Chimpanzees and bonobos are both primarily frugivorous, meaning they eat mostly fruit. They also consume leaves, seeds, nuts, and occasionally insects or small animals. Gorillas, on the other hand, are mostly herbivorous, eating leaves, stems, and fruits.
Gorillas and chimpanzees have a similar gut anatomy to humans, suggesting that our common ancestor likely had a similar diet. This means that our ancient ancestors may have also been primarily plant-based with some animal foods included.
So, what does this mean for the paleo diet? While the diet does emphasize meat consumption, it may not accurately reflect the true diversity of our ancestors’ diets. Our ancient cousins likely ate a wide variety of foods depending on what was available in their environment.
In conclusion, the paleo diet may have some health benefits for some individuals, but it may not necessarily be an accurate representation of what our ancient ancestors actually ate. To truly understand our ancestral diet, we need to look at a wide range of hunter-gatherer populations and our closest living relatives.
Ultimately, the best diet is one that is balanced, varied, and suits your individual needs and preferences. Listening to your body and focusing on whole, nutrient-dense foods is key to achieving optimal health and wellness, regardless of whether you follow a paleo diet or not. So, let’s investigate what chimps eat.
A chimp’s diet
Chimpanzees absolutely love fruit. A study found that chimps spent 65% of their feeding time eating fruit and 20% eating leaves. They also eat insects, like termites, and other species of primates.
Chimps also occasionally eat infant chimpanzees. Paleo diet enthusiasts are unsurprisingly quiet on the topic of cannibalism.
Overall, chimps’ diets are low in meat. And, as with human hunter-gatherers, their diets vary by region. For instance, researchers studying a population of chimpanzees in Ngogo, South Africa, found that they hunted an average of 1.8 times each month. And scientists studying chimps in Taï, Côte d’Ivoire, found that they hunted an average of 2.9 times a month.
There are sex differences in meat consumption, too. Females have less access to meat, and they only eat around 13% as much meat as male chimps.
There’s some evidence that females make up for it by eating decaying wood — another food group not entertained by the paleo diet.
Archaeological evidence
We do have some direct evidence of true Paleolithic diets. Again, they vary. And aside from geographical differences, there are climate shifts to contend with.
The end of the Paleolithic era coincides with the end of the last ice age. This extended cold snap ran from roughly 115,000–11,700 years ago. The authors of one scientific paper write:
“Late in the [last ice age], the human diet in many parts of the world changed dramatically. Wild plant and animal foods that were previously not heavily exploited became important, sometimes as the dominant elements of the local diet.”
Although diets changed throughout the Paleolithic, and we don’t know granular details, we can see snapshots of what some people were eating at scattered archaeological sites.
Next, we’ll cover a few of these findings.
An ancient buffet
Research shows that ancient humans ate a wider selection of animals and fish than Neanderthals. But because this evidence comes from isotope studies on bones, we don’t know how much of their diet was meat. And as we learned from our glance at hunter-gatherers, it likely varied from place to place and between the sexes.
Some of these foods are interesting because they’re either unpleasant to eat or toxic without preparation. So, our Paleolithic cousins were already processing food tens of thousands of years ago.
As you probably remember, starchy tubers and legumes are prohibited on the paleo diet.
However, archaeological sites in Greece, Israel, and Kurdistan have all provided evidence that Paleolithic people were eating legumes. And sites in China show that they relied on tubers during very cold periods.
Bread is another foodstuff that’s off the table with paleo. But there’s evidence from Jordan that people were making bread-like products 14,400 years ago, at the tail end of the Paleolithic.
These products were made from tubers and the wild ancestors of domesticated cereals.
So, although this is just small selection of the archaeological evidence, we can already see that it doesn’t match the modern “paleo” diet.
A paleolithic pantry
A final thorn in the side of the paleo diet is that most food today (even if it’s allowed on the paleo diet) is different from how it existed thousands of years ago.
We’ve domesticated chickens, cows, sheep, and other animals. In doing so, we’ve massaged their genes to turn them into much more efficient producers of meat and eggs. And while some Paleolithic populations probably did eat more meat than modern humans, that meat was likely quite different — wild meat tends to have less saturated fat than meat from domesticated animals, for instance.
