Food Process, Culture, and Human Dietary Habits Back when cavemen roamed the earth, food was scarce and variety was minimal. Hunting was the primary method used to acquire food. Cavemen needed food to survive and they risked their lives to get it. Over time and evolution, man found better and easier ways to acquire food. Although hunting is still used to acquire food, man has found other ways to feed himself, such as planting and cultivating crops, as well as raising animals for consumption. Today, all of these ways of obtaining food still exist, but on a larger scale and with consequences. In order to produce food in larger quantities and keep it longer, many different additives and processes are used, some of which are harmful to human health. Apart from this, Western countries have experienced a fast food epidemic which has led to unhealthy eating habits and a decline in human health. Today, many people live to eat rather than eat to live and the consequences of eating habits and food processing are evident. The Stone Age or Paleolithic Age began at the beginning of the human race and lasted until around 12,000 years ago. At that time, food was scarce and man moved from place to place in order to follow the herds of animals they hunted. They were constantly on the move and the methods of obtaining food consisted of hunting and gathering wild fruits and vegetables; because they moved, hunted, and gathered food, they were known as nomads (Montignac, 2014). The diet of Stone Age inhabitants consisted mainly of meat (protein), but they also ate fruits and vegetables. Their diet barely consisted of carbohydrates because rice, pasta, and bread were not available. Short middle of paper, people's health began to deteriorate as less and less protein and fruit were consumed. Today, humans eat a different variety of foods that have been processed and have many different additives, colors, and flavors added. While it may look, sound, smell and even taste good, today's food can have a negative impact on people's health. If the human race is to survive, fast food, current food processing methods and additives must be reduced. Our diet should consist of more protein, vegetables and fruits, just like in Paleolithic times. The results and data show that people in the past were healthier because they were forced to move around in search of food. Changes absolutely need to be made to the way food is processed and the way people eat. People need to be aware of what they eat and they should eat to live, not live to eat if the human race is to survive..