I’m reading Sapiens
I started reading Sapiens a few weeks ago. I’m about 20% of the way into the book, and it has dramatically changed the way I look at nearly every aspect of my life.
I’m an ape
First of all, I’m an ape.
I guess I knew that. But I never really internalized it. I learned about evolution in college and it made sense to me, but I had to make it work with my Mormon beliefs about life, heaven, and man’s role as children of God. Since I couldn’t really square evolution with my faith, I didn’t reject it—I just chose not to think about it too hard. (As a side note, I’m learning that “not thinking about things too hard” seems to have been my favorite approach to dealing with cognitive dissonance and my Mormon faith.)
Now that I’ve giving myself permission to think about anything and everything that interests me, I’m able to fully embrace the concept of evolution and how it applies to me.
I’m a forager
This thought has probably affected me the most. The idea that my ancestors were foragers for literally millions of years, and that humans have been farming for only 10,000 years, is mind-boggling. 10,000 years is a very short period of time for significant evolution to occur. Our bodies are not evolved for the world we’ve created.
I always wondered why so many people have a hard time digesting gluten and lactose. Now I know why. Because our ancestors didn’t eat either of those (at least not regularly) for millions of years.
It now makes sense to me why my one-year-old daughter always seems to be exploring and looking for things. She opens up drawers and cabinets, empties out bins, examines objects, tastes them, and moves on, searching for more. She’s foraging.
I understand why our bodies need to constantly be moving to be healthy—why a sedentary lifestyle is so unhealthy. It’s because our ancestors spent all day walking, climbing, and searching for food. That’s why buying a standing desk for your work-from-home job doesn’t improve your health, even if you try to stand all day. It’s not about not sitting; it’s about moving more.
Reawakened interest in the primal lifestyle
Back in 2010 and 2011, between graduating from high school and going on my mission, my brother Jake started following the paleo diet. I jumped on the bandwagon and became a regular visitor to Mark’s Daily Apple. I got interested again a few years ago and decided to read The Primal Blueprint, by Mark Sisson. In the book, Mark regularly refers to our distant ancestors for guidance on how to live a healthier life. I found his recommendations helpful for me personally, but I took his comments about our ancestors with a grain of salt. I figured he was making bold assumptions about our their daily habits and lives just to add weight to his already convincing claims.
I’m pretty sure I was wrong.
Everything I’ve read in Sapiens seems to match up with what I read in The Primal Blueprint, which makes me want to read the book again. Even without re-reading the book, I’ve already found myself following more of a “forager diet”, than a “farming diet.” I’ve been eating more vegetables, fruits, and meat, and fewer grains and dairy. It just makes sense to me now that my body isn’t evolved for a lot of the food available to me.
Conclusion
I’m only 20% in, and this book has already changed the way I think about humans, myself, my life, my relationships, and my health. Looking forward to reading the other 80%!