Nutrition: It Is Not A "Hard" Science

"So the key question becomes how much meat should a cognitive-health-conscious person eat. Too little can delay development and cognition. But too much, particularly if it is low quality and mass produced, is associated with other health concerns, such as heart disease and cancer, along with memory problems later in life. A person's life stage matters: pregnant women need more iron, as do babies and children. Genetics also play a part, but we don't yet know all the particulars. All these caveats make for a murky takeaway."

Consumption of animals helped hominins to grow bigger brains. But in a world rich with food, how necessary is meat?