The recent screening by SBS of “Did Cooking Make Us Human?” during my week of post-fast raw food has given cause for consideration of cooking, and meat.
Coming off a fast, raw food is recommended. Eat raw, very little, one new fruit or vegetable at a time, no protein until the 7th day. It has been an interesting time to venture in to the world of the raw foodie, who believes raw is best because the enzymes are preserved to aid digestion. So far so good, on the raw food diet ╨ my weight has remained the same as when I finished the fast, although I╒ve hardly exercised and do feel a little docile.
The SBS series screened last week makes a strong case for both cooking and meat eating. Cooking clearly breaks up the food structurally and allows the body to extract more sugars from it. Meat is both calorie and protein rich. The ability to cook, and hunt for meat, it is proposed, helped ancient humans evolve to modern form ╨ with increasingly smaller stomachs and bigger energy-hungry brains. This has left us with desires and digestive tracts that prioritise protein rich foods at the expense of all others ╨ bad for weight-loss but supposedly responsible for our brainpower.
So for healthy weight-management and good nutrition which is the better approach?
Although there is an inherent logic in keeping the enzymes in food ╨ why is this better? Is the ease of digestion, and retention of nutrients worth the loss of calories per gram consumed?
Is the objective of eating to release calories? Which is better for releasing vitamins and minerals ╨ the structural change achieved by cooking, or live enzymes in raw food?
If it is all about calories, then why doesn╒t our current lifestyle – centred on cooked heavy meaty food – result in smarter not fatter people?
Any why do developing societies seem to acquire all the modern health disorders as they abandon traditional diets and take on more cooked proteins? Soon half the second world will be switching from weigh-gain to weight-loss like the rest of us.
I suspect that our bodies get more than calories from food, and this needs to be considered when interpreting both ancient and modern humans. If we assumed that the objective of eating was to release calories for our hungry brains, capture vital vitamins and minerals, and remain healthy for a decent life span – what digestive model would be better?
Life spans have increased with nutrition ╨ but did calories alone or a mixture of foods cause this?
Modern diet science seems to have swung against meat in the last decade or so ╨ advocating a great balance with other foods, and smaller portions.
Then there╒s the 51% approach ╨ eat whatever you want but make sure 51% of each meal is raw to aid digestion and keep vital nutrients. Another more individual approach advocates the degree to which you cook food and eat meat according to your blood type. For those of us who will have lived most of our lives by the time the science can answer some of these questions, it╒s back to old-fashioned self-observation ╨ what feels right to you.
Of course, in the era of weight-loss failure and so much compulsive behavior around food, even going by ╥feel╙ alone can also be a bit fraught. I╒ve already heard people say they╒re going to eat more cooked meat as if it were underwritten as an option by the evolution of ancient humans. Is this logical, or a desire-driven twist of the science that is going on at present?
Elvis Presley — a man who struggled with weight-loss while chowing down on fried beef, and peanut butter/bacon rolls — is reported to have had a large intestine weighing 40 kilos when he prematurely died. Compared to the human average of 7 Kilos, this presents some, well╔ food for thought.
Progress Update
Weight-loss Status Update: 66.5 kilos at the end of the fast ╨ That╒s 5 kilos down after one week of herbs and juice. Not sure it will stay off, but fasting sure is a weight-loss great habit-changer.
Fitness Status Update: Haven╒t had much energy for it while fasting ╨ have become a little scared of that first run.
Stress Relief Status Update: The mental de-programming that comes with fasting is like scrubbing your brain with a squeegee. Busy brains take note ╨ you╒ll see with clarity and sleep like a baby.
Yours,
The Dark Mistress
The Balance Blog ╨ A reflection on virtual life versus embodied life; ostensibly finding sunshine, holistic fitness, natural weight-loss and stress relief for an obsessed workaholic screen addict, with the occasional dig at the World Wide Web.
