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I hunted, killed, and ate a wild baboon (brains and all) with the indigenous Hadza tribe in Africa.
Here are the 13 things I learned about human health along the way.
👇 THREAD
Here are the 13 things I learned about human health along the way.
👇 THREAD
But why? I've been fascinated with human health my entire life. Wild humans with their full genetic expression are nearly extinct. We are now zoo inhabitants.
So last year @carnivoremd and I went to Tanzania, where humans first evolved, to see our species in our natural habitat.
So last year @carnivoremd and I went to Tanzania, where humans first evolved, to see our species in our natural habitat.
1. Meat > Plants.
The Hadza prize hunted meat over all plants. In fact, they barely eat any plants. They chew on roots and spit them out, boil them for soup, and eat small amounts berries and baobab.
The men dream about big game hunts. Not huge salads or leafy greens.
The Hadza prize hunted meat over all plants. In fact, they barely eat any plants. They chew on roots and spit them out, boil them for soup, and eat small amounts berries and baobab.
The men dream about big game hunts. Not huge salads or leafy greens.
2. Hunting used to be bountiful, but now it's not.
Protected safari areas <100 miles away from where the Hadza live look like the Lion King in their natural state. Thousands of large game as far as the eye could see. This used to be normal for them, now it's impossible.
Protected safari areas <100 miles away from where the Hadza live look like the Lion King in their natural state. Thousands of large game as far as the eye could see. This used to be normal for them, now it's impossible.
They used to walk under 1km and easily kill a huge antelope to feed the entire tribe. Now they walk 30km to kill one baboon.
Why? Increasing industrialization with highways, onion farming, corn monocrops, and pastoralist tribes have pushed large game away from their lands.
Why? Increasing industrialization with highways, onion farming, corn monocrops, and pastoralist tribes have pushed large game away from their lands.
The same goes for most of the world. There were hundreds of millions of bison, antelope, and elk roaming our lands in the USA until westernized humans came and hunted them to extinction and then industrialized us into our current manmade zoo.
3. No jogging. Sprint or walk.
Even though you see chubby modern humans beating their joints up jogging on pavement for hours on end for "cardio," we didn't see anything remotely similar with the Hadza.
They walk. A lot. Then sprint intensely around, under, and over trees.
Even though you see chubby modern humans beating their joints up jogging on pavement for hours on end for "cardio," we didn't see anything remotely similar with the Hadza.
They walk. A lot. Then sprint intensely around, under, and over trees.
4. Water is overrated.
The Hadza rarely drink water and are free of chronic disease & have high energy. Even though we were sucking down bottles of water after 15km they remained unfazed and were happy to dig into a dry creek bed to take a few sips of mud. Then back to hunting.
The Hadza rarely drink water and are free of chronic disease & have high energy. Even though we were sucking down bottles of water after 15km they remained unfazed and were happy to dig into a dry creek bed to take a few sips of mud. Then back to hunting.
5. Honey > Meat.
Right after we killed the baboon we stumbled upon a beehive. Within 30 seconds a fire was lit, a branch was on fire, and there was a guy 25 ft up in a tree smoking the hive out and ripping out honeycomb and frantically throwing it down to my hands.
Right after we killed the baboon we stumbled upon a beehive. Within 30 seconds a fire was lit, a branch was on fire, and there was a guy 25 ft up in a tree smoking the hive out and ripping out honeycomb and frantically throwing it down to my hands.
They can wait hours to cook meat after a successful kill, but the honey doesn't stand a chance. Never have I seen a human eat something so ravenously as after we found the beehive full of honey.
And yes, it was one of the most amazing things I've ever eaten -- larvae and all.
And yes, it was one of the most amazing things I've ever eaten -- larvae and all.
6. We're chronically stressed.
The only time I saw the Hadza in a heightened state of stress was the five hectic minutes of chasing down and killing the baboons.
Instead of "being chased by a lion" it was "chasing a screaming baboon." Otherwise? Extreme happiness and leisure.
The only time I saw the Hadza in a heightened state of stress was the five hectic minutes of chasing down and killing the baboons.
Instead of "being chased by a lion" it was "chasing a screaming baboon." Otherwise? Extreme happiness and leisure.
The Hadza men "work" for about 3-4 hours a day hunting or making bows and arrows, the women about the same time maintaining the camp.
The rest of their time is spent laughing, telling stories, sleeping, or playing music. No rushing, no stress, no worry.
The rest of their time is spent laughing, telling stories, sleeping, or playing music. No rushing, no stress, no worry.
