Dr. Eades has a new blog post up, about books on LC Paleo

[Auntie Em]

Dr. Michael Eades' new blog post, on the early nutrition books that changed his life, is great reading.

Can't post the link, due to advertising, but, if you have time to read it, I think you'd find it most enjoyable and worthwhile.

An excerpt:

After attending these meetings and poring over my ever-growing mountain of paleopathology and anthropology literature, it became more and more apparent to me that although the agricultural revolution was a good thing for mankind it was a bad thing for individual men. I learned that the health devolution that took place due to dietary changes incurred as a result of man’s turn to agriculture were so substantive that at a glance an anthropologist could identify skeletal remains as being those of a agriculturalist or a pre-agriculturalist. How? Because as compared to agriculturalists, pre-agriculturalists had greater stature, stronger bones, better teeth, fewer signs of infection, less evidence of malnutrition and/or vitamin deficiencies – all signs visible to the trained eye. And not only were the pre-agriculturalists more robust, studies on groups of their remains showed they even experienced greater longevity than their agricultural progeny.

Agriculturalists replaced their previous diet of primarily fat and protein with high-starch plant foods and paid for it with their health. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to realize that modern man was treading the same path. And with the same results.

[ravenrose]

Interesting he thinks the agricultural revolution was good for mankind. I was recently rereading one of my favorite history books and thinking about what it said... it appears religions went from the nature-affirming and/or gods and goddesses just like us but immortal and therefore life affirming to the current kind of religion pretty much simultaneously with getting agriculture down pat so populations could grow and cities prosper. Those new religions stressed how this life is not good but the afterlife will reward good behavior. It's interesting that religions affirming life pretty much disappeared along with hunting/gathering. Agriculture has a lot more to answer for than carbs!

[SharonB61]

Originally Posted by ravenrose

Interesting he thinks the agricultural revolution was good for mankind. I was recently rereading one of my favorite history books and thinking about what it said... it appears religions went from the nature-affirming and/or gods and goddesses just like us but immortal and therefore life affirming to the current kind of religion pretty much simultaneously with getting agriculture down pat so populations could grow and cities prosper. Those new religions stressed how this life is not good but the afterlife will reward good behavior. It's interesting that religions affirming life pretty much disappeared along with hunting/gathering. Agriculture has a lot more to answer for than carbs!