Over the past 3.5 billion years our evolution as humans has been slow and methodical. Slight adaptations over millions of generations have led us to where we are now: the most highly evolved species on the planet. However, technological and dietary advances over the past hundred years have rapidly accelerated and have outpaced our own evolution. Simply put, our bodies have not evolved at the pace of modern technology and dietary changes, and we are seeing the effects. No longer is our survival reliant upon what we can hunt and kill, or fresh food we can grow on our own. Instead, we are now able to tap a keypad in air conditioned comfort and have prepared food delivered right to our couch. Fire is no longer an awe-inspiring accomplishment, instead available at the touch of a button. Travel no longer means walking miles on foot, but enjoying the view out the window while sitting in upholstered seats. We have gone from hunter/gatherers to consumers.

As a result, we are not exposed to the sun as much as generations past and this has had both good and bad implications on our health. On the positive side we are more aware of overexposure to the sun and take the precautions of covering up or using sunblock when we do venture outdoors. The downside of this is that we are not outside exercising or playing; instead we are inside playing video games or tapping excitedly on our phones exercising only our thumbs. The combination of a more sedentary existence coupled with less exposure to the sun (and lower Vitamin D levels) has led to an increase in adverse health conditions including: obesity, depression, diabetes and heart disease (and usually in that order!).

Technological advances in food preparation have made preparing a meal as easy as a detour through the drive-thru or a trip to the grocery store. Food can now be prepared, packaged and placed on store shelves in the same day and it can stay there preserved for weeks. Unfortunately, there are repercussions for this convenience.