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Shelf Number | Material Type | Copy | Shelf Location | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 641.3 LE | Book | 1 | Standard shelving location | Searching... Unknown |
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Summary
Summary
There are few areas of modern life that offer as much information and advice, often contradictory, as diet and health: eat a lot of meat, don't eat meat; whole-grains are healthy, whole-grains are a disaster; and on it goes. Biological anthropologist Stephen Le cuts through the confusing mass of information to present the long view of our diet. In 100 Million Years of Food Le takes readers on an historic and geographic tour of how different cuisines have evolved in tandem with their particular environments, as our ancestors took advantage of the resources and food available to them. Like his mentor Jared Diamond, Le uses history and science to present a fascinating and wide-ranging tour of human history as viewed through what and how we eat. Travelling the world to places as far-flung as Vietnam, Kenya, Nova Scotia, and Iowa, Le visits people producing food using traditional methods as well as modern techniques, and looks at how our relationship to food has strayed from centuries of tradition, to mass-produced assembly lines dependent on chemicals that bring with them a host of problems.100 Million Years of Food argues that our ancestral diets and lifestyles are the best first line of defence in protecting our health; the optimal diet is to eat what your ancestors ate. In this clear-cut and compelling book, we learn not only what to eat, but how our diets are the product of millions of years of evolution.
Author Notes
Stephen Le is currently a visiting professor in the Department of Biology at the University of Ottawa. He received a Ph.D. in Biological Anthropology from the University of California, Los Angeles in 2010, where he was a recipient of a UCLA Chancellor's Fellowship, and a National Science Foundation grant for his fieldwork in Vietnam.
Reviews (3)
Booklist Review
When it comes to food, early humans knew best, according to Le, a biological anthropologist. Modern diets, high in processed white as snow rice and other carbohydrates, increase the risk of diseases of western civilization, such as obesity and type 2 diabetes. Le travels to and dines in Kenya, Australia, and Vietnam, his parents' birthplace, where he eats a high-protein centipede. He carefully distinguishes between short-term and long-term health benefits of different diets. High-dairy, high-meat diets improve muscle mass and may help elderly people be less frail, but they're also more likely to lead to shorter lives. By contrast, Dean Ornish's low-meat, low-fat diet seems better for longevity but is tricky to sustain. Ideally, people should keep moving, consume less meat and dairy at young ages, and eat like their own ancestors. For example, Inuit children are genetically adapted to be dairy free, so they can wind up with dangerous levels of calcium in their blood (and potential kidney damage) if they switch to North American-style diets. Le mixes advice, personal anecdotes, and medical science in this fascinating food-for-thought narrative.--Springen, Karen Copyright 2016 Booklist
Choice Review
Biological anthropologist Stephen Le (Visiting Professor in the Department of Biology at the Univ. of Ottawa) shows us that the food we eat, our biological evolution, and our human culture have separately drifted across the span of our ten million years of existence. At every turn, Le stresses that today's eating habits and modern lifestyle are killing us and are not sustainable. Le conveniently blames Western influences for the rise in cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and obesity all around the world--identifying these as "Western diseases." In a style reminiscent of Anthony Bourdain and Michael Pollan, Le travels to Vietnam, China, Kenya, India, Australia, Canada, and back to the United States, to illustrate people engaging in traditional and modern forms of agriculture, cooking, and consumption, while consciously striving for sustainable, healthy living. Le provides ample citations to establish his point that humans should revert back to the diets and physical activity levels of our ancient ancestors; he also offers a top ten list of recommendations on ways to strive towards these goals. Easier said than done! Appropriate for public library collections. Summing Up: Highly recommended. General readers. --Rachel S. Wexelbaum, Saint Cloud State University
Library Journal Review
Le (biology, Univ. of Ottawa) believes that adverse health conditions have arisen from changes that have made our food unlike what our ancestors ate. He uses an evolutionary biology perspective to chart alterations in dietary practices from primitive times to the present day in an attempt to understand the best type of diet for us to follow. Le begins by investigating specific categories of food, such as insects, fruit, meat, fish, plants, alcohol, and milk. He also postulates on the causes of nutritional deficiencies and the prevalence of food allergies in modern times. Summations of scientific articles are used as evidence throughout, although detailed analysis is lacking. The account is interspersed with anecdotes from Le's travels, in which he meets entrepreneurs and foodies who are passionate about traditional food and sustainability. The book ends with the author's recommendations for eating well, which include consuming the traditional foods one's ancestors enjoyed, sustainable eating, moderate exercise, safe germ and sun exposure, and cooking at low heat. VERDICT An intriguing viewpoint on how dietary practices have changed over time, but further research is needed to support some of Le's healthy living recommendations-Rebekah Kati, Durham, NC © Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.