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Do you believe that animal protein is toxic?

We were reading a post in the community, I forget about what exactly, but it linked to a video of T Colin Campbell, of China Study fame. If you don't know who he is, his basic thesis is that animal protein (not necessarily just fat) is highly toxic and correlated to all the bad stuff that afflicts us.

As a meat eater, I am totally open to these ideas, and have so many questions. One I have is- if lots of greens are so good for you, does this offset the toxicity of animal protein?

Please don't start an ideological fight, but I am really interested in this whole idea. The video got me thinking so thanks for posting it.

-Jackie


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Sun. Dec 21, 1:20pm

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I've wondered about that too. But I'm pretty sure that if you're eating meat from animals that have been warehoused, shot up with hormones and antibiotics, and generally raised in a way totally contrary to their natural existence -- then yes, the meat will be toxic because it's been made that way by the growers.

What I'd really like to know is if meat from free range animals who are treated humanely and allowed to eat their natural foods (such as cows and grass) is toxic to the human body. Until I know for sure, I've limited my consumption of meat to an occasional accent or condiment status. Not ready to give it up completely yet...

Sunday, December 21, 2008, 3:00 PM

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What does "toxic" mean in this context? Plants are CHOCK FULL of toxins, most of which are evolved to prevent or discourage insects and mammals from eating the plants. Digitalis, strychnine, cyanide, and all kinds of alkaloids come from plants. Some of these we generally manage to avoid eating, some of them we cook out of food, some of them (like caffeine) we enjoy, and some have no noticeable effect on people but aren't good for other mammals.

Almost anything we put in our bodies, whether of pure composition or not, food or drug has "side effects." You can take aspirin (or willow salic) for a headache, but it will also thin your blood. Or you can take ibuprofen, and it will also irritate your stomach. Or acetominophen, which is bad for your liver. While one can look at these options and choose to let the headache go away on its own, one cannot choose to not eat. Are the toxins in meat worse than the toxins in plants?

I do agree with the 3:00 poster that the scientifically helpful comparison to make is between organically grown vegetables and free-range, organic animal meat, milk, and eggs. All kinds of extra substances find their way into our diets otherwise.

But I also see (as a biologist) that human beings are, in their anatomy, omnivores. We have the teeth of an omnivore. We have the gut of an ominivore. This is really not argued among most serious scientists. We evolved able to eat -- and probably needing to eat, seasonally -- both animals and plants.

You ask in the blog, Jackie, why the Chinese are able to eat more calories. My first guess is that the average Chinese gets a lot more exercise than the average American. Not every Chinese household has a car, whereas I was reading recently that there is more than one car per driver in the US. But I assume this was controlled for, since it's so obvious.

The second thing that strikes me about this question is the "are able." This is a weightloss site and I know that we tend to focus on eating as much as possible while staying thin. But that is NOT an advantage!! Until very recently, all of human history was shaped and punctuated by starvation. Look away from North America and Europe, and there are still people starving all over the world. There were famines just this year due to rice shortages. The people who survive a famine are those who can maintain their weight on FEWER calories. Thus, the meat-eater is strongly ADVANTAGED.

neon




Monday, December 22, 2008, 7:51 AM

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I have a very hard time believing that animal protein is toxic to humans. Evolutionarily speaking we are omnivores and like PP said, no one in science can really arugue that.

But also like PP, I agree that modern farming and ranching has changed how we eat meat. We eat a lot more than we are evolved to handle, and we are exposed to a lot more toxins and chemicals from those animals than if we were still hunting them in the wild.

I stive to only eat meat that has been hunted in the wild and avoid meat from the grocer or at a restaurant. I don't follow this rule 100%, but I do try.

Monday, December 22, 2008, 10:44 AM

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Agreed. The way our meat is handled makes it toxic, and unhealthy to our immune systems that are already bombarded by toxins in the air we breathe, the water we drink, the jet fuel and plastic byproducts we all carry in our blood, and the chemicals on our plants. Doing everything you can to strengthen your immune system while living in this environment is so important - we evolved on a diet of antioxidants, and that's why I eat mostly plants and eat very little animal protein, usually wild game my SO has hunted and NEVER milk where everything bad seems to be concentrated.

Link

Monday, December 22, 2008, 2:12 PM

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This is such great feedback. neon- what an interesting perspective. My gut tells me that meat from a place like Whole Foods is the way to go. As I speak my in-laws are preparing a standing rib roast!

Monday, December 22, 2008, 4:13 PM

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Grass fed (not grass finished which a lot of Whole Foods meat) is the way to go with meat...and it is hard to find. I have researched this a lot. You need a freezer AND a regular source OR some hunters in your circle of people.

The interesting thing with the research is it gets me really tuned into the animals who go to slaughter so we can eat which makes me NOT want to eat meat. I think the remove of plastic wrapped animal protein has us eating a lot more of it. (I am an omnivore who is trying to become more conscious about all of this and I do battle with wanting to close my eyes).

