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Episode 45: The History of Food

Episode Summary
Every diet in the modern world claims to be “the way humans were meant to eat.” Carnivore, vegan, keto, Mediterranean — all promise they’ve cracked the ancestral code. But when we look at the real history of food — the anthropology, the archaeology, and the cultural record — the story is very different.

In this episode, Hope takes you on a journey through time and culture to explore what people around the world actually ate before processed foods existed — and what changed when they did. From the Mediterranean coast to the Arctic tundra, from Indian lentils to Vietnamese rice, you’ll discover that humans have always eaten all three macronutrients: protein, fat, and carbohydrates. What changed wasn’t the macros… it was the processing.

In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

  • Why there has never been one “true” human diet

  • How climate, geography, and culture shaped traditional diets

  • What traditional Mediterranean, Vietnamese, Chinese, Indian, Inuit, and West African diets really looked like

  • How obesity appeared only after industrial oils, sugar, and refined flour entered the food supply

  • Why the problem isn’t carbohydrates — it’s processing, context, and speed

  • How wheat and rice today differ from the grains our ancestors ate

  • The fascinating flip between peasant foods (whole, fibrous, nourishing) and elite foods (refined, sweet, soft)

  • The single pattern that unites every healthy traditional culture

Key Takeaway

Across thousands of years and dozens of cultures, humans have always eaten all three macronutrients — just in different proportions. The difference between health and disease has never been about macros; it’s about real vs. refined, slow vs. fast, connected vs. convenient.

Referenced Concepts & Historical Notes

  • Hybridization of wheat (Green Revolution, mid-1900s)

  • Traditional rice varieties vs. modern polished white rice

  • The introduction of industrial seed oils, sugar, and refined flour

  • Food preparation as labor and community

  • The global rise of obesity beginning in the mid-20th century

Related Episode

🎧 Episode 28 – The Perfect Diet
If this conversation sparked something for you, go back and listen to Episode 28 next. It ties the historical story of food to how we can eat today — rooted in real food, metabolic flexibility, and adaptability over time.

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