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What Humans ACTUALLY Evolved to Eat!

Summary of the discussion between Dr. Anthony Chaffee and Dr. Miki Ben-Dor

In this episode of the Plant Free MD Podcast, Dr. Anthony Chaffee interviews Dr. Miki Ben-Dor, a researcher in paleo-anthropology, regarding his work on human trophic levels during the Pleistocene. The conversation explores the biological and archaeological evidence suggesting that humans evolved as high-level carnivores (apex predators).

🧠 Key Insights​

1. Humans as "Hyper-Carnivores"​

Dr. Ben-Dor's research concludes that for roughly 2 million years, humans were apex predators. He defines humans as "hyper-carnivores," a zoological term for species that obtain more than 70% of their diet from animal sources [00:11:03].

2. The Economic Logic of Hunting​

Coming from a background in economics, Dr. Ben-Dor applies "energetic return" principles to human evolution.

  • Efficiency: The caloric return on animal fat and meat is significantly higher (roughly 10x) than that of wild plants [00:08:42].
  • Specialization: Humans evolved a long small intestine and a short large intestine—the opposite of chimpanzees—indicating a specialization for digesting protein and fat rather than fermenting fiber [00:19:05].

3. Brain Growth and Prey Size​

A central hypothesis discussed is the correlation between brain size and the extinction of megafauna:

  • Large Prey: Hunting massive animals like elephants was relatively simple and required less complex tools [00:32:02].
  • Small Prey: As large animals disappeared (partially due to human hunting), humans had to become smarter to hunt smaller, faster targets, leading to increased brain volume and the development of complex "composite tools" [00:33:14].
  • Decline: Human brain size began to shrink roughly 20,000 years ago, coinciding with the shift toward agriculture and plant-heavy diets [00:34:29].

4. The Fallacy of Modern Hunter-Gatherer Analogies​

Dr. Ben-Dor argues that modern groups like the Hadza are misleading models for early human evolution.

  • Environment: They live in environments depleted of the megafauna (elephants, rhinos) that were abundant during the Pleistocene [00:15:32].
  • Technology: Modern tribes use bows and arrows (developed ~60k years ago), whereas early humans relied on different strategies for nearly 2 million years [00:38:51].

🍖 Biological Evidence for Carnivory​

Dr. Ben-Dor highlights several physiological markers that align humans with carnivores rather than omnivores:

  • Stomach Acidity: Human stomach pH is extremely high (very acidic), even surpassing some carnivores and matching scavengers, likely to handle pathogens in meat [00:18:08].
  • Fat Genes: Genetic evidence shows humans "turned off" certain pathways for high sugar consumption and optimized for fat metabolism [01:01:18].
  • Paleopathology: Archaeological records show that prehistoric humans had near-perfect teeth until the introduction of high-carbohydrate plant diets around 15,000 years ago, which introduced dental decay and crooked jaws [00:26:42].

🛡️ The "Plant Poison" Argument​

The discussion touches on why humans traditionally processed plants so heavily (peeling, fermenting, soaking).

  • Defense Chemicals: Plants use chemical warfare to survive since they cannot run away.
  • Anecdotal Wisdom: Traditional societies often don't know why they ferment food for weeks (e.g., Ethiopian Teff), only that failing to do so causes illness [00:47:13].

🏛️ Conclusion​

Dr. Ben-Dor suggests that while humans can survive on plants, we are biologically optimized for animal fat and meat. He views the carnivore diet not as "restrictive," but as a return to the "safety template" of human evolution [01:24:11].

Video Link: What Humans ACTUALLY Evolved to Eat! | Dr Miki Ben-Dor