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forsythI've been pondering for some reason today, about cavemen.
Well, more about a couple different things that claim to be "better" because "that's how our ancestors did it." The Atkins diet, for one. The other was some weird person who has some kind of enmity toward toilets, and blames them for all sorts of back problems and stuff. They both base their argument on, basically, "back before (the agricultural revolution/toilets), people lived healthier lives, were happier, and suchlike." Which, frankly, is patent lunacy.
Our caveman ancestors didn't live happier, healthier lives. They lived one or two bad hunts from starvation. If you live to thirty, you were ANCIENT. An insane number of women and children died in childbirth. They lived in CAVES, thus why they're called cavemen. Caves without cable, air conditioning, or doors, mostly. That's not an earthly paradise. They weren't healthier, they were in general, malnourished. A simple cut could lead to an infection that could kill you. No toothbrushes, shampoo, or even soap, generally. Gah. Just listing the minor everyday things that could kill you, and the diseases, not to mention the bigger, nastier, predators, makes one wonder why people idealize this.
Well, I guess they're looking more toward a "garden of Eden" type thing, rather than reality of how life back then was. Frankly, cavemen probably would see the modern world as a heaven, food readily available, not dead by thirty, medical care, toilets....Sheesh.
"But the Atkins diet works!" Well, yes and no. Sorta.
The Atkins diet makes you lose weight in the inital stage for one simple reason. Most Americans get a significant percent of their daily calories from carbohydrates. I don't have any specific numbers, but I'd guess at LEAST 1/3 to 1/2. And carbs are one of the most efficient source of energy for the body, behind fats and sugars. So, if you cut out all those carbohydrates, even if you eat $amount more meat or stuff, you end up cutting out probably at least a third of your daily calories. So you eat less. Essentially, you're starving yourself. So...when you don't feed your body enough, you lose weight! Wow, what a concept.
Of course, you lose a bunch of other important things when you cut things out suddenly like that, it's really not good for your body. If you want to lose weight, two things are best. First, get up and exercise. Even just walk for like fifteen minutes a day, really. Second, cut out fats, and sugars, THEN cut down on carbs. Seriously, people, sheesh. Just eat healthier, fad diet things really aren't the way to go.
Well, more about a couple different things that claim to be "better" because "that's how our ancestors did it." The Atkins diet, for one. The other was some weird person who has some kind of enmity toward toilets, and blames them for all sorts of back problems and stuff. They both base their argument on, basically, "back before (the agricultural revolution/toilets), people lived healthier lives, were happier, and suchlike." Which, frankly, is patent lunacy.
Our caveman ancestors didn't live happier, healthier lives. They lived one or two bad hunts from starvation. If you live to thirty, you were ANCIENT. An insane number of women and children died in childbirth. They lived in CAVES, thus why they're called cavemen. Caves without cable, air conditioning, or doors, mostly. That's not an earthly paradise. They weren't healthier, they were in general, malnourished. A simple cut could lead to an infection that could kill you. No toothbrushes, shampoo, or even soap, generally. Gah. Just listing the minor everyday things that could kill you, and the diseases, not to mention the bigger, nastier, predators, makes one wonder why people idealize this.
Well, I guess they're looking more toward a "garden of Eden" type thing, rather than reality of how life back then was. Frankly, cavemen probably would see the modern world as a heaven, food readily available, not dead by thirty, medical care, toilets....Sheesh.
"But the Atkins diet works!" Well, yes and no. Sorta.
The Atkins diet makes you lose weight in the inital stage for one simple reason. Most Americans get a significant percent of their daily calories from carbohydrates. I don't have any specific numbers, but I'd guess at LEAST 1/3 to 1/2. And carbs are one of the most efficient source of energy for the body, behind fats and sugars. So, if you cut out all those carbohydrates, even if you eat $amount more meat or stuff, you end up cutting out probably at least a third of your daily calories. So you eat less. Essentially, you're starving yourself. So...when you don't feed your body enough, you lose weight! Wow, what a concept.
Of course, you lose a bunch of other important things when you cut things out suddenly like that, it's really not good for your body. If you want to lose weight, two things are best. First, get up and exercise. Even just walk for like fifteen minutes a day, really. Second, cut out fats, and sugars, THEN cut down on carbs. Seriously, people, sheesh. Just eat healthier, fad diet things really aren't the way to go.
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More on Cavemen Diets
Date: 2004-05-26 05:26 pm (UTC)Anyway, about cavemen again. Yes, cavemen were healthier than the average cubicle worker, for many of the reasons you mentioned, Leti, less overeating, more exercise, and more strength. However, they didn't overeat, because in much of the world, they were quite close to starvation. Under-nourishment was much more of a problem on a regular basis, I'd say.
Another thing, of course, is they lived in a very different environment, and they were stronger, because they had to be, otherwise they'd end up dead. I don't think there's any way to have accurate specifics on deaths and such, but the number of cavemen that died young, as in preteen, would probably be quite high, especially as babies. So only the strongest ones would even survive long enough to do much of anything, much less breed. Brute strength and constitution were required to survive childhood. The VAST majority of the people alive today would have died back then. Childhood diseases, broken limbs, or just lack of nourishment.
Another, sorta-related thing, is comparing cavemen and modern humans is sorta like comparing dogs and wolves. Or any domesticated animal and their wild counterparts. Domesticated animals tend to become physically weaker a bit, and have more refined bone structure and stuff, and this applies to humans too. Basically, we domesticated ourselves, when we invented civilization. Which gives an entirely separate set of pressures that work on survival, as opposed to the ones cavemen faced. Unfortunately, the pressures we face change a good bit faster than evolution can keep up with, especially these days, so we've still got lots of caveman bits running about, in our bodies and brains.