OK here's a question about iron (BLWers?)

IrishCoffee7

I have a question.  I realize that baby's iron stores run out around 6 months, hence the reccommendation to start fortified cereal and/or give them meat occasionally.

What happened "back in the day" when kids were just breast fed and then weaned naturally as they got used to "table food?"  I mean there wasn't always fortified cereal, and it's not like moms had a food processor to offer meat purees.  Plus, meat is not necessarily a huge part of the diet of a lot of cultures.

Am I missing something?  Were kids just iron deficient from 6-12 months until we figured this out and started giving them fortified cereal in, what, the 1970s?

I guess I am confused.  It seems like an evolutionary mistake otherwise.  Why would babies evolve to need iron and have no obvious/natural sources of it other than man-made fortified cereals.

Can someone educate me?