Our hunter-gatherer ancestors ate 45-65 percent of calories from animal food

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Thursday, October 14, 2010 9:15 am Email this article
Whenever and wherever possible, our hunter-gather ancestors ate 45-65 percent of their calories as animal food and the remaining 35-55 percent as plant foods according to a recent paper from researchers at Colorado State University.

Three-fourths (73 percent) of the worldwide hunter-gatherer societies derived more than half their calories (56-65 percent of energy) from animal foods, whereas only one-in-seven of these societies (14 percent) derived more than half their calories (56-65 percent of energy) from plant foods.

These diets contained 19-35 percent protein, 22-40 percent carbohydrate, and 28-58 percent fat.

High-protein, low-carbohydrates appear to be more natural than many people assumed.

REFERENCE

Cordain L, Miller J, Eaton S, Mann N, Holt S, Speth J. Plant-animal subsistence ratios and macronutrient energy estimations in worldwide hunter-gatherer diets. Am J Clin Nutr. 2000 Mar, 71(3):682-92.

AUTHOR’S CONTACT INFORMATION

L. Cordain
Department of Health and Exercise Science
Colorado State University
Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
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