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Lions, and our ancestors, ate much leaner grass fed animals compared to our factory-fattened cows and pigs. I don't believe hunter gatherers were eating meat wi
by jacobmischka 5y ago
Lions, and our ancestors, ate much leaner grass fed animals compared to our factory-fattened cows and pigs. I don't believe hunter gatherers were eating meat with 15-20% fat content as often as Americans eat burgers.
- lambdaba 5y agoOn the contrary, fat is prized by hunter-gatherers and humans likely had access to much more fat (megafauna) for much of our evolutionary history. Fat allowed us to supply for the high energy needs of our brains. This isn't my own speculation but collated from various sources, I can provide if interested just don't have them on hand.
- jacobmischka 5y agoYes, it was certainly prized because of its high calorie content and relative scarcity compared to today, when one can have a virtually unlimited supply. That's why it tastes good.
- lambdaba 5y agoThe problem today is not an unlimited supply of meat (for most of the world) but an unlimited supply of sugar and seed oils. And the super / unnaturally sweet fruit, this is what's hacking us.
- jacobmischka 5y agoI didn't say it was the problem causing the obesity epidemic. Donuts being worse for you doesn't make eating fatty red meat so often healthy. Also, while super sweet fruit can be problematic, it's far from one of the biggest problems. No one is getting diabetes from eating too many bananas.
- lambdaba 5y agoSaturated fat consumption is way down compared to historical patterns: https://slatestarcodex.com/blog_images/croissant_animal.png https://slatestarcodex.com/blog_images/croissant_animal.png (thankfully a recent uptick since official sources are starting to admit that saturated fat isn't bad) Red meat consumption has been going down for decades: https://content.fortune.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/annual-meat-consumption.png?w=840 https://content.fortune.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/annua...
- lambdaba 5y agoI agree on the whole fruits, but processed fruits, with the fiber thrown out, are just as bad.