Energy balance

Consumption of cooked, high-starch plant foods (specifically underground storage organs) was an essential evolutionary driver for the expansion of the human brain and body size during the Pleistocene by providing the preformed glucose required for high-energy tissues.

While modern humans do not need to eat like Pleistocene hominins, this research highlights that digestible carbohydrates, particularly from starchy plants, are a natural and efficient fuel source for the brain. Cooking increases the bioavailability of these carbohydrates, suggesting that processed, low-fiber, or raw starches may not provide the same evolutionary or metabolic benefits as whole, cooked starchy foods.