Today’s interesting fact has to do with what type of food our ancestors ate.

From studying bones and teeth, and the various isotopes found within them, they have found they can accurately determine the diet of the creature they are studying as well as where the animal grew up and if it moved from one area to another.

From their studies we know that before 10,000 BC, the average human ate average of probably 65% plant to 35% animal derived foods.

After 10,000 BC depending on where they were in the world, this changed to as high as 90% plant to 10% animal derived foods.

Before 10,000 BC humans got their animal protein from various sources.

In order of decreasing importance to the diet or if you prefer the amount they ate, we have insects or their grubs, small lizards, mammals and birds, fish, shellfish, and the occasional large animal.

It is also interesting to note that before 10,000 BC, the average human was taller, stronger and healthier than after 10,000 BC when they became weaker, shorter and had more infections.

There are multiple reasons for the decrease in health the ancients but one they have positively identified is the switch to a more vegetarian diet.

Today’s interesting fact has to do with Tallow.

Tallow usually a rendered form of beef and mutton fat, although commercial tallows can also contain other animals fats such as lard from pigs, fat from deer or plant fats.

Tallow is used in making soaps, detergents, fabric softeners, cosmetics, medical preparations and a myriad of other products.

Many people such as Vegans or Vegetarians, find it important to know if animal extracts have been used in making the products they use, and others such as Muslims or Jews find it important to know if a product may contain pig lard in order to comply with their religious dietary laws.

One way to tell if a product contains tallow is if the name of the ingredient contains the letters tallo in it.

While in no way complete following list contains examples of known tallow derived ingredients:

Dihydrogenated Tallow Benzylmoniumchloride, Dihydrogenated Tallow Methylamine, Dihydrogenated Tallow Phthalate, Dihydroxyethyl Tallow Amine Oxide, Dimethyl Hydrogenated Tallowamine, Dimethyl Tallowamine, Disodium Hydrogenated TallowGlutamate, Disodium Tallamido Mea-Sulfosuccinate, Disodium Tallowaminodipropionate, Ditallowdimonium Chloride, Hydrogenated Animal Glyceride, Hydrogenated Ditallow Amine, Hydrogenated Tallow Acid, Hydrogenated Tallow Betaine, Hydrogenated Tallow Glyceride, Isopropyl Tallowatelsopropyl Lanolate, PEG-13 Hydrogenated Tallow Amide, PEG-15 Tallow Polyamine, PEG-20 Tallowate, PEG-28 Glyceryl Tallowate, PEG-3 Tallow Aminopropylamine, PEG-10 Tallow Aminopropylamine, PEG-15 Tallow Aminopropylamine, Potassium Tallowate, Sodium Hydrogenated Tallow Glutamate, Sodium TAllow Sulfate, Sodium Tallowate, Sodium Tallowate, Tallow, Tallow Acid, Tallow Amide, Tallow Amidopropylamine Oxide. Tallow Amine, Tallow Amine Oxide, Tallow Glycerides, Tallow Hydroxyethal Imidazoline, Tallow Imidazoline, Tallow Trimonium Chloride, Talloweth-6, Tallowmide DEA and MEA, Tallowmidopropyl Hydroxysultaine, Tallowminopropylamine, or Tallowmphoacete.

The following ingredients that can be found in various product may have been extracted from Tallow: Palmitic acid, Stearic acid, Myristic acid, Oleic acid, Palmitoleic acid, Linoleic acid and Linolenic acid.