"Miche" wrote in message
...
In article ,
Pat Paris wrote:

On Mon, 24 Nov 2003 09:12:38 +1300, Miche
wrote:

I was just responding to the idea that seems to be going round the
group
that before agriculture people basically didn't eat carbohydrates.

I've not seen anyone say that. Jean B. said she thought "most of
the
calories" came from game and I believe she is correct.

they did, but not as 60-70% of the diet as people do after
the "low-fat revolution".

What percent of their diet would you say was carbohydrate?

Read "Guns, Germs and Steel" by Jared Diamond. The answers are in
there.

Which boil down to-- not much compared to modern standards. Yes,
cromagnon gathered starch/sugar, and knew about wheat and rice early on,
but they didn't cultivate it until at least 7000 to 8000 years ago (in
Turkey). Animal husbandry-- actual ranching, collecting a herd,
culling, penning close to habitation, those are much stronger
evidence-wise and go back almost 30 thousand years. Before that, there
is no evidence that cromagnon cultivated or nurtured his food sources at
all. In any case, 7 or 8 thousand years is *not enough time for us to
evolve adaptations to our food. Not by a long shot. Our attraction to
starch and sugar are for the obvious reason-- a high energy source in an
environment where such food wasn't always easy to come by.

I second the recomendation to read "Guns, Germs and Steel". Fascinating
stuff.

revek


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