I was explaining this to my daughter in quite simplified terms the other day- we evolved to taste sugar and enjoy it because finding a sweet edible plant meant we had a source of energy to help us hunt that day. Pretty useful if you’re a hunter-gatherer.

So we seek out sugar. Now we can get it whenever we want it, in much more massive quantities than we are supposed to be processing. Most of us are addicted. I’m not an exception.

  • gnomesaiyan@lemmy.world
    1·
    18 hours ago

    I always find it interesting that our ancestors were for the most part fruitarians (fruits, grasses) about 3.5 million years ago. As we evolved, we expanded our diets to include vegetables, meats, and grains, leading to a better balanced diet, which is good especially considering we don’t hunt and gather like they once did.

    • theunknownmuncher@lemmy.world
      4·
      17 hours ago

      as we evolved

      In the last 12,000 years since the invention of agriculture? Barely. People, exactly like yourself, have been walking around for 250,000 years. This is all brand new.

      • socsa@piefed.socialEnglish
        1·
        7 hours ago

        You can actually see genetic pressure away from adult lactose intolerance in populations where milk and cheese are historically consumed

        • theunknownmuncher@lemmy.world
          1·
          6 hours ago

          Yeah, I agree, and I don’t mean to say that no evolution or change has occurred, but still 12,000 years is still a very short period of time, so “Barely”