What our ancestors ate doesn’t matter | Keep’n it simple

References:

Evidence our ancestors ate grains:

humans are ~300k years old:

whole grains and health outcomes:

Disclaimer: The Information in this video is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment, nor to replace medical care. The information presented herein is accurate and conforms to the available scientific evidence to the best of the author's knowledge as of the time of posting. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions regarding any medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay seeking it because of information contained in Nutrition Made Simple!.

[onehalfblythe]

1:34 No. It’s a common misconception that early humans had tiny life expectancies compared to modern times. These ‘average’ life expectancy estimates are heavily skewed by high childhood mortality. Anthropologists have found that in modern equivalent societies, there is almost a 50% chance of death before age 15. Those that do make it to this age can expect to live much longer: the modal age of death is actually into the 70s. Therefore, the diet of early adult humans was clearly sufficient to see them into older age.

[dontworrybehappy]

In my opinion, this is one of the best YouTube channels discussing nutrition. Thanks for taking the time to create them Dr. Carvalho!

[atim]

As a diabetic i can confirm that whole grain spikes my sugar s to very high level after every meal. Don't generalize the diet advice, it is contextual.

[tiffanysandoval]

I think people need to listen to there own bodies. Notice how foods make you feel. But I disagree with a lot of the information in this video. And just because you quoted one or two studies doesn't mean it's correct. Please people, do your own thorough research and do a lot of it.

Also, how much grains do you think people ate, 20k-100k year ago with out the ability to mass produce it? On top or the, plants have been cultivating to make them more edible only in recent history. Wild fruits and veg our ancestors had access to had way more fiber, less water, and was less sweet.

[kiwikim]

When I eat whole grains or just grains I wake up with joint pain the next morning. If I don’t eat them, then I don’t have joint pain. I’m 69 years old. This has been going on for 20 years. I avoid grains now. We’ve been told to eat lots of whole grains for decades. Why? I wonder if a lot of people who obediently eat oats for breakfast and other grains are on meds for arthritis and if they knew they could get off those meds but not eating grains would they happily give up grains?

For decades I ate steel cut oats in the morning with blueberries and chopped nuts. Two hours later I would be hungry again, and my bladder hurt. I would be hungry the rest of my day. I have interstitial cystitis and any plant food makes it worse. It took me 60 years to figure that one out.

[gummiesrule]

I think the evolutionary point is not that our ancestors 100, 000 years ago did not eat grains AT ALL, it's that they didn't regularly eat a significant portion of their calories from grains. They simply didn't have the agricultural chops to do so. They ate seasonal fruits when they could, they ate grains when they could...they ate anything and everything when they could, in fact. But for tens of thousands of years, the bulk of their calories came from animal products, right? Now, does that mean that we aren't currently as adapted to eating whole grains as we are animal products? Maybe, maybe not, I don't know. But I do know that simply showing pictures of anthropologists bending over skeletons with a voiceover that asserts that our ancestors ate "grains" is not sufficiently specific on this point.

[wickedchandy]

One of the best channels about diet and nutrition on YouTube. Amazing, thanks for making everything so simple.

[MukulVyas]

I can't put into words how immensely your videos are helping me understand stuff that I was ignorant about and never took seriously. You are not only educating people on the topic of nutrition but also instilling rationality, reasoning and researching for any aspect of life. Great work Dr. Carvalho. I'm extremely grateful for what you are doing.

P.S.: I never skip the ad when I watch your videos ;)

[jorgeeustaquio]

You seriously need more views and publicity. The info that you produce are well-explained, concise and by far most consistent and reliable to watch. Keep it up Doc. Love your content!

[RaveyDavey]

You say all that but I’ve been 2 months on a strict diet of woolly mammoth and grass seeds and my skin has never looked so clear.

[HolyHusky]

Really love your channel man!! I’ve been watching Dr.gregor’s videos for years now and I’ve switched to a 90% WFPB diet because of it, and in the process I’ve became very knowledge about nutrition. I’m constantly seeing information online that’s either misleading or flat out wrong, it’s great to see people like you promoting the truth. Thanks doc!

[frostfox]

I’ve been experimenting with my own diet for the past two years and as a result have lowered my blood sugar and lost twenty pounds. It’s been a fun journey and I am formulating what works best for me and that is at this point; Zero alcohol, < 50 grams of carbohydrates per day and most importantly, keep meal portions moderate and I can do this by eating low carbohydrates. And yes, exercise daily.

[montourigirl]

I love that you took this on. I, too, have found so many common sense reasons why this makes little sense. We really don't know if our ancestors were healthy based on their food intake! We have science, abundant food and new knowledge of what makes optimal health Im pretty sure humans ate whatever could keep them alive and I doubt they had access to animal protein the way we do now. Food is medicine and there is a lot of convincing science out there, that is great for understanding how to thrive!

[gabriellec]

Just recently found your channel. Thank you for delivering high quality, scientific-based, concise, level-headed content! It is unbelievably refreshing in this day and age with so many different health food trends taking off. I have really tried to keep an open mind and not take any food “diet” (keto, paleo, vegan, etc.) as gospel, and I don’t think anyone should. We all need to think independently and critically about what these lifestyles claim. I.e. Keto may be okay short term but I’m hearing more and more often that it is highly dangerous if not done right and not sustainable to the body in the long run (several years). I also used to buy into the lie that all soy is bad for you, which I have now learned is simply not true! Same thing with grains..I used to think “hmm maybe I should cut back on this wheat bread and use wraps instead”. I have now opened my eyes to the wonderful world of ancient grains/sprouted grains and their immense nutrition. So for any person reading this, I encourage you to stay open to the truth and the possibility that what you “know” may actually be wrong! It’s ultimately to your benefit. ;)

[ufhynoh]

Very good video! very well and simple explained, ashamed it doesnt have more likes

[borderlinesh]

I just discovered your channel while watching your review of Game Changers. I found your take on it to be the most fair and constructive amongst the reviews I watched. I'm trying to understand the topic of wheat better. I stumbled across the Paleo / Gundry anti-wheat / grain arguments, which really confused me. I'd love to learn more about your take on this, specifically in regards to the mechanics, which is where most lay folk such as myself get lost. Relatedly, I'm hearing a lot more about anti-nutrients and how many healthy foods contain quite a bit of them. I don't want to delve into another "I need to avoid this food" circle of confusion. My suspicion is that many of the anti-nutrients are counter-acted by other properties in whole foods. I'd love to learn more about the mechanisms behind this. Thanks for putting out balanced, high quality information on these topics. I've already shared your channel with my family.

[emgex]

if we would eat like our ancestors we would probably die somewhre between 30-40 years old (avg. 35 years) due to malnutrition and we would look like WW2 Concentration camp survivors. Our ancestors food was mostly very low in lots of stuff that our body needs like fat, protein and important vitamins. Junk food of today is bad aswell just like "ancestor" food. The best diet is a balance between good fat/protein/good carbs (eggs, chicken, olive oil, salads, nuts, whole grain porridge and fruits)

[mela]

I absolutely love this channel! ❤
Thank you very much for doing this! 🙏❤

[metalrunner]

Saladino: our ancestors didn’t eat grains
Ethiopians: hold my bowl of teff!

[SMreptiles]

My question is, if my ancestors for the last 5000 years are eating the same thing as a staple, would my body be able to extract nutrition from it more efficiently than someone who has never eaten it?

That’s how I’ve always theorised “ancestor diets”