As we added more grains to our diet, we began to eat less fat and protein from
animal sources and consume more carbs. Grains provided a constant, ready
source of food, which resulted in a population explosion. Grains became
ubiquitous. Think of the significance of pasta for Italians, white rice for Asians,
and white bread for Americans. Grains often meant the difference between
survival and starvation.
In pharaonic Egypt, grains were cultivated in abundance around the Nile River
and were part of the daily diet. Grains were so significant to Egyptians that they
were given as offerings to the gods and even left next to mummies to be eaten in
the afterlife. But close examination of Egyptian mummies reveals the negative
impact of a diet high in grains—weak bones, rotted teeth, and other signs of poor
health (that are not dissimilar to what people suffer from today). The statues and
art we’ve seen in museums of Egyptian muscular young bodies were just an
idealization of a body type. They are in direct contradiction to the true state of
the population’s health.
As we added milk to our diet, many found themselves not able to tolerate it.
People who are lactose intolerant suffer such symptoms as abdominal pain and
bloating when they consume dairy products.
Our Modern Diet: The Last 200 Years
The human diet has changed more over the last 200 years than during the
preceding 10,000 years. Following the introduction of sugar and refined
vegetable oils into our diet, our health took a real nosedive. Many primitive
societies did not change their diets following the onset of the Industrial
Revolution, but many—especially ours—did. The United States certainly took to
processed foods more aggressively than other industrialized countries, such as
France and Japan. Yes, the French eat some refined carbs from pastries, but they
still eat plenty of fresh vegetables and fruits. The same goes for the Japanese,
who eat white rice, but always with abundant fresh fish and other seafood.
Milk Pasteurization: A Good Thing or a Bad Thing?
Even milk, a recent introduction to our diet, changed from raw to pasteurized,
and subsequently to pasteurized and fatfree. In moderation, whole-fat raw milk
is quite healthy and provides nutrients and enzymes that promote health, but it
must be consumed immediately to avoid spoilage. Things changed in the 1920s
as health officials encouraged universal pasteurization, which kills bacteria. At
the time, death rates related to infections were quite high. As improved sanitary