What Did Cavemen Eat? Why Everything You Know Is Wrong

The way I like to figure out the food I should be eating – a human-specific diet – is by thinking about the life of a caveman or hunter-gatherer and asking “What did cavemen eat?”.

The world we live in today is so far from the way humans have lived for the vast majority of their existence on earth, so I think we need to disregard the overwhelming array of foods on offer today.

A good place to start is asking simple questions such as “What would our ancestors have eaten” and “What would have been available to our ancestors?”

Imagine yourself there in your loin cloth with a spear in hand and your number one task for the day is to get food for yourself and your tribe. What’s on the menu?

I know what I’d be going after… animals. A decent-sized kill would provide plenty of sustenance for everyone for days – have you seen how much meat comes from a cow?

Plus it’ll provide skin or leather for clothing to keep you warm in the colder times as well as bones for tools.

Sure there would have been plant-based foods, but these would have been seasonal and not the numerous choices we find in supermarkets.

Read more about my interpretation of the ultimate human diet. And, whether red meat is actually bad for you and if vegetables are the healthy foods we’re led to believe they are.

Ok, so let’s get into it…

TL;DR

• Early humans were skilled hunters, not just gatherers – archaeological evidence shows they targeted nutrient-dense animal products and developed sophisticated hunting techniques millions of years ago.
• The real paleolithic diet was primarily meat-based – hunter-gatherers prioritized large game animals, organ meats, and bone marrow, with plant foods serving as seasonal backup options.
• Modern processed foods and farming practices have drastically altered our diet – while our human ancestors thrived on wild game and animal products, today’s food environment presents challenges to eating like our Stone Age predecessors.
• Cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, and other modern health issues were rare among traditional hunter-gatherer societies that maintained meat-centric diets.

Understanding the Human Diet

The human diet has undergone significant transformations over the millennia, shaped by factors such as climate, geography, and lifestyle.

Our ancestors ate a diverse array of foods, ranging from meat and fish to plants and honey. This varied diet was essential for survival, providing the necessary nutrients to thrive in different environments.

However, the modern diet has deviated considerably from this ancestral pattern. Today, processed foods dominate our meals, often laden with artificial additives, sugars, and unhealthy fats.

These changes have profound implications for our health. Unlike the nutrient-dense foods our ancestors consumed, processed foods can lead to a host of health issues, including obesity, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes.

Understanding the human diet’s evolution helps us recognize the importance of returning to more natural, whole foods. By focusing on what our bodies are adapted to eat, we can make more informed choices that promote overall well-being.

The Evolution of Human Food Acquisition

Our hunter-gatherer ancestors weren’t the gentle foragers that popular media often portrays. Archaeological evidence, particularly from sites dating back millions of years ago, reveals a sophisticated progression from opportunistic scavenging to strategic hunting.

Early humans began their journey as clever scavengers, using stone tools to access parts of animal carcasses that other predators couldn’t reach.

Analysis of animal bones from this period shows cut marks beneath carnivore tooth marks, indicating that our ancestors were actively competing with other predators for access to meat.

What did cavemen eat during these early stages? The evidence tells us they specifically targeted the most nutrient-dense parts of animals:

• Bone marrow, which required special stone tools to access
• Organ meats, particularly rich in essential nutrients
• Brain tissue, crucial for cognitive development
• High-fat portions that even large predators sometimes left behind

This strategic approach to food acquisition shows that early humans weren’t simply eating whatever they could find but were focusing on nutrient density.

The Science Behind Early Human Meat Consumption

The archaeological evidence for the question “What did cavemen eat?” is compelling. Stone tools found at sites dating back 2.6 million years ago show that early humans were systematically processing animal carcasses.

But it’s not just the tools that tell the story – it’s what we’ve learned from studying human evolution and our ancestors’ remains.

Homo erectus, a key human ancestor, experienced a significant increase in brain size that coincided with increased meat consumption.

This wasn’t just coincidence – the high-energy, nutrient-dense nature of meat, particularly organ meats and bone marrow, provided the necessary building blocks for bigger brains.

Modern hunter-gatherers who maintain traditional diets give us additional insights into ancient diets. For example:

• The Inuit traditionally consumed a diet that was up to 90% animal products
• Many hunter-gatherer societies prioritized large game hunting over gathering plant foods
• Successful hunting groups spent less time obtaining food than those relying more heavily on plant foods

This focus on meat isn’t surprising when we examine the human body’s adaptations:

• Our stomach acid is more similar to carnivores than herbivores
• We lack the digestive adaptations needed to extract significant nutrition from plant fibers
• Our intestinal structure is more suited to processing meat than large amounts of plant material

This challenges popular interpretations of the paleo diet that emphasize vegetables and fruits as primary food sources.

How Hunting Shaped Human Evolution

The evolution of the modern human diet is inseparable from our development as skilled hunters.