As Neon said, we are omnivores. We also need the Omega three's that come from animal protein (they are essential...we don't make them). Unfortunately, because most livestock is grain fed we don't get the 3's we need.

I take capsules of omega 3's derived from fish oil. This truly bothers me because it is the ultimate manufacturing and processing. But many of our present day inflammatory diseases originate from problems with the ratio of Omega 6's to Omega 3's...and this originates from our food sources.

The complexity of these questions is overwhelming. We need a complete overhaul of our food systems. It's ultimately a political issue.



Tuesday, December 23, 2008, 11:14 AM

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To answer your question do read The China Study, and The Rave Diet and Lifestyle. Its not just the hormones and pesticides on the plants the animals eat. Diets high in animal protein can be harmful to the kidneys, heart and other organs.
The part about the Chinese is that they eat more calories per pound of body weight. They eat more basic then we do and less animal protein. At least the rural areas do.
Finally I would say eating animal protein rather than veggies is much more toxic. Even with the sprays all over the plants you can wash some of it off. The animals are fed crops that have all kinds of different sprays, plus the mega dosses of hormes they are given. The toxic sprays are concentrated in the animals fat. When you eat an animal you are getting much higher doses of pesticides in your body.

With that being said, I would say moderation is a good rule of thumb.

Friday, January 16, 2009, 1:40 AM

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I disagree with the poster who said that we are omnivores by evolution. It is my understanding that our physiology is that of a frugivore- a fruit eater, judging by our intestines, not teeth, though our teeth are relatively flat too. Vegetarian protein, grains and legumes specifically, are toxic to my body-but that is a genetic anomaly. I'd like to quit animal protein and I'm interested in the research. keep it coming!

Wednesday, January 21, 2009, 12:44 AM

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I agree with the last post. People say that we should eat meat because of our incisors. However look the gorilla. A fruitarian and mountain gorillas eat mostly greens. The incisors are possibly used for tearing into tuff fruits or veggies. It also shows that you can gain lots of muscle by eating fruits and veggies by looking at the gorilla, or maybe the elephant. The biggest strongest animals on earth are veg eaters.

Thursday, January 22, 2009, 4:17 PM

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Primate incisors are mostly used for grooming, not feeding, since primates tend to pick things up and put them in the side of their mouths.
You say you never groom with your teeth? Hmm. You don't trim your nails or hangnails that way? :-)

Thursday, January 22, 2009, 5:00 PM

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Per 100 calories of each, broccoli has twice as much protein as a steak. And the broccoli is full of nutrients, including calcium, and fiber too, which the steak isn't. Face it, the cow is just a middle man, and a toxic one at that. Ground flax meal is a great source of omega 3's, so we don't need animal protein for that either. IMHO, meat should be a condiment, not a main course, then we could afford to clean up the factory farms and at least mitigate the cruelty.

Link

Thursday, January 22, 2009, 6:32 PM

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I buy my meat and eggs from local farmers whose animals live good, stress-free lives, eat natural foods and are not given antibiotics. I think the source and method of raising the food is especially key in animal proteins, a bit less so, but still important with vegetables and fruits.

I believe community supported agriculture is the way to go, if you really care about your food sources. Eat local. Know the people who raise your food. There are farms near cities who deliver. Or shop at farmers markers. Eat local. It saves on the transport fuel too.

Saturday, January 24, 2009, 4:59 PM

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Can't it all work together?

Is it really a question of meat vs. veggies or is it more an idea of meat WITH veggies? Every body is different with different make up and composition. Couldn't it be possible that every person needs of different ratio of meat to veggies for optimum health. Can't it all work together? And realistically speaking, none of the food we eat should be toxic, but the only way to know what you are really putting into your body is to raise/grow it yourself. Chinese still do that. They also rely on natural medicine as opposed to toxic narcotics and drugs. Their entire lifestyle is centered around their health (i.e. natural living, spiritual living, etc.). How often does the average American meditate? I cannot speak for anyone else, but I can say that my first priority is not my health. It is first how I look then how much stuff I have. I really only consider my health when I FEEL sick. Chinese do not live that way. So basically it really doesn't boil down to consumption of meat. You have to look at the whole picture. The China Study is NOT comparing apples to apples. The lifestyle we live can increase our toxicity levels as the human body can and does manufacture toxins on it's own. Doesn't it?

Friday, March 06, 2009, 9:55 AM

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One of the great things about The China Study is that it is comparing apples to apples. (did you read the book?) I think that Dr. Fuhrman said it best - something along the lines of...it isn't so much about whether you eat a little animal protein or not, it's about the rest of what you eat and bulking up on fruits and veggies to get the nutrients we need to be healthy. We evolved on a diet of antioxidants over millions of years - and obviously by the new record highs of disease we are not adapting well to the industrial age diet. IMHO animal protein is toxic because of the way we consume it - way too much and processed with hormones and chemicals. Yuck.

