Deadly Harvest: The Intimate Relationship Between Our Heath and Our Food Read Online Free
Author: Geoff Bond
Homo sapiens were child-bearing from the age of about 15 to about 35 years. Thus, on average, people were born to mothers who were 25 years old (halfway between 15 and 35). The rough-and-ready length of a generation is therefore taken as 25 years.
We look a little different on the outside, of course. Over the last 2,400 generations, superficial racial differences have evolved, but underneath we are all still the same. We all have a common recent origin. In other words, everyone on this planet still inhabits a body designed for life in our ancestral homeland, the tropical, east African savanna. The DNA evidence is a ringing endorsement of the Leakeys’ fossil evidence. The cradle of mankind is in the African Rift Valley stretching from Olduvai in northern Tanzania, all the way through Kenya to Lake Turkana in southern Ethiopia.
What was Our Homeland Like?
What was this overflowing pot, our homeland or Garden of Eden, like? This environment and lifestyle shaped our natures, our bodies, and our biology. Let us look at a snapshot of this place.
If we conjure up a picture of the African savanna landscape, it is the classic image of open, rolling grassland with the occasional tree, bush, and shrub. In the wetter areas, there are thickets and groves of beautiful flowering shrubs and trees. In parts, termite mounds stand up to 25 feet (8 meters) high. The floor of the African Rift Valley is not very high above sea level, but there are nearby plateaus; some mountains rise to over 10,000 feet (3,000 meters). There are several large, and many small, lakes, many waterholes, and some streams and rivers. Many of the watercourses are dry for most of the year, but flood during the rains.
The weather fluctuates between mild and hot for most parts of the year, about 55ºF to 90ºF (13ºC to 32ºC).There are rainy and dry seasons. Annual rainfall is moderate: between 35 inches (900 mm) and 60 inches (1,500 mm), and the rain comes in unpredictable storms and showers.
Our ancestors were not alone in the savanna. They shared the land with a wide variety of creatures: giraffe, lion, elephant, warthog, rhinoceros, hyena, antelope, gazelle, zebra, baboons, chimpanzees, vultures, eagles, flamingos, and many more. In addition, there were snakes, porcupines, crocodiles, lizards, tortoises, snails, grasshoppers, and a myriad of small mammals, reptiles, and insects. The lakes, streams, and waterholes teemed with many species of freshwater fish, shellfish, frogs, toads, ducks, geese, and other aquatic creatures.
Our ancient ancestors lived for countless generations in these circumstances. This environment fashioned our bodies, our naturally adapted lifestyle, and our mentality. With this sketch of it in mind, we can discover how nature designed us to live in this environment. In particular, we will focus on the kind of eating pattern that is right for us.
THE SAN BUSHMEN
How did our human ancestors make use of this environment? We can learn a great deal by examining how primal tribes live today. However, there are allowances to be made: such tribes have been pushed into more marginal lands, and sometimes modern materials filter in from the outside world. Nevertheless, working from studies carried out over the past 150 years, we can piece together a good, solid picture of our ancestors. As our main illustration, we will look at the San Bushmen who live in southern Africa.
The San Bushmen (more correctly called by their own name, the !Kung) at one time occupied a large part of southern Africa. Negroid Bantu herders (Zulus and Xhosa) migrating from West Africa have pushed them into a smaller, remote area—the Kalahari—over the past 600 years. The Kalahari is a sandy wilderness, well covered with trees, scrub, vines, creepers, and grasses. The sand drains the rainfall fast, so there is little surface water, just scattered waterholes. Animal life is varied, and many species such as antelope, lion, giraffe, zebra, and elephant thrive
We look a little different on the outside, of course. Over the last 2,400 generations, superficial racial differences have evolved, but underneath we are all still the same. We all have a common recent origin. In other words, everyone on this planet still inhabits a body designed for life in our ancestral homeland, the tropical, east African savanna. The DNA evidence is a ringing endorsement of the Leakeys’ fossil evidence. The cradle of mankind is in the African Rift Valley stretching from Olduvai in northern Tanzania, all the way through Kenya to Lake Turkana in southern Ethiopia.
What was Our Homeland Like?
What was this overflowing pot, our homeland or Garden of Eden, like? This environment and lifestyle shaped our natures, our bodies, and our biology. Let us look at a snapshot of this place.
If we conjure up a picture of the African savanna landscape, it is the classic image of open, rolling grassland with the occasional tree, bush, and shrub. In the wetter areas, there are thickets and groves of beautiful flowering shrubs and trees. In parts, termite mounds stand up to 25 feet (8 meters) high. The floor of the African Rift Valley is not very high above sea level, but there are nearby plateaus; some mountains rise to over 10,000 feet (3,000 meters). There are several large, and many small, lakes, many waterholes, and some streams and rivers. Many of the watercourses are dry for most of the year, but flood during the rains.
The weather fluctuates between mild and hot for most parts of the year, about 55ºF to 90ºF (13ºC to 32ºC).There are rainy and dry seasons. Annual rainfall is moderate: between 35 inches (900 mm) and 60 inches (1,500 mm), and the rain comes in unpredictable storms and showers.
Our ancestors were not alone in the savanna. They shared the land with a wide variety of creatures: giraffe, lion, elephant, warthog, rhinoceros, hyena, antelope, gazelle, zebra, baboons, chimpanzees, vultures, eagles, flamingos, and many more. In addition, there were snakes, porcupines, crocodiles, lizards, tortoises, snails, grasshoppers, and a myriad of small mammals, reptiles, and insects. The lakes, streams, and waterholes teemed with many species of freshwater fish, shellfish, frogs, toads, ducks, geese, and other aquatic creatures.
Our ancient ancestors lived for countless generations in these circumstances. This environment fashioned our bodies, our naturally adapted lifestyle, and our mentality. With this sketch of it in mind, we can discover how nature designed us to live in this environment. In particular, we will focus on the kind of eating pattern that is right for us.
THE SAN BUSHMEN
How did our human ancestors make use of this environment? We can learn a great deal by examining how primal tribes live today. However, there are allowances to be made: such tribes have been pushed into more marginal lands, and sometimes modern materials filter in from the outside world. Nevertheless, working from studies carried out over the past 150 years, we can piece together a good, solid picture of our ancestors. As our main illustration, we will look at the San Bushmen who live in southern Africa.
The San Bushmen (more correctly called by their own name, the !Kung) at one time occupied a large part of southern Africa. Negroid Bantu herders (Zulus and Xhosa) migrating from West Africa have pushed them into a smaller, remote area—the Kalahari—over the past 600 years. The Kalahari is a sandy wilderness, well covered with trees, scrub, vines, creepers, and grasses. The sand drains the rainfall fast, so there is little surface water, just scattered waterholes. Animal life is varied, and many species such as antelope, lion, giraffe, zebra, and elephant thrive
Readers choose
Charles Williams; Franklin W. Dixon
Tim Murgatroyd
Bill Nagelkerke
Scott J. Kramer
Lawrence Nason Jr.
Richard Brockwell
A Warrior's Lady
Victoria Wells