What Hunters Do For A Living Richard B Lee Summary

In Richard B. Lee’s article, “What Hunters do for a Living” he takes readers into the world of the !Kung Bushmen who lived in the Kalahari desert. He then documents their gathering and food practices during the late 1960’s. Many decades ago, humans were entirely dependent on gathering and hunting their own food. Vegetables were 60-80% of the !Kung Bushmen’s total diet (Lee, 1968, p. 37). Today, engage in dietary habits including detrimental to our health. We now have genetically modified, heavily processed ready to eat foods that are quick and easy. This adds to our present health concerns because obesity rates are higher than ever. Being overweight or obese creates a snowball effect to other health concerns such as high blood pressure, diabetes,

and heart disease, the number one most preventable causes of death. Our dietary profile has changed dramatically over the years, and our health has also took a toll. Back then, they did not have soda, pizza, and desserts. Looking back to the nutritional value of the Paleolithic diet, hunting and catching food was a workout in itself. They ate a balanced diet of protein, fats, and carbs.
The !Kung Bushman moved around a lot, and spent the majority of their time outdoors. Compared to today, exercise may not be a priority in some people’s lives. The !Kung Bushman did eat more calories than the recommended daily intake for an American, but they did not have foods with empty calories. Their food was fresh, and contained synergy from the earth itself. Instead of having pizza and a soda for lunch, they had vegetables, nuts, and a source of protein.
Compared to the Paleolithic intake values, the !Kung Bushman ate about three times as much as I do. I am not hunting and walking miles every day, therefore I am not burning through my carbohydrates quickly for energy. The food I have today is readily available, and I have many different options for food - healthy and unhealthy. There is a grocery store on every street, and if I was in a rush or lazy, I can go to a restaurant. My polyunsaturated fat to saturated fat was under the Paleolithic intake. In my diet, I try to stay away from fat as much as possible. The !Kung Bushmen had healthy fats incorporated into their diet with the mongongo nut. According to Lee (1968), this one nut is drought resistant, and a 7.5 ounce serving contains the caloric equivalent of 2.5 pounds of cooked rice and the protein equivalent of 14 ounces of lean beef (p. 38). This one nut fuels 50% of their diet, and provides high nutritional values.
My potassium to sodium ratio was also under compared to the Paleolithic intake and the United States Recommended Dietary allowance. This is because I do not need as much food as the hunters back then did. They needed to stay full to be able to move around and hunt for hours at a time. My ratios are also under the US RDA because I do not think I am an average American. I am careful of what I put into my body as much as possible, and I am also very active. My macro and micro nutrients are close to the daily recommended intake. These affect my health because carbohydrates are what a human body uses for energy. I averaged around 50% which is my target since I do stay active, and the daily recommendation is 40-65%. If we do not have our simple macronutrients, we will not be able to thrive to our full potential. My intake of protein was also on track. Protein helps repair my muscles that I overwork and breakdown while at the gym. Protein is also useful with production of body hormones and enzymes. The !Kung Bushmen need protein especially to repair their muscles after a long day of hunting. My fat intake has been high since I have not been eating the healthiest. This is not a good sign because all the extra fat my body does not utilize turned into triglycerides. Too much of triglycerides can lead to high blood pressure and many other internal body issues. My vitamin and mineral intake is not at the target range either -I am low in most vitamin categories. This affects me because without one vitamin or mineral, the others can’t do their work efficiently. They all work together to keep your body in homeostasis, and if one is off, so are all the others. My sodium to potassium ratio was less than the Paleolithic dietary habits. My polyunsaturated to saturated ratio was much closer, only a .38g difference. This is significant because in the Paleolithic diet, 60-80% of their diet consisted of whole foods they ate whole foods. Fish, potatoes, and leafy greens are naturally high in potassium, and meats, vegetables, and dairy, are naturally high in sodium. Since a big proportion of their food supply came from vegetables, it makes sense for their ratio to be much higher. This is significant because today, we are eating a wide variety of processed foods with who knows what added into them. During the Paleolithic era, they fed off the land, and ate what we would now call organic foods. If we were to eat as much vegetables as they did back then, our ratios would be higher to match. My percentages for fat was under, which can be good and bad. Fat is needed with fat soluble vitamins to be transported in the body. Not getting enough may be making me deficient.
Fast forwarding to today, we are frying foods, “raising” animals just to be eaten,and adding a lot of heavy, non nutritional preservatives.

