The Hungry Brain: Outsmarting the Instincts That Make Us Overeat

by Stephan Guyenet

There isn’t any refined food in a wild environment, and hunter-gatherers tend to have a fairly diverse diet, so it was probably difficult for them to meet their energy needs without also meeting their need for all other essential nutrients. This is supported by the fact that existing and historical hunter-gatherer groups tend to have very low rates of vitamin and mineral deficiency. There may have been no need to evolve a system to seek vitamins and minerals because deficiencies weren’t a major threat to reproductive success, particularly when compared to the much higher risk of insufficient calories. Salt may be an exception. We’re probably wired to taste and enjoy it, like certain other animals, because it was a limiting nutrient in the wild. In contrast, we haven’t evolved the ability to taste and enjoy vitamins or most minerals.

regarding why we do not seem to have a drive for minerals as we do for salt