Advocates of the keto diet are adamant that our ancient forebears ate little but meat. That was not for a short period but for hundreds of thousands of years. That extended time knocks into a cocked hat the theory that our current diet of carbs is natural for us. This period, from when we farmed grains, began in Britain in 4000BC, no more than 6000 years ago. Consequently, we brits are essentially grain eaters for a tiny period relative to our time on the planet. I understand this and wrote about it in my book, My Pagan Ancestor Zuri, which I published in 2012. I outlined the vast range of food available to Zuri but, of course, not available to us. The boar, bear and salmon have gone. Seal is rare on the south coast. Meat and hunter gatherers is a complex scenario.

The balance

The problem with meat is rarely understood. The hunters needed to kill wild animals. That is not easy in winter when animals, like us, hunker down. However, if we assume the animals are doing well then so will the humans prosper. That means more mouths to feed and, of course, the animal numbers then decline. That was ever the problem and the reason why humans did not prosper. Their numbers were very low and no doubt the winters were a trial. Most people lived on the coast where seafood was available in winter. Otherwise, starvation sets in. They were also always moving to follow herds so forced to live in temporary camps. Now, it becomes obvious why farming is so much better. The grain they produced can be stored and provides food in winter. They can live in villages and build permanent homes.

Cattle

It is sometimes assumed that because they could keep cattle then meat was always available. That was not true. They could not get the cattle and pigs through winter. They did not have the ability to grow hay and store this, so winter fodder was a problem. That is why feasting in autumn was a routine and pork was the mainstay. Kill the young pigs, feast, perhaps smoke and salt some meat, but carry very little stock over winter. Foraging, by the women, was an essential winter skill.

Meat and hunter gatherers

It soon becomes obvious that having developed farming, human numbers burgeoned in Britain. Those numbers were not viable had we remained meat eaters. However, the greater numbers might be outweighed by the disbenefits of farming. One of these is a belief that eating grain has reduced women’s pelvic girdle in the 6000 years. This has made childbirth more painful and higher risk. Also, we have depleted our range of foods when compared to hunter gatherers. Potatoes, rice and wheat are our staples and not the vast range of greenstuffs that Zuri and those before her consumed. So, eat the greatest variety you can, including meat, and consider that the Mediterranean diet is the most healthy.