What Did Prehistoric Humans Actually Eat?

Ancient humans existed thousands of years ago, and they were very different than humans today! What did they eat?

Read More:
Early hominids ate just about everything
"Reconstructions of human evolution are prone to simple, overly-tidy scenarios. Our ancestors, for example, stood on two legs to look over tall grass, or began to speak because, well, they finally had something to say."

Diet likely changed game for some hominids 3.5 million years ago, says CU-Boulder study
"A new look at the diets of ancient African hominids shows a 'game changer' occurred about 3.5 million years ago when some members added grasses or sedges to their menus, according to a new study led by the University of Colorado Boulder."

Early Human Diets
"The old saying 'You are what you eat' takes on new significance in the most comprehensive analysis to date of early human teeth from Africa."

"Evolving to Eat Mush": How Meat Changed Our Bodies
"Meat-eating has impacted the evolution of the human body, scientists reported today at the American Association for the Advancement of Science's annual meeting in Washington, D.C."
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[bobbyharper]

I think ancient humans ate any plant or animal they could get their hands.

[liberkhaos]

In a few million years, someone will find my remains and realize that I'm the point where our species evolved to process fast food.

[elderaarondavis]

They probably didn’t have a strict eating patterns like modern humans do. They pretty much eat at any times during the day

[joetart]

I think we are now in the "Cardboard Era". Everything we eat comes in a cardboard box.

[WobblesandBean]

"Would I Switch to an ancient diet?" Well, no, because I'm not an ancient human. I love all these fad paleo diet things, but it's like...early humans weren't all lean because of what they ate, they were like that because they had to run for miles and miles each day to GET said food, and to get away from things that wanted to make THEM into food.

[frozeneternity]

I have been paleo for almost a year and a half now. I did not make the shift ONLY because its (apparently) what our ancestors ate. I mainly made the shift because I have an autoimmune disease and there are a lot of studies that show grains (especially gluten containing ones) are linked to auto immunity. There is also a lot of research on the two being linked to leaky gut as well. So I made small changes to my diet (like removing gluten) and saw my health improve which lead to more research on the connection of food and healing.

My journey to better health and managing my condition actually started a few years ago before hearing about paleo and is by no means finished. Now I am shifting more to focusing on eating fish and eggs as my protein and (of course)  piling on as much leafy greens and different veggies on my plate as I can. This is, in a way, more true to MY ancestors diet as my family are mediterranean. This does not mean I follow the conventionally mediterranean diet as i do not find I agree with legumes or too much diary and I certainly do not eat any grains or wheat products (pasta). But I have seen what works for me and this does.

Please do not think I have thrown science (or our common knowledge of it) out the door for a "fad" diet. I am working with a doctor and follower of natural medicine. I read up on all the latest finding on my condition and do regular blood tests and check ins.

Taking my health into my own hands, changing my diet and making other lifestyle changes has meant I am no longer on the medication many other doctors said i would spend a life time on. I feel better then ever and am improving more each day. As cheesy as it sounds - Paleo may have saved my life really

[ahmass]

you didnt answer the question, just saying, you simply talked about the evolution of our diet system 

[xanatosking]

As our bodies change over time, so needs our diet. I would rather go on a diet that gives me, specifically, everything I need on a chemical level.

[alexanderm]

Depends where my ancestors lived. I think it may depend on your genetics. Clearly people living in certain areas with certain foods more available would have adapted to eat those foods, and there isn't a blanket diet that would suit everybody. Some ancient people must have eaten meat way more often than others. Thats why I disagree with statements like "No one should eat meat"

[serialced]

Great video! So much info condensed into a short video and lovely Julia to present it all, thanks for this one!

[RoelVT]

I'm pretty sure "Tanzania" is not pronounced that way... 

[rikard.h]

How did they even buy food if they didn't have money??

[lubricatedgoat]

Isn't a large part of the 'paleo diet' to do with not eating processed foods?  Surely avoiding factory food is more healthy than not.
I've found for me, avoiding processed foods (not that I'm too good at that!) and staying away from carbs in general and wheat in particular, have not only a positive effect on how I feel, but, as myriad blood tests show, a huge impact on my health.  
We're all pretty diverse, so to each his or her own.  Whatever works best, based on scientific testing, is the best diet for you!

[SNFDNSD]

I really don't think eating leaves and fruit would've kept you full. Most of their diet had to have been meat.

[MarkVA]

I went on a ketogenic adaptation of the Paleolithic diet 3.5 years ago and I gained back my health on so many fronts and I feel 20 years younger than I did before. Oh yeah, and I lost 90 lbs and kept it off!! :)

[TheF]

wait, wouldn't it be pretty much impossible to eat plants dating back tens of thousands of years ago being that we have genetically modified pretty much every source of vegetation that we can consume through long years of agriculture?

[Nhicki]

Is it only me who gets subtitles on DNews videos becaus its so anoyinhg i turned them off in youtube setting but they keep showing, most likely becaus DNews used yt:cc=on as a tag, anoying as fuck, nice feature to have for the deaf but i would assume the majority of us are hearing fine anyway is there someone who knows how i can fix this? thanks

[tkol]

Human ancestors from 3, 5 million years were not human, so talking about them is moot. Humans, as we are today, evolved 200.000 years ago. Talk to me about Homo sapiens diet. What did they eat, since they are us? And not about distant monkey/human relatives. And Neolithic diet is very much different from Paleo diet.
What Did Prehistoric Humans Actually Eat? I still have no answer.

[matejsmrekar]

Jesus people its not hard to grasp what the right food for you, eat the food that is natural, fruit, vegetables and meat, don't eat shit from boxes.

[darrenmowat]

what was the first person to milk a cow thinking before they did it