First, they include a limited variety of foods. For example, although the!Kung San recognized at least 105 plants as edible, only 14 formed the bulk of their plant food intake, and only a subset of these 14 plant foods was available at any given season and location. Throughout the year, half of their calorie intake came from a single food, the mongongo fruit/nut. Over the course of the entire year, the!Kung San diet was quite varied; yet over the course of a day, it may have focused on only a few foods. Because of the seasonal availability of key resources, the same is true of most other
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