Comments on: Grain Consumption Caused Neanderthal Extinction: An Alternative Hypothesis

By: Scot Lyf

Scot Lyf — Sun, 19 Oct 2014 02:56:39 +0000

I find grains are good food,.. variable per person, processed as suitable/appropriate for how it's consumed, frequency as ones body prudently desires. Same goes for dairy foods,.. same goes for all fundamental human historical-to-present foods.
Your body reveals by response.

By: Guillaume Belanger

Guillaume Belanger — Tue, 16 Jul 2013 18:10:00 +0000

Given what we already know about this, I have no doubts that a shift to a grain-based diet could very well have helped if not caused the disappearance of the Neanderthals. And I suppose that since this happened over at least 100 ky, the Cro-magnons, i.e., us, have at most another 60 ky before disappearance as well, even though I'm sure this will happen sooner thanks to all those delicious soft drinks, juices and deserts we are addicted to and love so much. Or do you think that those of us who don't eat simple or starchy carbs will survive while the rest of the population will die off of the various degenerative diseases that are currently already claiming the lives of 90% of the population in western countries?

By: Steve Aquarios

Steve Aquarios — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 00:48:40 +0000

The Neanderthals were probably vegetarian similar to mountain gorillas and were out evolved by the more cunning and intelligent (conventionaly speaking) Homo Sapiens who are more similar to chimps.

By: Andrew

Andrew — Fri, 06 May 2011 07:24:18 +0000

In reply to Kathi. Indeed! David was joking around. If he believed in eating grains or not eating meat, I'd ban him from commenting. :)

By: Kathi

Kathi — Fri, 06 May 2011 07:18:14 +0000

In reply to David Csonka. 'heart healthy' grains, 'artery clogging' red meat? This is opposition? This is laughable. Do some more reading

By: Mike Fout

Mike Fout — Sat, 01 Jan 2011 16:06:43 +0000

In reply to Don Matesz.

I was thinking along the same lines. I have to wonder did eating grains lead to their extinction; or were grains, being a food of starvation when environmental changes were affecting a food supply, consumed because there wasn't a better source of meat?

Anyone who has been on a survival trek or through a survival school (Military, etc.) will tell you after a few days of not eating, the tree bark starts to look appetizing, and you will eat just about ANYTHING to keep you going. It is only logical to assume that grains were a last ditch effort at sustenance.

I just wish I had enough coffee this morning to be as funny as the rest of the comments. I almost choked on my Mello Joy.

By: David Csonka

David Csonka — Wed, 29 Dec 2010 18:29:22 +0000

In reply to Andrew. You're obviously a witch, though possibly the brightest witch of your age.

By: David Csonka

David Csonka — Wed, 29 Dec 2010 18:27:32 +0000

In reply to Don Matesz.

Re: lions and tigers eating grass – I recall reading about a vegan forum discussion in "The Vegetarian Myth" where the members discussed the merits of fencing off the African Serengeti and allowing the big cats to live off of grass and plants. Since they had witnessed their house cat eating grass on occasion, it was evidence that cats like and prefer to eat plants.

I wish I had more than two hands to face palm with, two just weren't enough.

By: Tyler Tervooren

Tyler Tervooren — Wed, 29 Dec 2010 02:02:25 +0000

This is my favorite comment thread of all time. Bookmark'd!

By: Don Matesz

Don Matesz — Wed, 29 Dec 2010 00:58:50 +0000

Tongue in cheek aside, your post does illustrate how it appears that some scientists and a large contigent of laypeople, particularly vegetarians, seem to be looking for even the slimmest of evidence to support their allegiance to hearthealthywholegrains as the 'bread of life.' None seem capable of looking at this from the opposite perspective as you have, which is not at all absurd. Given that previous evidence tended to indicate that Neanderthals ate almost exclusively meat, this would indicate a species even less capable of tolerating plant toxins than Cro Magnon.

As an analogy, you can imagine what would happen to lions or tigers if they suddenly ran out of meat and took to eating grass seeds. The presence of grain residues in their teeth may simply indicate a carnivorous species struggling for survival in a game-poor environment. Perhaps plant toxins did not kill them, but not having meat did, and the evidence of them eating plant foods is only a sign that they were running out of the food to which they were adapted. Lack of meat killed them, the consumption of plant toxins only added insult to injury.