While some nutritional anthropologist experts suggest early humans relied heavily on plant foods, the evidence for hunting’s impact on our development is undeniable.

Over extended periods of hunting and eating meat, the human body developed several crucial adaptations:

• Improved distance running capabilities for persistence hunting
• Better hand-eye coordination for spear throwing
• Enhanced cognitive abilities for tracking and predicting animal behavior
• Reduced gut size compared to plant-eating primates
• More efficient protein digestion mechanisms

What did cavemen eat that made such dramatic evolutionary changes possible? The answer lies in the nutrient density of their prey. Unlike modern processed foods, wild game provided:

• Higher concentrations of essential nutrients
• More omega-3 fatty acids than modern farmed animals
• Complete protein profiles
• Critical fat-soluble vitamins

Hunter-gatherer societies that maintained traditional diets showed remarkably low rates of modern health issues like cardiovascular disease and high blood pressure.

This suggests that the hunter-gatherer diet, particularly its emphasis on lean meats and organ meats, aligned perfectly with our evolved nutritional needs.

While some populations did eat grains and digest milk in the later Neolithic period, these were adaptations of necessity rather than optimal nutrition. The human diet had already been optimized through millions of years of meat-centric eating.

Challenging Modern Diet Myths

The common perception of what cavemen eat often paints a picture of a more “balanced” diet than evidence suggests.

Modern humans have been led to believe that ancient humans and our Stone Age ancestors consumed a wide variety of plant foods alongside their meat intake. However, archaeological evidence tells a different story.

Let’s examine some persistent myths about the Palaeolithic diet:

Myth 1: Early humans primarily gathered plant foods

Reality: While hunter-gatherers did consume plants seasonally, evidence from animal bones and stone tools suggests meat was the primary year-round food source. The energy expended gathering plant foods often exceeded the nutritional return.

Myth 2: Our ancestors ate lots of whole grains

Reality: The human body wasn’t designed to eat grains. The introduction of farmed foods, particularly grains, actually led to:

• Reduced stature in early agricultural societies
• Increased rates of dental problems
• Higher instances of nutritional deficiencies
• More chronic health issues

Myth 3: Modern paleo diets accurately reflect ancient eating patterns

Reality: Many modern interpretations of the paleo diet include far more plant foods than our ancestors ate. The real paleolithic diet was more meat-centric, with plant foods serving as fallback options during times when little meat was available.

Contemporary processed foods bear no resemblance to what our hunter-gatherer ancestors consumed.

Even modern fruits and vegetables have been selectively bred to contain more sugar and less fiber than their ancient counterparts.

And, depending on where you lived in the world, you would have been limited to what grew locally. Here is an interesting piece on the origins of different fruits and vegetables.

Nutritional Analysis of Ancient Food Sources

What did cavemen eat that made their diet so optimal? Archaeological analysis of animal bones and modern studies of wild game reveal significant nutritional differences compared to modern food sources:

Organ Meats:

• Liver: 10-100 times the nutrient density of muscle meat
• Brain tissue: Optimal fatty acid ratios for human brain development
• Bone marrow: Dense source of calories and specific nutrients
• Heart: High concentrations of CoQ10 and other vital nutrients

Wild Game vs. Modern Meat:

• Higher protein-to-fat ratios
• More diverse nutrient profiles
• Better fatty acid composition
• No artificial hormones or contaminants

The human body evolved to utilize these nutrient-dense animal products efficiently.

Unlike plant foods, which often contain anti-nutrients and require significant processing, these foods were readily digestible and provided maximum nutritional benefit.

Archaeological Evidence: A Deeper Look

Recent discoveries have revolutionized our understanding of what early humans consumed. The traditional interpretation of Stone Age diets has been challenged by new archaeological findings from multiple sites dating back millions of years ago.

Key Archaeological Evidence:

• Cut marks on animal bones showing sophisticated butchering techniques
• Stone tools specifically designed for meat processing
• Trace elements in human ancestor teeth indicate high meat consumption
• Evidence of fire use for cooking meat dating back 500,000 years
• Remains of large animal processing sites

Studies from the Olduvai Gorge show that early humans were targeting large animals systematically.

The positioning of cut marks on animal bones indicates they had first access to carcasses, not just scavenging leftovers.

Hunter-Gatherer Societies: Living Examples

Modern hunter-gatherers provide crucial insights into ancient human diets:

The Inuit:

• Traditional diet consisting of up to 90% animal products
• Excellent cardiovascular health despite high fat intake
• No evidence of modern dietary diseases
• Superior dental health compared to grain-eating populations

The Maasai:

• A Primary diet of meat, milk, and blood
• Remarkable physical health and endurance
• Low instances of modern metabolic disorders
• Minimal plant foods in traditional diet

The Hadza:

• Prioritize large game hunting
• Consider meat the most valuable food source
• Use honey as a high-energy food supplement
• Consume plant foods mainly during meat scarcity

Modern Implications of Ancient Diets

Understanding how our human ancestors ate isn’t just an academic exercise – it provides crucial insights into what the human body is optimized to consume.

