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.
About the author
Dr. Justine Butler
Justine joined Viva! in 2005 after graduating from Bristol University with a PhD in molecular biology. After working as a campaigner, then researcher and writer, she is now Viva!’s head of research and her work focuses on animals, the environment and health. Justine’s scientific training helps her research and write both in-depth scientific reports, such as White Lies and the Meat Report, as well as easy-to-read factsheets and myth-busting articles for consumer magazines and updates on the latest research. Justine also recently wrote the Vegan for the Planet guide for Viva!’s Vegan Now campaign.
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