Ancient diets included substances hard for us to digest, requiring adaptation.

Evidence

We are often told that we are what we eat; it might be truer to say that we are what our ancestors, with great difficulty, learnt to eat. — Neil MacGregor, A History of the World in 100 Objects, 167

Categorization

• corroborated: 2 independent passages support this claim — Neil MacGregor, A History of the World in 100 Objects, 167
• XREF: connects to: Ancient agricultural practices improved maize’s digestibility over centuries. — Neil MacGregor, A History of the World in 100 Objects, 180; Humans are biologically dependent on cooked food and cannot survive long without it — Joseph Henrich, The Secret of Our Success: How Culture…, 230; Descending from the trees to eat rotting fruit drove apes to evolve alcohol tolerance — Joseph Henrich, The Secret of Our Success: How Culture…, 285 (+1 more)

Library Connections

• Ancient agricultural practices improved maize’s digestibility over centuries. #expands (0.85) — Neil MacGregor, A History of the World in 100 Objects, 180