Were cooking and food preparation styles a major factor in the diet?
Absolutely. A lot of foods were very fresh—direct from the field or river or freshly killed. There were equipment limitations that determined how food was prepared. People have to cook over charcoal in a clay stove or cook in a solar oven and slow-cook food for hours. But the upside is that it makes the foods taste delicious and the nutrients in the foods interact in a beneficial way. On a biochemical level, I see so many benefits to traditional slow-cooking styles: Vitamin C from lemon blends with the iron in greens. Olive oil pulls out the antioxidants from tomatoes to make them more absorbable. Fermented foods and acidic foods break down the anti-nutrients in whole grains and so forth. Q: How important do you think cooking—or not—is in our typical diet? A: The most important thing I realized is that it’s hard to be healthy and not cook. I have been in kitchens around the world that most of us would consider substandard. But people are cooking wonderful meals that are nourishing. Q:
