100 Million Years of Food
CBC Radio | Posted: February 5, 2016 9:22 PM | Last Updated: February 5, 2016
A new book looks back in history for the future of food
It almost seems as if humans have been worrying about what they eat as long as we've actually been eating. In his new book, 100 Million Years of Food - What our Ancestors Ate and Why it Matters Today, biological anthropologist and visiting professor in the Biology Department at the University of Ottawa Dr. Stephen Le gives a long-term perspective on human diet.
Dr. Le examines some of the mis-steps we've made in our attempts to understand what kinds of food are good for us. He suggests that in the past, both scientific and public health authorities have made dietary recommendations that proved not to be as healthy as hoped. He also suggests that modern fad diets that focus on specific nutrients are the wrong way to think about food.
He builds the case that the tried-and-true methods of traditional cuisines are likely the wisest ways to eat in the modern world.