Origins/Changes in Human Diets

Origins/Changes in Human Diets exposes students to aspects of cultureculture is not genetically inherited, it is shared, learned, and dynamic- never static relating to foodany nutritious substance that people or animals eat or drink, or that plants absorb, in order to maintain life and growth and food practices.  This lesson is designed to take approximately one week, which is enough time to grasp the learning objectives with adequate attention and study.

We don’t usually think of food as a “practice,” but our food practices determine what we choose to ingest at each meal, snack, or random craving.  We will explore the origins of human diets through the study of early  diets.  Why?  Because human beings resemble non-human primates in many inherited ways.  Primates have a diversitythe state of being diverse or different, variety and/or diversity is more than exhibiting "different" outward appearances; diversity is often much more about cultural differences of diets as well as diverse strategies for obtaining food.  Do we humans have “strategies” for obtaining our foods?  The answer is yes.  We might also label our food strategies as patterns – cultural patterns.

We know that culture is about everyday life and patterned behaviors.  Nowhere are practices more indicative than in our dietary patterns.  Therefore, it is imperative to study the background of how food patterns and strategies have evolved over time.

Our bodies are not anatomically designed to eat the highly processed and refined foodsfoods from which nutrient content has been removed; these types of foods include white flour, white rice, white sugar, white pasta; highly processed foods extracted of nutrients needed for growth and/or health; manufactured and refined from one state to another such as whole grains that end up as refined powders (flours) that we put on our dining tables.  Natural selection and has not prepared human beings for eating foods that are not nutrient-based foods, with high  content, and salt and sugar overkill.  The technologythe system by which a society provides its members with things needed or desired, along with knowledge for the use and maintenance of the system More aspect of culture, especially in developed countries, has contributed to poor health in many ways.

* Note- be sure to click on the directional arrows to expand the screen for all films, Power Point Presentations, and maps.

Learning Objectives

After completing Origins/Changes in Human Diets – Lesson 1, students should be able to:

1) Understand how early primate  diets relate to the origins of human diets

2) Understand that humans are , but that meat has historically been mainly a supplement

3) Relate food choices to the digestive ability of human anatomy

4) Understand the evolutionthe gradual development of something from a simple to a more complex form; in nature the process by which different organisms develop and diversify from earlier forms during the history of the earth; Darwin's theory of natural selection seeks to explain the process of evolution of all organisms of (changes in)  food choices

5) Understand that both  and  determine food choices

Study Plan: Origins/Changes in Human Diets – Lesson 1

Step 1.

Watch this short film on primates, which gives you a background for why we study early primates in order to understand our own dietthe kinds of food a person, animal, or community habitually eats; a regiment of eating may be designed for special medical or health benefits and may be called a "diet" origins.  Not only will you learn about primatea mammal of the order of Primates, which includes the anthropoids and prosimians, characterized by refined development of the hands and feet, a shortened snout, and a large brain; typically having flexible hands and feet with opposable first digits (thumbs), good eyesight, and in the higher apes, a highly developed brain; includes lemurs, lorises, monkeys, apes, and humankind evolution, but you will witness scientific technology, which makes possible accurate conclusions.

The video ends showing the beginning of primate diets.  Results of these scientific investigations give you a foundation to build on the remaining assignments in this lesson.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_X5ciqtbG0

Step 2.

Watch this film by McGraw Hill, which illustrates the human digestive system and how it functions. You may need to copy (Control C) and paste (Control V) the link into your browser.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08VyJOEcDos

Later on in this lesson there are visual examples of non-human primatea mammal of the order of Primates, which includes the anthropoids and prosimians, characterized by refined development of the hands with opposable thumbs and feet having nails rather than claws, a shortened snout, good eyesight and a large brain - non-human primates include gorillas, monkeys, chimpanzees digestive systems versus human digestive systems, where you will get a glimpse of how biology affects eating patterns.

Step 3.

Watch this short clip by Dr. Milton Mills, M. D., showing and telling with anatomical examples, why he believes humans are naturally herbivores. His findings concur with the findings in the first video.

If the music is distracting, turn the sound off, as it is captioned throughout.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vc2HfsdVvjo

Read the article: “Red Meat: Good or Bad?”

Step 4.

After watching the films above, go to the DISCUSSION FORUM to comment on your take on the Veggie Revolution that many “foodies” as well as scholars who study how food relates to diseases, are making the case for us to cut back on the meat and eat more fruits and vegetables.

We know that eating large quantities of red meat is not good for health, especially men’s health; and we know factory farming is not good for the planet either.  Do you think people will change their diets voluntarily?  Why or why not? Should governments get involved?  The Discussion Forum is optional, but it is always good to get others’ opinions about relevant health and diet issues.

Step 5.

Read the article on Paleolithicof, or relating to, or denoting the early phase of the Stone Age, lasting about 2.5 million yeas ago, when primitive stone tools and implements were used Nutrition.  It is a long article, and has many unfamiliar words and terms, which are explained, if you read carefully.  You will have a good foundation of ancestralof, belonging to, inherited from, or denoting an ancestor or ancestors diets and their relation to the current Westernized diet patterns. The article helps us to get a better understanding of why the meat we eat, which is not the same as that eaten by our paleolithic ancestors, contributes to diet-related diseases.

The two doctors who are the authors of this informational article are experts in their fields with many years of scientific research, fieldwork, and clinical studies behind them.

We will analyze the idea of a Paleolithic Dietthe paleolithic diet is a modern nutritional plan based on the presumed diet of Paleolithic humans, which relates to the cultural period of the Stone Age beginning with the earliest chipped stone tools, about 750,000 years ago, until the beginning of the Mesolithic Period, about 15,000 years ago and discuss kitchen activities and some tried recipes that may be used in a diet plan in Lesson 4 of this course.

Step 6.

Watch this presentation by Alyssa Critten from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas as she profiles the Hadza hunter-gatherers of Tanzania and their dietary practices.

This lecture gives us a window into the past and how human diets have evolved over time and what it means for our own nutritional practices today.  You will need to put this on full screen to get the best view. You may need to copy (Control C) and paste (Control V) the link into your browser.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kaKT9rSnsoA

Step 7.

Study Origin of Human Diets Power Point Presentation

The power point presentation is a brief summary of the origins of our human diets, how they evolved, and how they have changed into today’s food choices.  We cannot continue to follow the same food patterns without dire consequences for our species (others, too) and for the environmentthe surroundings or conditions in which a person, animal, or plant lives or operates; the aggregate of surrounding things, conditions, or influences;  ecology, the air, water, minerals, organisms, and all other external factors and influences. Non-humans do not have much choice for adapting new ways to acquire food or change their diet patterns.  Human beings, however, have a complex culture, which allows for much adaptationculture is the primary way that humans adapt to their environmental surroundings More.

Now we can understand how the evolution of our diet patterns is culturally constructed.

Step 8.

Read the Culture and Food Lecture to gain more knowledge of evolution of diet in the 20th and 21st centuries.

Step 9.

Review the Learning Objectives and the terms and definitions to make sure you grasp the content of this lesson well before continuing to Step 10.

Step 10.

Take the Origins/Changes QUIZ

Step 11.  Optional

Go to Origins/Changes in Human Diets Project – Fun Assignment

Please complete the Quiz in order to continue to the next lesson.