probably by picking up small crawling animals and scavenging
Emphasis on the word scavenging. There is no question that ancient hominids scavenged when they were starving. However, this obviously couldn't be a significant part of their diet because there are so many diseases that can transfer from one animal to another.
And if meat was a significant part of our diets, cholesterol and atherosclerosis wouldn't be problems like they are now.
Fire was discovered at least 300,000 years ago.
There is no question that humans developed the technology of cooking, farming, and hunting to overcome their natural weaknesses, however, that did not significantly effect our evolution.
Evolution occurs because of small, infrequent, random mutations in the genetic material. In order for our digestive system to evolve there must be some "selective mechanism" that operates to select beneficial changes, however, there was no such selective mechanism operating at that point because the users faulty diet would not kill its user before reproductive age.
For example, people that eat the unhealthiest of diets - that have underage diabetes and obesity can still live to reproductive age. Their diet isn't healthy it is just "healthy enough."
"And if meat was a significant part of our diets, cholesterol and atherosclerosis wouldn't be problems like they are now."
You're basing your argument on the assumption that cholesterol problems are caused by intake ofsaturated fat and jumping to a conclusion based on that assumption.
The assumption you're making is being pitted against a growing amount of evidence that cholesterol problems are caused by modern over-consumption of carbohydrates. The most basic form of evidence for this argument is that 75% of our cholesterol is manufactured by our own body as opposed to being caused by dietary intake.
And if meat was a significant part of our diets, cholesterol and atherosclerosis wouldn't be problems like they are now.
And they were not ... until very recent times. If you look at the data available about the hunter-gatherer tribes, they did not have heart disease, diabetes, obesity, even cancer - despite sometimes having the higher saturated fat intake compared even to today's US.
Look up the Kitavians, Masai, the Inuit ...
Emphasis on the word scavenging. There is no question that ancient hominids scavenged when they were starving. However, this obviously couldn't be a significant part of their diet because there are so many diseases that can transfer from one animal to another.
And if meat was a significant part of our diets, cholesterol and atherosclerosis wouldn't be problems like they are now.
Fire was discovered at least 300,000 years ago.
There is no question that humans developed the technology of cooking, farming, and hunting to overcome their natural weaknesses, however, that did not significantly effect our evolution.
Evolution occurs because of small, infrequent, random mutations in the genetic material. In order for our digestive system to evolve there must be some "selective mechanism" that operates to select beneficial changes, however, there was no such selective mechanism operating at that point because the users faulty diet would not kill its user before reproductive age.
For example, people that eat the unhealthiest of diets - that have underage diabetes and obesity can still live to reproductive age. Their diet isn't healthy it is just "healthy enough."