Evolution: Your Handy Guide to Nutrition

In the process of ‘evolving’, we developed capabilities and relationships that gave us a continuously improving competitive edge. So, we stood up and walked, got opposing thumbs and a big cortex. We also developed an inscrutable set of nutritional complexities. However, complex as they are, when viewed through the lens of evolution, we get some great insights into what we should eat.

To answer the question “Should I eat it?” ask yourself “Did I evolve eating it?” You’ll get a "yes" to fruits, vegetables, meat and fish (yes, even the fats). You’ll get a resounding "no" to hydrogenated oils, high fructose and flavorings (even ‘natural’ ones). There might also be some surprises: A little dirt, bacteria and pollen might go a long way – and where would we have eaten ‘low-fat’ 10,000 years ago? You can even use this idea to ask “What combination of foods should I eat?” We evolved eating a lot of plants - and were only able to supplement our diets with hard to catch animals.

There is no altruism in nature. The plants and animals that provide the calories and nutrients we require always get something in return. The apple makes fruit as a way to drop its seeds further from the tree. Who needs the anti-oxidants (CHONS CaFe: Antioxidants) in blueberries more: us, to ward off cancer? - or the blueberry so it can stay brightly colored? Once we learned to care for and feed cows – and then started milking them before eating them - we eventually developed an ability to metabolize the sugar in their milk (CHONS CaFe: Lactose Intolerance).

We are also opportunistic. We ‘learned’ to use building materials from the things readily available for eating. Ever wonder what the ‘Essential Amino Acids” are? They are the nine protein building blocks that we can’t make ourselves – so we have to eat them. It's not that we couldn't make them, we just never needed to - so we didn't waste evolutionary resources developing that particular ability. Here’s another interesting one: We never bothered to produce Vitamin ‘C’ because we could eat it. Chickens, on the other hand can produce vitamin ‘C’, because it typically wasn't found in the foods that where readily available to them.

There is even a school of thought that says marijuana ‘learned’ to make humans feel good in return for propagation of its genetic material. This “cultivation evolutionary strategy” has put cows, goats, weed, corn and soybeans on the top of the ‘successful species’ list.

This all adds up to a time-tested symbiotic relationship that, even if we can’t unravel it enough to understand it, gives us great insights into what foods we need.

Next time you’re wondering if you should eat it, let your inner-caveman provide the answer.