ABSTRACT
Discrepancies have often been observed in the estimated nutritional requirements of groups of primitive peoples and the availability of nutrients as estimated or measured from dietary data. Although the scientific evidence to support the assumptions regarding the diet of prehistoric man is quite scanty, opportunities still exist to gain an insight into the diet of early man. Fernandez and Lynch have estimated that the Tasaday adult spends some three hours per day on subsistence activities, and the indications are that a significant part of the diet is consumed away from the caves. The Tasaday material culture seems to indicate a lack of provision for the carrying of large quantities of food, especially from distant forays, and this would account for the apparent insignificant role of food storage in the diet. Judgments on the adequacy of diets invariably depend on comparisons with estimates of requirements.
