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Why aren't we evolved to eat grass? (literature.cafe)
submitted 6 months ago* by to c/asklemmy@lemmy.ml
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It's everywhere. Why not just eat it instead of searching for veggies and meat which are more difficult to have?

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[โ€“] 39 points 6 months ago (5 children)

All forms of grass:

  • Corn
  • Wheat
  • Barley
  • Rice
  • etc
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  • [โ€“] 23 points 6 months ago (3 children)

    We eat the seeds, I presume OP refers to the leaves/blades of grass which are also present in species that aren't cereals

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  • [โ€“] 12 points 6 months ago (2 children)

    Good point. This made me look further, but some of these also are just the seeds:

    • Bamboo
    • Bluegrass
    • Crabgrass
    • Foxtail Grass
    • Goosegrass
    • Lemongrass
    • Wood Millet
    • Orchardgrass

    https://smartgardenhome.com/edible-plants/grasses/

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  • [โ€“] 6 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago)

    Plants are selected to not be great to eat, basically. Cellulose in particular is almost impossible to biochemically break back down (but not completely), and is a pretty good structural material, too.

    Seeds are often still palatable once you get through the shell, basically because turning into a baby plant is an already a tough design constraint. Some plants still have tricks - notice that it's the spiciest part of a hot pepper.

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