4 ms·

I’m not sure that is true, it seems like the preference was always for small highly calorically dense meals. The 3-4 meals + the constant availability of food

I’m not sure that is true, it seems like the preference was always for small highly calorically dense meals. The 3-4 meals + the constant availability of food is definitely new.

mtlmtlmtlmtl 4y ago
Yeah, humans are evolved to go long periods without food and then to have massive feasts and gorge on food when a prey is caught, say. The human brain's ability to use ketones(byproducts of fat metabolism) for energy is actually unique to humans, suggesting a selective pressure towards surviving starvation in our evolutionary past.
- dogma1138 4y ago
  Looking at a more recent history last 3-5000 years it seems that having 1-2 large meals a day even if simple ones and very highly caloric dense food. You aren’t marching in a legion, working in the fields or building a giant monument without proper food. Since food preparation took much more time and the logistics were complicated the number of meals and choices were limited but pretty much every meal was packed with carbs and often with fat too (lard, oils etc). Sweeteners whether it’s honey or other sugars were also quite common and very much so not limited to the ruling classes.
- nullc 4y ago
  > suggesting a selective pressure towards surviving starvation in our evolutionary past our brains use a very large share of our total energy; so that adaptation may just be a requirement of additional brain energy use and not a adaptation particularly for starvation levels higher than other animals.
  - mtlmtlmtlmtl 4y ago
    I get your logic, but it isn't quite right in this case. The reason is that the production of these ketone bodies that the brain can use for biochemical energy, only get produced in significant amounts once liver glycogen stores are depleted. So in a sense it's less of a passive ability and more of an active response to starvation.

4 ms·

I’m not sure that is true, it seems like the preference was always for small highly calorically dense meals. The 3-4 meals + the constant availability of food

by dogma1138 4y ago

I’m not sure that is true, it seems like the preference was always for small highly calorically dense meals. The 3-4 meals + the constant availability of food is definitely new.

mtlmtlmtlmtl 4y ago
Yeah, humans are evolved to go long periods without food and then to have massive feasts and gorge on food when a prey is caught, say. The human brain's ability to use ketones(byproducts of fat metabolism) for energy is actually unique to humans, suggesting a selective pressure towards surviving starvation in our evolutionary past.
- dogma1138 4y ago
  Looking at a more recent history last 3-5000 years it seems that having 1-2 large meals a day even if simple ones and very highly caloric dense food. You aren’t marching in a legion, working in the fields or building a giant monument without proper food. Since food preparation took much more time and the logistics were complicated the number of meals and choices were limited but pretty much every meal was packed with carbs and often with fat too (lard, oils etc). Sweeteners whether it’s honey or other sugars were also quite common and very much so not limited to the ruling classes.
- nullc 4y ago
  > suggesting a selective pressure towards surviving starvation in our evolutionary past our brains use a very large share of our total energy; so that adaptation may just be a requirement of additional brain energy use and not a adaptation particularly for starvation levels higher than other animals.
  - mtlmtlmtlmtl 4y ago
    I get your logic, but it isn't quite right in this case. The reason is that the production of these ketone bodies that the brain can use for biochemical energy, only get produced in significant amounts once liver glycogen stores are depleted. So in a sense it's less of a passive ability and more of an active response to starvation.