Stone age thinking
Paleo diet was not so meaty after all
Charred remains of roasted root vegetables found in 170,000-year-old ashes in a cave near the Swaziland border in South Africa suggest the real Paleo diet included carbohydrates. Researchers found the charred remains of rhizomes (underground storage parts) of Hypoxis plants, which can be as rich in carbs as potatoes, although they taste more like yams, says lead author, Professor Lyn Wadley of the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa. The amount of charred remains found suggests that roasted root vegetables were a common part of the diet, contrary to the popular notion that early humans didn’t eat carbs. Writing in New Scientist, Wadley said: “I’m afraid the paleo diet is really a misnomer”.
Wadley L, Backwell L, d’Errico F et al. 2020. Cooked starchy rhizomes in Africa 170 thousand years ago. Science. 367 (6473) 87Š\91.
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.
View author page | View staff profile
