Paleo diet was plant-based

A new study of 15,000- to 13,000-year-old human remains from Taforalt, Morocco, using advanced isotope analysis, reveals that these Late Stone Age hunter-gatherers consumed a diet rich in plant-based foods, including acorns, pine nuts, and wild pulses. The researchers also found evidence that weaning began before the age of one, potentially with plant-based foods. As the authors note, “Our results unequivocally demonstrate a substantial plant-based component in the diets of these hunter-gatherers.” These findings challenge long-standing assumptions about the heavy reliance on animal protein in pre-agricultural societies and contribute to a growing body of evidence suggesting that early humans consumed a wide range of different plant foods in their diets.
Moubtahij Z, McCormack J, Bourgon N et al. 2024. Isotopic evidence of high reliance on plant food among Later Stone Age hunter-gatherers at Taforalt, Morocco. Nature Ecology and Evolution. 8 (5) 1035-1045.