7. We have no practical skills.
The Hadza can start a fire in under a minute & make tools out of branches in seconds. They even made a bandage out of boiled leaves that healed an enormous gash a dog got from the baboon within days. They live in abundance with their environment.
The Hadza can start a fire in under a minute & make tools out of branches in seconds. They even made a bandage out of boiled leaves that healed an enormous gash a dog got from the baboon within days. They live in abundance with their environment.
They even know what branches can be snapped as an anti-itch cream for bug bites.
Throw me and all my friends in the woods for a few weeks and we'll likely all die. I get the sense this is another reason we're so chronically stressed. We actually have no idea how to survive.
Throw me and all my friends in the woods for a few weeks and we'll likely all die. I get the sense this is another reason we're so chronically stressed. We actually have no idea how to survive.
8. Fasting before feasting.
This goes without saying, but when you need to actually find and hunt all of your own food, you fast before you eat. There is no snacking even though they could on berries, baobab, roots, etc.
Fast, then walk/sprint/physical exertion, then feast.
This goes without saying, but when you need to actually find and hunt all of your own food, you fast before you eat. There is no snacking even though they could on berries, baobab, roots, etc.
Fast, then walk/sprint/physical exertion, then feast.
9. Organs are prized.
The first thing that is eaten after the animal is cut up is the liver. Whether a baboon, genet cat, bird, or antelope, the liver is the first thing consumed. Then the heart and other organs. They eat everything cooked over open fire and no raw meat.
The first thing that is eaten after the animal is cut up is the liver. Whether a baboon, genet cat, bird, or antelope, the liver is the first thing consumed. Then the heart and other organs. They eat everything cooked over open fire and no raw meat.
10. Eat slow, in communion.
Americans eat the opposite way. Fast, alone, and in front of screens.
Even though the Hadza hadn't eaten in over 24 hrs before this baboon, they were present, relaxed, and eating very slowly.
No wonder the science says this is good for digestion.
Americans eat the opposite way. Fast, alone, and in front of screens.
Even though the Hadza hadn't eaten in over 24 hrs before this baboon, they were present, relaxed, and eating very slowly.
No wonder the science says this is good for digestion.
11. No waste in nature.
We ate the face, brains and all, of the baboon. The skin is used for clothing. The bones and intestines go to the dogs. There is no "trash" in nature. No recycling programs. Everything, including humans, gets recycled back into new life continuously.
We ate the face, brains and all, of the baboon. The skin is used for clothing. The bones and intestines go to the dogs. There is no "trash" in nature. No recycling programs. Everything, including humans, gets recycled back into new life continuously.
12. Don't eat the berries.
Or at least a lot of them. We stopped to snack on a random berry bush and I had a few handfuls. I got so sick I was hallucinating for hours. Turns out the seeds need to be spit out or you can die if you eat enough of them. Whoops!
Or at least a lot of them. We stopped to snack on a random berry bush and I had a few handfuls. I got so sick I was hallucinating for hours. Turns out the seeds need to be spit out or you can die if you eat enough of them. Whoops!
13. High fiber diets are a myth.
The Hadza are celebrated for their diverse gut microbiome. Studies claim to have connected it with their "100s of grams of fiber/day consumption."
This is a LIE. The scant roots they harvest are chewed up and spit out. They barely eat fiber.
The Hadza are celebrated for their diverse gut microbiome. Studies claim to have connected it with their "100s of grams of fiber/day consumption."
This is a LIE. The scant roots they harvest are chewed up and spit out. They barely eat fiber.
So why do the Hadza have such good microbiomes? Maybe drinking mud, living outside, not washing their hands, and eating things with dirt all over them have something to with it rather than eating the mythical hundreds of grams of fiber...
Just because this is the way the Hadza live doesn't mean this is the way every human needs to live. Humans are adaptable and can thrive in many ways of living.
One thing that can't be argued is that our current way of modern living results in a healthier, happier human.
One thing that can't be argued is that our current way of modern living results in a healthier, happier human.
There's no going back to living like a hunter and gatherer. But we can learn, experiment with ways of living more like a human, see how it impacts us individually, and keep going on this crazy journey.
If you want to hear more about this hunting trip and our wild stay with the Hadza tribe, listen to the podcast @carnivoremd and I did about it here: dranthonygustin.com/134-hadza-tribe/
Want more of my learnings on how humans should live? Follow along @dranthonygustin and sign up for my weekly newsletter on all things health, happiness, and human scale living here: dranthonygustin.com/thefeed
What else do you want to hear about from my trip to see the Hadza? Happy to write more threads, just reply to this and let me know!
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Daniel Vassallo @dvassallo
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Mar 24, 2022
☝️ cc @GuruAnaerobic — great thread