The following are extracts from "The Biology of Civilisation" by Stephen
Boyden.  Stephen was a pioneer of Paleo principles, writing "Evolution and
Health" way back in 1973.  There is a copy of this seminal paper here:

http://www.evfit.com

Follow the link to <Stephen Boyden> about half-way down the left side of
the page.

****** Extracts from The Biology of Civilisation" (2004)******

One of the consequences of the introduction of farming was the tendency
for some populations to become overly dependent on a single food source,
such as wheat or some other cereal.  These populations were particularly
vulnerable to food shortages ... hunter-gatherers, whose food sources were
typically very diverse, had been much less at risk.

... in the more affluent countries at the present time the main
quantitative deviation from the natural diet is over-consumption of food.
This is the outcome of two main sets of influences.

• First, ... humans perform much less physical work than was usual
in the natural habitat

• Second, a number of cultural factors have come into play that tend
to increase the amount of food eaten by various sectors of the
population.  These include:

- efforts, through the culinary art and the food processing
industry, to increase the palatability and general attractiveness of
foodstuffs

- the cultural notion of three meals a day

- certain rituals like business lunches and social dinner parties
[and book launches]

- sheer boredom. (Page 51)

The specific nutritional requirements of the human species are, of course,
the same as they have always been.  As in the case of all other species,
there is no better diet for humankind than that typical of the species
living in their natural habitat.  In that setting people were typically
omniverous, consuming a wide range of different foods of plant origin,
including roots, tubers, fruits, nuts and leaves, as well as some cooked
lean meat. (Page 52)

... countless substances have been, and still are, added to human
food ...  The most widespread of all these additives is sodium chloride
or 'salt'.. the majority of people in our society consume ten to fifteen
times more salt than is necessary to satisfy their metabolic
requirements... (Page 54)

... no knowledge of the existence, chemistry or biological function of the
vitamins or any other nutrient is necessary for the avoidance of the
nutritional deficiency diseases.  All that is required is, first,
understanding of the evolutionary health principle, and second, the
knowledge that the typical diet of Homo sapiens in the natural habitat of
the species consisted of a wide variety of different kinds of fresh
vegetables, fruits, nuts and roots plus a certain amount of cooked, lean
meat.  (Page 56)

***** End of extracts ******

You can find references to The Biology of Civilisation at Amazon.  Just
enter <Stephen Boyden> in their search engine.  Or, if you like, I'd be
happy to send you a copy directly. I think it would work out to around
$US30 including airmail postage from Australia, but will find out the
precise cost if anyone asks.

Keith