Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.-Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
The Advent of Agriculture
The advent of agriculture challenged the integrity and harmony of our hormonal
systems. Grains were added to the human diet about 10,000 years ago. This
change radically shifted the dietary balance away from lowcarb to highcarb
eating. Until man domesticated cows about 8,000 years ago, humans never
consumed milk beyond infancy. The addition of grains and milk brought a
paradoxical shift. Although the human lifespan began to increase because people
were no longer reliant on being part of the predatory food chain, a host of
previously unknown diseases also began to arise, like allergies and gluten and
lactose intolerances. In other words, we began to live longer, but not necessarily
healthier.
This diet shift also changed our lifestyles. The advent of agriculture meant the
end of a migratory lifestyle. Families, communities, and cities sprouted up
around the world. We became a sedentary culture because we no longer had to
chase our food.