Evolution Of Diet Analysis

The article ‘The Evolution of Diet’ by author Ann Gibbons published in National Geographic looks at the impact of changes in the diets of indigenous people. Gibbons looks at the differences in the diets of six indigenous people groups and the impact of globalization has had upon them. Gibbons also looks at the health issues that are attributed to the new diets of these people along with the possible benefits that can be gained by following a form of the Paleolithic diet. The first group that Gibbons analyses are the Tsimane peoples of the Amazonian basin of lowland Bolivia. The diets of these people have been based on locally grown and harvested plants as well as the meat of the native animal species. Another of the groups Gibbons looks at are the Inuit people of Greenland which traditionally get up to 99 percent of their calories from some type of meat. Other groups analyzed were the Bajau people of Malaysia who have a diet that consist of what can be found in the ocean surrounding them. The Kyrgys people of the Pamir Mountains who rely on the animals which they herd and locally grown plants are also analyzed. Another of the groups are the Hadza tribe of Tanzania who are considered the last full-time hunter- gatherers. The last group that Gibbons looks at are the people of the Greek

According to Gibbons and her research if the modern man were to start eating as their ancestors had they would see a reduction in certain diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and high blood pressure. She also notes that certain aspects of a Paleolithic diet can be to harsh for a modern human such as a red-meat heavy diet like that of the Inuit tribes of Greenland. Another problem Gibbons points out is that the bodies of modern humans would not be able to breakdown some foods because our digestive systems have evolved to a point where we have problems breaking down such