02/07/2019 / By Jessica Dolores
Our ancestors survived, not so much because of plants, but because of fish. This was revealed in a recent University of Helsinki study that examined the diet of people buried in Northern Finland’s Ii Hamina cemetery from the 15th to the 17th centuries. The researchers examined the isotopes in the deceased persons’ bones. Isotopes store information about where humans got their nutrients during their lifetime.
The study, published in the Environmental Archaeology journal, showed that the leading protein source — or 70 percent of the diet — was small fish like roach or Baltic herring. Previous studies on the dental health of the said subjects, which showed that they consumed a diet rich in protein, supported this new finding.
Meanwhile, another previous study revealed that medieval residents of Ii didn’t have problems looking for food. The new study, according to researcher Maria Lahtinen of the University of Helsinki‘s Finnish Museum of Natural History Luomus, confirmed that our ancestors’ diets were sufficient. It also showed that that the fish Ii’s medieval residents consumed probably came from the middle of the food web. In other words, the fish fed on organisms found in the benthic zone, a region at the lowest level in a body of water like a lake or the sea. This emphasized how important the presence of waterways were to good health.
These results add to the pile of data proving why we must take more of this nutrient-rich food at every stage in life. (Related: Eat More Fish to Cheat Death.)
But what about those who don’t like fish? What should a worried mother do to make her child take the food that can improve brain health, provide vitamin D, fight diabetes, and other serious diseases? She and others like her can try the following:
Let’s take a cue from our ancestors. Let’s take more fish — as is, or as supplements. It’s for our own good.
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Tagged Under: ancient diets, ancient people, fish, nutrition, omega 3, paleo diet, protein, vegetables