Paleo Diet: Raw Paleo Diet and Lifestyle Forum
Raw Paleo Diet Forums => General Discussion => Topic started by: Lukthree on December 16, 2012, 11:17:34 pm
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http://www.ox.ac.uk/media/news_releases_for_journalists/121112.html (http://www.ox.ac.uk/media/news_releases_for_journalists/121112.html)
What do you guys make of this? They are basing their conclusion on the remains of three individuals, yes, but if nothing else it shows our resilience and adaptability as an organism which is quite awesome. We may thrive on animal products but our ancestors surely fasted and lived on plants intermittently in times of need.
Also, they mention it is hard to distinguish whether they ate the plants solely or ate animals that were eating the plants ;)
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I know what works. If it didn't work, I wouldn't do it. :)
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Where are those "tropical grasses and sedges" today?
If these old staple foods exist today, maybe we can make them staple foods again.
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Here's where they describe the "grasses and sedges" of Paleo days:
The authors argue that it is unlikely that the hominins would have eaten the leaves of the tropical grasses as they would have been too abrasive and tough to break down and digest. Instead, they suggest that these early hominins may have relied on the roots, corms and bulbs at the base of the plant. http://www.ox.ac.uk/media/news_releases_for_journalists/121112.html (http://www.ox.ac.uk/media/news_releases_for_journalists/121112.html)
One such food may have been certain African yams: "Aftrican yams have probably been a source of food for humans since time immemorial and were very likely also eaten by their hominid ancestors." (Biodiversity and Domestication of Yams in West Africa: Traditional Practices Leading to Dioscorea rotundata Poir. Roland Dumont, Alexandre Dansi, Philippe Vernier, Jeanne Zoundjihèkpon, 2006)
Here are some yams (Dioscorea) that are edible raw:
> Dioscorea bulbifera - the "air potato"/"potato yam" (native to Africa and Asia; apparently only certain varieties are edible raw per http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yam_(vegetable); (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yam_(vegetable);) http://tiny.cc/t89pow (http://tiny.cc/t89pow))
> Dioscorea transversa - Long Yam or Parsnip Yam--native to Australia; Women Hunters - Ray Mears Extreme Survival - BBC (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UwklPPEDbWM#) > Dioscorea batata (opposita; nagaimo; Chinese yam; yamaimo) - Mountain Yam (native to China; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yam_(vegetable)) (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yam_(vegetable)))
Those aren't commonly found in stores, but there are other storage organs that are edible raw, some of which I've discussed in the past.
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What season were they to be eaten?
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I'd better explore eating more root crops then.
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According to Sex Differences in Food Preferences of Hadza Hunter-Gatherers
http://www.epjournal.net/filestore/EP07601616.pdf, (http://www.epjournal.net/filestore/EP07601616.pdf,) underground storage organs are the least seasonal of the Hadza staple plant foods, but they are a fallback food, so they eat less of them when honey, fatty meat, berries or their favorite fruit is plentiful.
Some varieties of these tubers can be stored up to six months without refrigeration, which makes them a valuable resource for the yearly period of food scarcity at the beginning of the wet season. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yam_(vegetable) (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yam_(vegetable))
The rainy season in West Africa generally falls from the end of April - July on the coastal areas with a second shorter rainy season in September/October. http://goafrica.about.com/od/Best-Time-to-Visit-Africa/a/Rainy-Seasons-And-Dry-Seasons-In-Africa.htm (http://goafrica.about.com/od/Best-Time-to-Visit-Africa/a/Rainy-Seasons-And-Dry-Seasons-In-Africa.htm)