Eating a grilled freshwater fish is a great source of omega 3 and healthy fats. Back then, they didn't have to worry about the quality of their foods either. Fish was fish, and meat was meat. Now we have many different ways of raising the animals we eat, and we have to choose between price, or quality. There are many options out there for cheap, caged animals, but they are not raised the same as free range, and most of the time, they are injected with growth hormones. The fact that we have options to choose between a free range chicken or a caged chicken is upsetting. Even fish are now farmed raised in mass quantities and are fed who knows

what.

Pt 2
There are many differences between my diet and food acquisition patterns and of the !Kung Bushmen. The !Kung Bushmen, would split up the work between women, and men. I myself, can accomplish both jobs. Lee stated, women spent about two to three days collecting vegetables for the week, and men spent days to weeks hunting animals. Also according to Lee, the !Kung Bushmen devote about 12-19 hours a week dedicated to harvesting food (1968, p. 41). I spend 27 hours a week working and 18 hours at school. I work to earn money to spend more time at a grocery store picking out food. Men who hunted, worked a maximum of 32 hours a week (Lee, 1968, p. 40). Also according to Lee, a man can hunt for a week, obtain enough meat, and then not hunt for two or three weeks (p. 41) . Unfortunately, I do not make enough to take time off as such, or have enough money to have for my food supply. Looking on the bright side, I can go to a grocery store and finish all my vegetable shopping in a matter of minutes, and buy meat that is ready to be cooked. Food now is readily available, and I do not have to worry about if I will be able to successfully hunt an animal, or find enough vegetables to pick. The downside is that many of our foods come from overseas, or not locally grown, and this can cause problems since industries use chemicals to keep the food fresh. The !Kung Bushmen rotated what they ate to what was available during the different seasons. Moving camps also helps them obtain different sources for food and water.
Within the !Kung Bushmen, they share their food with multiple family members.

I, myself only have to worry about if I am getting enough food and nutrients. Everyone within the camps does their own part during the day, gathering or hunting. They then return together in the evening and distribute the food evenly. There is a disadvantage because they have multiple people they can depend on for food. If someone becomes ill or injured, there are many others that can complete the task. If I were to get injured or sick, I will have to miss out on work - which means a smaller paycheck. This will affect my food acquisition because I will not have as much money to spend. An advantage that I do have is that I do not have to cook, and gather for multiple people.

My diet consists of about 25% meat versus the !Kung Bushmen eating 37% (Lee, 1968, p. 42). The average calorie consumption per person was about 2,100. This is similar to today's dietary standards, but many people go above the recommended range. The !Kung Bushmen’s diet consisted of meat, mongongo nuts, and other vegetable foods. Today, we have many other options including foods with high amounts of fats, sugar, and

additives.
The !Kung Bushmen also did not have to worry about working to earn money. They lived off the land, and used what mother nature offers us. Instead of working to earn money, they put in the work to take care of plants and live off of the earth. Luckily, my job provides me with two meals Monday, Wednesdays and Fridays, so I only have to worry about my food sources four times a week. If I were to work less, I would have more time to cook at home. Working affects my total time of food acquisition because the time I spend working to earn money for food, is time lost gathering or shopping for food. The money I earn is also used for eating at restaurants. This allows me to save time, rather than having to go grocery shopping, prep the food, cook it and then clean. This is a more expensive way of eating, but it can be quick and easy.
Another big difference between myself and the !Kung Bushman, is that they have to move frequently (p. 38-39). Many independent camps share one watering hole. Since they are moving around frequently, food is not stocked up for emergencies. There is rarely more than three days worth of food in a camp at a time (p.36). That differs from myself because I have a whole pantry and a refrigerator full of food that can last me weeks to a month's time if needed.

There are many differences and similarities between the !Kung Bushmen, and myself. They have shaped the way we obtain our food sources, but now, we accomplish it on a bigger scale. We now have the technology to have factories, massive farm lands, and local farmers to help feed our planet. Food is a necessity, and it is important that everyone is getting all the right nutrients and vitamins needed to thrive in life.