You’ve probably heard of some diets that claim eating a primarily animal-based protein diet is how our ancient ancestors survived and thrived. A new research paper published by a team of scientists is now giving us a new perspective on ancient diets. Did our entire ancient human family survive on eating meat?
The ancient ancestors highlighted in this study were once the inhabitants of Northern Africa, called the Iberomasurians. In what is now modern-day-Morocco, a study of an excavation site yielded new isotopic evidence tying these humans to a largely vegan diet.
This evidence dates back to 15,000 BCE, long before the domestication of agriculture. The classic title of hunter-gatherer may not be the most accurate, at least for this population. Through this study, scientists observed the isotope levels found in skeletons aligns with a very plant-heavy diet.
This discovery is a big deal because it contributes to the growing evidence that the diet of our ancestors was diverse and did not always rely primarily on meat. Other studies from various parts of the world have also shed some light on the diverse eating habits of our ancient relatives.
Neanderthals living in Belgium and Iraq were directly linked to consumption of diverse plant foods, some of which were cooked. Early human populations in the South American Andes were also linked to isotopic evidence highlighting a plant-based diet. All of this research is a great way for scientists to slowly piece together the story of how we became who we are today.
This type of information is metric evidence that now calls into question the notion that all of our ancient ancestors were exclusively eating meat and that it was a key factor to their survival. This is a great example of how our ancient human family and science occasionally come together to give us new knowledge.
Regardless, leave it up to our family to offer some new perspective and truly give us some food for thought.