Challenging the "Paleo" Myth: Starch is Ancient
For decades, the popular image of our Paleolithic ancestors was that of a solitary, muscular hunter, whose diet consisted almost exclusively of large game. The modern "Paleo diet," often associated with this image, advocates a low-carb, meat-centric approach. However, a growing body of archaeological, dental, and genetic evidence is forcing a major rethink of this narrative. It is now clear that far from avoiding them, early humans actively sought out and processed starchy carbohydrates as a reliable, high-energy food source.
Evidence from sites around the world shows that the consumption of plant foods, including starchy ones, predates agriculture by hundreds of thousands of years. For example, microscopic starch granules from various plants have been found on 780,000-year-old stone tools at the Gesher Benot Ya'akov site in Israel. The discovery proves that early hominins were processing plants long before the rise of modern humans. Meanwhile, a 170,000-year-old site in South Africa’s Border Cave revealed burnt remains of rhizomes, confirming that humans were cooking starchy plants.
The Importance of Carbs for the Brain
One of the most compelling arguments for early carbohydrate consumption is the energetic demands of the human brain. Our brains are metabolic powerhouses, consuming roughly 20-25% of our daily energy budget, and a significant portion of this is fueled by glucose, the sugar derived from carbohydrates. While the body can produce glucose from protein and fat through gluconeogenesis, this is an inefficient process that would have been costly for early humans. A steady supply of dietary carbohydrates would have provided a more efficient and abundant source of brain fuel, potentially playing a crucial role in the expansion of hominin brain size over millennia.
Recent genetic research adds further weight to this theory. A study on ancient dental plaque from Neanderthals found fossilized bacteria with the ability to digest amylase, an enzyme that breaks down starch. This enzyme-producing bacteria is present in modern humans and suggests that Neanderthals were also adapted to a higher-carb diet than previously thought. Anthropologist Christina Warinner noted that this indicates starch was present in the early human diet and that the "Paleo diet is really quite unrelated to the Paleolithic".
The Hunter-Gatherer Diet: More than just Meat
While hunting was a vital activity, gathering provided a more consistent and lower-risk source of calories. A successful hunt was never guaranteed, and large prey could take a significant amount of energy to track and take down. By contrast, collecting starchy roots, bulbs, and seeds offered a reliable and energy-efficient way to acquire a high caloric intake. Early humans were highly skilled at understanding their environments, including the plants that grew around them and seasonal availability. They likely used this extensive botanical knowledge to maximize their gathering efforts.
Comparison of Early Human Food Sources
| Food Source | Caloric Reliability | Processing Needs | Energetic Cost (Acquisition) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Large Game (Meat/Fat) | High (when successful) | Low to Medium | High (requires hunting) |
| Starchy Plants (Tubers/Roots) | High (consistent) | Medium to High (cooking, crushing) | Low (requires gathering) |
| Seasonal Fruits/Berries | Low (seasonal) | Low | Low |
| Small Game/Insects | Medium | Low | Medium |
Processing Starchy Foods for Better Nutrition
The presence of starch granules on ancient tools suggests that early humans were not simply eating these plant foods raw. Processing methods were key to unlocking their full nutritional potential. Grinding and cooking starchy foods makes them significantly more digestible and increases the availability of nutrients. For instance, acorns contain bitter tannins that must be cooked out, and certain roots can be toxic if not processed properly. The mastery of fire would have been a game-changer, allowing for the widespread cooking of tough, fibrous plants and opening up a new and reliable food source across different environments. This shift demonstrates advanced cognitive abilities and a sophisticated understanding of their ecological niche.
Conclusion
The question "Did early humans eat carbs?" has been definitively answered in the affirmative by modern science. The evidence from ancient tools, fossilized dental plaque, and the metabolic needs of the human brain points towards a diet rich in starchy carbohydrates for hundreds of thousands of years. Far from adhering to a modern low-carb ideal, our hunter-gatherer ancestors were opportunistic omnivores who leveraged both animal and plant resources to survive and thrive. This understanding highlights the complexity of the ancient diet and dismantles the oversimplified narrative that has been popularized by certain modern diets. It shows that human evolution was shaped by a diverse and flexible dietary strategy, one that fully embraced nutrient-dense starchy foods. To learn more about this, explore expert analyses on the evolution of diet from institutions like the National Institutes of Health.
