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Joseph Dimmick

Marisa Maughan

ANTH-1020-006

26 November 2015

Evolutionary Theory: LIFE

Human Life can be broken down into stages depending on your age. At any given stage

our nutritional needs may differ to accommodate what our body is going through. Throughout

human evolution there has been changes to how we simply survive. One basic need has always

been the greatest concern of humans, the need to eat. Human habits and diets have undergone

vast changes throughout our evolution due to our ability to adapt. Earliest humans use to spend

almost all their excess energy in simply finding more food. Today eating has become more of a

nuisance and is vastly overlooked by many. A proper diet is important. It can be thought of a lot

like balancing a monetary budget. Your body needs energy to do everything from move to heal

wounds. When you injure yourself or become ill your body has to give out energy (cash) to pay

for repair. The effects of poor nutrition can be passed on to future generations. In women,

because of the demand of child bearing, a poor diet can not only pass on potential problems to

the baby but also buts the mother at greater risks. I will discuss two important parts of life for

women leading up to reproduction and what their dietary needs are.

Adolescence

Adolescence is the second largest growth period of life (infancy being first). Roughly

ranging from age 4 to 18. Estimated calorie needs for adolescent girls are between 1,200Cal to

2,400Cal. Calorie intake has a few factors to consider age and activity. At age 4 and sedentary
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1,200Cal is recommended; Age 18 and active, such as a high school athlete, the daily

recommended intake is 2,400.(Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2010). Proper nutrition is

important because the human body is constantly developing and repairing damage. Without a

proper diet the body will be forced to make a choice on where it can use its energy and this may

lead to future complication such as but not limited to low bone density. Just meeting the

recommended calorie intake is not enough. It is important to consume nutrient rich foods;

selecting non-processed and locally grown foods, limiting consumption of preservatives and

limit sugars to natural sugars found in fruits and vegetables. Beverages have been shown to be

the top contributor to energy for adolescent. (Am J Clin Nutr). Drinking milk instead of

having a soda would be an exampling of choosing a more nutrient rich beverage. An adolescence

diet can have mental effects as well such as inability to focus. Having a healthy diet at this point

in life will help with entering the reproductive state of life.

Reproductive

This stage of life covers from ages 19 to 30. While childbearing is possible after the age

of 30 risks to both the fetus and mother increase. Just as we see in adolescence calorie intake

depends on age and activity. Recommended calorie should be around 1,800 to 2,000 if the person

is not very active and as high as 2,400 for highly active people. Again focusing on nutrient rich

foods are important and remain so throughout life. While pregnant or lactating energy

requirements will increase. While pregnant or lactating calorie intake will need to be higher with

even more emphasis on nutrients. Today women have the help with modern medicine and can

take prenatal vitamins to help ensure they are getting all the required nutrients that are essentially

being sapped from them to sustain the fetus or infant. Vitamin A, Iron/Folate, Iodine and
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Proteins are essentials. Consequences of maternal malnutrition is increased risk of infection,

anemia, lethargy or weakness. The fetus also faces increased risk of death, prematurity, growth

retardation, birth defects, brain damage, and increased risk of infection. To ensure proper

maternal nutrition pregnant women need extra food each day and women who are lactating need

an extra meal. (Maternal Nutrition Dietary Guide).

Diet and Evolution

Despite the lack of good evidence there is no question on the fact that diet has played an

important role in the driving force of human evolution. It is believed that due to the

domestication of plants and animals and the industrial revolution happening in such a short time

frame (evolutionarily speaking) that the human body was not given adequate time to evolve to

keep up with the advances in food production. Favism, galactosemia, and especially diabetes

which is a condition of both diet and genetics is brought up as examples of evidence. Since

human growth and reproduction relies so heavily on proper nutrition it would be better to be safe

than sorry.

The game

We have modified the popular board game Life to simulate the effects of how diet

could affect so much of life. Instead of money the player earns energy landing on squares

provides more energy but beware not all squares are beneficial. Some are designed to emulate

the effects of injury or sickness and the cost it plays on the human body energy demands.
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Works Cited

U.S. Department of Agriculture, U. S. Department of Health and Human services.

(Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2010. 7th ed..)

Washington, DC. U.S. Government Printing Office, Dec. 2010. 26 Nov. 2015

Troiano, R. P., Briefel, R. R., Carroll, M. D. & Bialostosky, K. (2000)

(Energy and fat intake of children and adolescents in the United States: Data from the

National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys.) Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 72(5

Suppl):1343S-1353S. 26 Nov. 2015

Barnicot N. Human Nutrition: Evolutionary Perspectives.

(Integrative Physiological & Behavioral Science [serial online].) April. 2005:

40(2):114-117. Academic Search Premier, Ipswich, MA. 26 Nov. 2015

Child Survival Collaborations and Resources Nutrition Working Group (CORE)

(Maternal Nutrition During Pregnancy and Lactation) August 2004. U.S.

26 Nov. 2015