Colibri, you are the expert in this and I have a follow up question. In a BBC documentary it was shown that Humans have a bigger brains than other living primates because our ancestors starter scavenging for meat (and bone marrow ) and then hunting for it.
I understand that other living primates also hunt but not in such frequency or organization.
Since humans evolved to eat more meat than other living primates, is other primate’s tastes/digestive system still relevant to humans ?
It’s not like we eat nothing but meat. We still like the same fruits as our more furry kin, too.
Maybe you are right, but I understood that the human brain consumes a lot more calories than other primates. So I assume we may have a faster metabolism to keep up with that calorie demand.
Also not sure if other primates eat cereal grains.
Of course they are. While early humans became more carnivorous than our immediate ancestors, they (and we) still included fruit in the diet when it was available. We are omnivores, not carnivores.
This is generally true, but overdosing on very hot peppers can cause serious reactions (or in theory, death) and at least one expert says capsaicin can indeed cause tissue damage.
I’d reiterate that it’s not necessary (or possible) to eat acidic or alkaline foods in order to balance body pH, which is maintained within a very narrow range by biochemical processes i.e. in the kidneys and lungs). It’s likely that along with plants evolving to protect themselves by acidic/sour/nasty-tasting constituents, we have similarly evolved to in some instances tolerate or even enjoy those flavors.
Understand what you are saying. I am trying to reconcile the research I posted above to this understanding. Specifically :
“One surprise was that, while the researchers classified humans as omnivores, human stomachs have the high acidity levels normally associated with scavengers. ”
From : Evolutionary link between diet, stomach acidity | ScienceDaily
You can’t eat a non-trivial amount of carrion without having some of the protective features of carrion eaters. We have tearing teeth AND crushing teeth. I see no conflict between “we are omnivores who need to eat fruits and vegetables for health” and “we have some adaptations to help us eat meat.”