Middle Eastern Neandertal dental remains, the team found "direct evidence for Neanderthal consumption of a variety of plant foods." Researchers examined content found on seven teeth from three individuals—two unearthed in Belgium and one in Iraq. The study, led by Amanda Henry of the Center for the Advanced Study of Hominid Paleobiology, was published online December 27 in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.Previous studies examining protein levels in Neanderthal bones suggested our ancestors consumed little more than meat, but now scientists think the old research overlooked the fact that vegetables contain protein as well. In my mind, that's a little, like, "duh!" but whatever. Viva progresso!
Some of the Paleolithic snacks seem to have included legumes, date palms and grass seeds. The grasses were from the Triticeae group, which includes wild varieties of barley, rye and wheat relatives.
A few months ago, researchers discovered that the Primal Eating theory that humankind didn't start eating grains until 10,000 years ago was a little shaky when they found evidence of grinding stones dating back 30,000 years. This new discovery doesn't just nail the coffin of this bit o' pseudo history; It buries it six feet under and builds a bagel shop on top of it.
It looks like the makers of the Paleolithic Diet are going to need to change its name to the Paleomythic Diet.
Why oh why does this not surprise me in the least... :p Guess he might have to update that book of his, eh?
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year, Denis!