There are plenty more fish in the sea

Human beings, as omnivores, might have had an evolutionary advantage. However, modern research suggests that the range of foods humans consume has narrowed rather than broadened. A study published in People and Nature reveals that the British palate, for instance, now relies heavily on just a handful of fish. Once favored catches like plaice, herring, and oysters have been largely replaced by a select group of fish: cod, haddock, salmon, prawns, and tuna.

This dietary shift raises questions about the era of abundance, where diversity thrives in other aspects of life yet the dinner plate remains surprisingly uniform, from New Delhi to New York.

The root of this phenomenon lies in the global economy's tendency towards monocultures. Humans derive the majority of their calories from a mere eight crops: rice, wheat, maize, potatoes, barley, palm oil, soy, and sugar. This dietary homogenization extends beyond health concerns, such as the burgeoning global obesity crisis, to broader implications for human evolution. The evolutionary edge that once set Homo sapiens apart is now compromised by our limited diet.

The consequences of this narrow palate become starkly evident in the face of modern food crises. The reliance on monocultures has led to devastating events like the banana epidemic in South and Central America and the African swine fever outbreak in Asia, which culminated in millions of pig deaths and disrupted global food supplies. In essence, while the world offers a vast array of food choices, humans seem to be overlooking this variety in favor of a narrow selection of fish and other limited food sources.