Learn how our human ancestors survived and thrived during climate shifts not by eating more meat, but by mastering plant processing.
A millstone once used to grind grain, not associated with this study.
Rethinking the Paleolithic Diet: Early Humans and Plant Foods
For a long time, our ancient human ancestors have been thought of primarily as meat-eaters, relying on hunting animals as their main source of sustenance. This “Paleolithic carnivore” image has been widely accepted by both the public and some scientific communities—and has even inspired modern diet trends.
However, a recent study published in the Journal of Archaeological Research challenges this idea. The research suggests that processed plant foods played a crucial role in the diets of early humans, providing essential nutrients and calories that allowed humans to survive and thrive across diverse and changing environments.
“This ability to process plant foods allowed humans to unlock key calories and nutrients and to thrive in a wide range of global environments,” the study notes.
The Paleo Diet: Fact vs. Fiction
Traditionally, the Broad Spectrum Revolution has been considered the period when humans expanded their diets beyond a few staple foods. According to this hypothesis, pressures like population growth and environmental instability pushed humans to diversify their diets, setting the stage for the eventual development of agriculture.
The new study proposes an alternative explanation, called the broad-spectrum species hypothesis. This idea suggests that humans have always been capable of creating a diverse diet based on available resources, rather than being forced into it by external pressures.
Researchers also argue that the use of processed plant foods extends far earlier than previously thought, playing a key role in human evolution and helping shape the flexibility and adaptability that define our species.
How Early Humans Processed Plant Foods
The “Paleolithic meat-eater” image persisted partly because animal remains are easier to detect in the archaeological record. Yet growing evidence shows that early humans processed plant foods long before the rise of agriculture.
Archaeological finds from around the world reveal that our ancestors were grinding wild seeds, pounding and cooking starchy tubers, and detoxifying bitter nuts thousands of years before farming began. Plant macrofossil analyses indicate that early humans employed diverse processing techniques such as cooking, peeling, roasting, pounding, and extracting fats. These methods allowed them to extract nutrients, enhance flavor, and improve digestibility.
Even earlier evidence of thermal processing of plant foods—dating back as far as 170,000 years ago—has been discovered at early human and Neanderthal sites across Africa, Southwest Asia, and parts of Europe.
The Evolutionary Impact of Processed Plant Foods
The study concludes that the ability to process plant foods was critical to the evolutionary success of humans. Far from being hyper-carnivores, early humans were dietary generalists who adapted to environmental changes and cultural innovations with remarkable flexibility.
“Our species evolved as plant-loving, tool-using foodies who could turn almost anything into dinner,” the research emphasizes, highlighting the ingenuity and adaptability of early humans.
