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Why aren't we evolved to eat grass?
(literature.cafe)
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this post was submitted on 06 Apr 2026
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Asklemmy
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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 tough design constraint. Some plants still have tricks - notice that it's the spiciest part of a hot pepper.