Modern diet trends, including many versions of the paleo diet, often miss key aspects of what cavemen eat actually meant for human evolution.

Let’s examine the crucial differences between ancient diets and how we eat today:

Ancient Hunting Benefits:

• Higher nutrient density in wild game
• Natural fatty acid ratios
• Absence of artificial additives
• Regular consumption of organ meats
• No exposure to processed foods

Modern Diet Challenges:

• Excessive plant foods relative to our ancestral diet
• Reliance on farmed foods with altered nutrient profiles
• High consumption of processed foods
• Limited access to organ meats
• Artificial ratios of omega-3 to omega-6 fatty acids

The evidence from hunter-gatherers and early humans suggests that a meat-centric diet may help prevent:

• High blood pressure
• Cardiovascular disease
• Modern metabolic disorders
• Nutritional deficiencies common in plant-based diets

This study seems to overlook the link to meat as the reason for the decrease in cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes, which I can only assume is because it’s so ingrained that red meat is bad for us.

Instead, it suggests it’s due to parasitic worms or Helminths that our ancestors had that we now don’t.

What’s particularly telling is how hunter-gatherer societies that maintained traditional, meat-focused diets showed remarkably better health markers than those who transitioned to more plant-based or modern diets.

Practical Modern Applications

Understanding what cavemen eat has profound implications for modern nutrition. While we can’t perfectly replicate ancient diets, we can apply key principles from our ancestors’ eating patterns.

Key Lessons from Paleolithic Eating:

Protein Sources:

• Prioritize ruminant meat (beef, lamb, bison)
• Include organ meats regularly
• Focus on naturally raised animals
• Minimize processed foods and modern food additives

The Problem with Modern Plant Foods:

• Most are products of agricultural selection
• Higher sugar content than ancient varieties
• Lower nutrient density
• Often require extensive processing to be digestible

Why Traditional Diets Work:

• Align with human evolution
• Provide optimal nutrient ratios
• Minimize anti-nutrients
• Support metabolic health
• Reduce inflammation markers

Implementing Ancient Wisdom:

1. Prioritize animal-based nutrition
2. Source the highest quality meats possible
3. Include organ meats weekly
4. Minimize processed foods and modern food additives
5. Consider the seasonal nature of plant foods

This approach challenges many modern diet recommendations, including those versions of the paleo diet that emphasize plant foods.

While our ancestors ate plants, evidence suggests they weren’t the foundation of the human diet.

Conclusion

When I did the research for this article, it seemed strange that the studies I found were more recent and suggested our ancestors ate a more plant-based diet with meat as a supplementary food —the opposite of what I think is the truth.

I couldn’t find many studies beyond 20 years ago. I also noticed some referring to our ancestors as gatherer-hunters rather than hunter-gatherers.

This is the only study I could find suggesting hunter-gatherers ate meat in the top results on Google. And it seems they were generally free of cardiovascular disease.

I can’t help but wonder if the narrative is slowly being changed. If so, why?

I will admit I’m generally skeptical of the information we’re served on popular platforms – so when it comes to something like diet, I like to rely on my own logic and experience.

So, if I were a hunter-gatherer or caveman, when would I eat?

The answer to that question is what we’ve been eating for millions of years before this crazy world we’re living in now. Logically, this would be what we’ve evolved to eat and what our digestive systems expect and crave.

I eat mostly meat with some fruit and vegetables and I feel great. Much better than I did eating whole grains and seed oils when I was limping along in life with chronic fatigue syndrome.

So, if you’re struggling with your health or want to improve it, I urge you to aim for this. It’ll be whole foods and none of the processed crap we’ve got these days. Play around with how much meat, fruit, and vegetables you eat and see how you feel.

And that’s it… have a nutritious day.

FAQs

Did cavemen eat raw or cooked meat?

Early humans began cooking meat between 1.8 million years ago and 400,000 years ago. Cooking predigests food, allowing our ancestors to extract more calories and nutrients than eating raw meat.

Did cavemen eat one meal a day?

Hunter-gatherers didn’t follow fixed meal patterns. They ate when food was available, sometimes going extended periods between successful hunts, followed by times of abundance.

What food did stone age humans eat?

Stone age humans primarily consumed large game animals, focusing on nutrient-dense organ meats and bone marrow. Plant foods were secondary and seasonal, with meat remaining the primary year-round food source.

Were there any fat cavemen?

Archaeological evidence shows early humans were lean and muscular. The human body evolved to efficiently use animal fats for energy, but processed foods and constant food availability weren’t part of Stone Age life.