Humans Are Frugivores

According to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History, “One of the earliest defining human traits, bipedalism — the ability to walk on two legs — evolved over 4 million years ago. Other important human characteristics — such as a large and complex brain, the ability to make and use tools, and the capacity for language — developed more recently. Many advanced traits — including complex symbolic expression, art, and elaborate cultural diversity — emerged mainly during the past 100,000 years.”

“Humans are primates. Physical and genetic similarities show that the modern human species, Homo sapiens, has a very close relationship to another group of primate species, the apes. Humans and the great apes (large apes) of Africa — chimpanzees (including bonobos, or so-called “pygmy chimpanzees”) and gorillas — share a common ancestor that lived between 8 and 6 million years ago. Humans first evolved in Africa, and much of human evolution occurred on that continent. The fossils of early humans who lived between 6 and 2 million years ago come entirely from Africa.”

Let’s take a look at our closest relatives for comparison. “Bonobos love to feast on fruit. While fruit is their favorite food, they also eat leaves, flowers, seeds, bark, fungus, and honey” – African Wildlife Foundation. “Chimpanzees are omnivorous frugivores. That means in the wild they eat all sorts of produce as well as some animals but are particularly fond of fruits. The list of food items is long: fruits, roots, nuts, leaves, plants, flowers, insects, meat and more. In the wild, meat makes up less than 2% of their diet” – Project Chimps. “Gorillas stick to a mainly vegetarian diet, feeding on stems, bamboo shoots and fruits. Western lowland gorillas, however, also have an appetite for termites and ants, and break open termite nests to eat the larvae” – World Wildlife Fund.

This shows us that our closest relatives mainly eat fruit, but occasionally eat other things they encounter in the forest. This means that, although they are opportunistic, fruit and plant matter gives them what they need. Looking at these modern-day animals gives us an indication as to what we should eat.

On the topic of evolution, it is important to point out our co-evolution with fruit trees. Over millions of years we have developed a mutually beneficial bond with fruit trees. The tree provides plenty of life-sustaining treats and humans drop those pits or poop out those seeds at a distance from the tree – propagating the fruit, growing its range and preserving the species. Not to mention, trees and the forest are our natural home.