In the same way, we’ve domesticated crops, selecting only those with the biggest fruits, the fewest pips, and so on. For instance, ancient bananas contained lots of seeds, as you can see in the image at the top of the article. And tomatoes were little more than berries.
Also, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, collards, and kale didn’t exist 10,000 years ago.
Humans created these plants around 4,000 years ago, in a similar way that we managed to turn wild wolves into breeds as diverse as sausage dogs and St. Bernards.
The bottom line? Replicating the precise diet of Paleolithic humans is impossible.
Even if we knew what they were eating, many of the plants they consumed likely don’t exist in the same form — at least not at your local store.
Conclusions
The paleo diet can’t be a faithful replication of what our ancient cousins ate because there was no single Paleolithic diet — their diets varied wildly.
Also, the plants and meat we eat today differ from those available to our ancestors. And the paleo diet bans legumes and grains, which some Paleolithic people did eat.
Plus, the paleo diet doesn’t include grasses, for example, which our forebears ate. And they probably also ate human flesh.
But there’s no need to cut out grains, dairy, and legumes. Although today’s standard Western diet certainly isn’t ideal, it doesn’t mean that every modern morsel is bad for us.
The fact that humans now inhabit virtually all regions on Earth demonstrates that we are adaptable. It’s one reason why we’re the only species of bipedal ape left.
Our ability to adapt to environmental and dietary changes has kept us thriving for thousands of years. This quote from anthropologist Dr. William Leonard says it well:
“Our species was not designed to subsist on a single, optimal diet. What is remarkable about human beings is the extraordinary variety of what we eat.”
“We have been able to thrive in almost every ecosystem on the Earth,” he continues, “consuming diets ranging from almost all animal foods among populations of the Arctic to primarily tubers and cereal grains among populations in the high Andes.”
Humans have weathered apocalypses, famines, and climate shifts. If we hadn’t adapted to these changes between the end of the Paleolithic and now, we would have gone extinct.
Yes, much of our modern food system is dedicated to pumping additives, sugar, and salt into our bodies. We need to make smart nutritional choices. But removing all traces of the agricultural advances of the last 10,000 years is unnecessary, and it means that you’re missing out on nutrients. Not all advances are bad.
And just as no single dietary pattern suited all Paleolithic people, no single diet is best for everyone living today. Have you ever wondered why some diets work better for some people than others? It turns out that we are all different when it comes to how our bodies respond to food. If you’re looking to understand how your body reacts to different foods and find a diet that aligns with your health goals, taking our free quiz can be a great first step.
Research has shown that our dietary preferences and tolerances may have roots in our evolutionary history. For example, a study published in the journal Scientific Reports revealed that the progenitor of the faba bean originated in the Levant around 14,000 years ago. This suggests that our ancestors may have consumed these legumes as part of their diet.
Another study, published in Evolutionary Anthropology, proposed a theory on human life history evolution, highlighting the role of diet, intelligence, and longevity in shaping our dietary habits over time. The research suggests that our dietary choices have played a significant role in our cognitive development and overall health.
The origins of bread have also been traced back to northeastern Jordan around 14,400 years ago, as reported in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. This discovery sheds light on the early culinary practices of human societies and the importance of grains in our diets.
While some diets, like the paleo diet, advocate for the exclusion of legumes and potatoes, others emphasize the importance of carbohydrate quality for human health. A series of systematic reviews and meta-analyses published in The Lancet examined the impact of carbohydrate quality on health outcomes, highlighting the need for a balanced approach to carbohydrate consumption.
Cooking has long been a hallmark of human civilization, as evidenced by archaeological findings of carbonized plant remains in caves such as Franchthi and Shanidar. These discoveries point to the early culinary practices of our ancestors and the role of cooking in providing a high-quality diet.
As we continue to explore the evolution of human diets, it’s important to consider the diverse dietary practices of different cultures and time periods. From the foraging habits of hunter-gatherer societies to the emergence of agriculture, our dietary choices have evolved alongside our changing environments.
By understanding the intricate relationship between diet, evolution, and health, we can make informed choices about what we eat and how it impacts our well-being. So, if you’re curious about how your body responds to food and what diet might be best for you, why not start by taking our free quiz today? Your personalized results could provide valuable insights into optimizing your health and reaching your wellness goals.