Friday, March 06, 2009, 11:31 AM

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This is for 6:32
If you check out any nutrition reference (the following is from calorie-count.com, but they probably got it out of a text), lean beef is:

High in niacin
High in phosphorus
High in selenium
High in vitamin B6
Very high in vitamin B12
Very high in zinc

broccoli is(same source):

High in calcium
Very high in dietary fiber
High in iron
Very high in manganese
High in magnesium
High in pantothenic acid
High in phosphorus
Very high in potassium
High in riboflavin
High in selenium
High in thiamin
Very high in vitamin A
Very high in vitamin B6
Very high in vitamin C

As you can see, there is not complete overlap. (I also find it odd that beef is not listed as "high in iron," because it definitely beats broccoli there.) Beef has a few things that broccoli does not, as good as broccoli is. I was a vegetarian for many years, and had to take supplements for many of the things not present in plants. I am inclined to say that both together is the way to go.

Friday, March 06, 2009, 7:14 PM

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Do you believe that animal protein is toxic?

I have to believe that animal protein is toxic. I gave up red meat about 15 years ago and several of my health problems have gone away or lessen since I did, including fibromyalgia, arthritis and psoriasis. I can no longer tolerate the smell of meat being cooked and have noticed those who eat meat have a oily odor around them. More so if they are big meat eaters. Although I occassionly will eat chicken, turkey and fish, I'm ready to give that up as we all know how toxic they are. Especially the factory farmed ones. My siblings are now fighting colon cancer, heart disease and other diseases related to eating red meat but I’m only getting healther.

Monday, June 15, 2009, 3:00 PM

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I'm not a vegetarian, but I have eaten a low-meat diet for the past few years. I had been getting really sick a few months ago, and my doctor told me that I wasn't eating enough meat or getting enough protein in my diet.

Now I'm eating more meat and I'm feeling much better for it. I have trouble digesting pork products sometimes (bad reactions to those hormones they pump into it), but I can't tell the difference between organic and non-organic in any other meats.

I believe that we evolved to be Omnivores because our closest relatives (Chimps) are omnivores, and we humans, for the most part, digest meat very well. Our stomach acid is in tune for digesting meat as well as our teeth.

Wednesday, June 17, 2009, 10:00 AM

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Somewhat related...

Is anyone going to go see Food, Inc.? I believe the guy who wrote Fast Food Nation is a part of this project. It's a documentary that takes us behind the scenes of how our food (meat sources) is processed, and how a few companies have dramatically changed how our food gets to us. Critics said it's an informative look at how the food we eat is processed and it neither vilifies nor endorses the meat industry - just informs. They also said it was absolutely disgusting. I'm skerred to see it! But I will :)

Wednesday, June 17, 2009, 10:31 PM

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animal protein

I know that there is a strong correlation between meat -- esp. red meat -- and colon cancer. My best friend's family is vegetarian now because her husband's mother died of colon cancer. However, my husband used to work as a nutritionist, and he says that there are certain amino acids that can only be found in meat (I forget what they're called). While soy, dairy and other products can make up the protein in a vegetarian diet, they cannot make up for the lack of these amino acids. I wonder if they are available in a synthetic form? I try to feed our family mostly white meat (fish and chicken), though of course every food has its issues. Pesticides are toxic, but organic foods are prone to disease and infestation....how do you find the balance?

Tuesday, July 28, 2009, 10:37 PM

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PP - you hit the nail on the head when you said "every food has its issues"

If we believed every article that said a certain food is bad for us (meat is toxic, dairy is toxic, veggies are contaminated, wheat will kill you) there would be literally nothing left for us to eat!

Common sense usually prevails.

Wednesday, July 29, 2009, 9:51 AM

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True, every food has it's issues...some are just more disgusting, harmful, politically charged, and federally financed than others!

Wednesday, July 29, 2009, 10:43 AM

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yep... for humans anyway

Friday, July 31, 2009, 12:57 AM

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"Mr. Butcher, can you please tell me if this sausage is Federally Financed or Politically Charged? I wouldn't want to risk eating something like that."

Sigh...some of you people really do swallow any BS that's put in front of your eyes don't you?

Friday, July 31, 2009, 10:21 AM

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10:21 - lol - if we had butchers who actually knew where our food was coming from I'd happily buy my meat from them! Otherwise, I'm much happier being informed! I'm happy to know I'm no longer eating beef with feces in it and chickens that have to be injected with chicken flavoring to make it palatable after all the sh*t they have to do to it to make it *safe* to eat.

Friday, July 31, 2009, 11:22 AM

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I'll eat meat that comes from a local farm, but from the grocery store? Not a freaking chance!

Friday, July 31, 2009, 11:24 AM

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i have been a vegetarian for about 9months for this very reason!! i don't know if i would use the word toxic but i do believe to some extent that meat is tainted. i live in north america which is in general vey commercialized, there is no way we can avoid meat that has been mass produced. This creates a problem because that meat is being produced so quickly animals are treated inhumanley and concern for hygiene is often overlooked in favor of producing meat effieciently.

I never really considered this untill i read the "skinny bitch" diet series which provided some hard facts about the treatment and conditions in slaughter houses, for me, that information was to hard to ignore. In addition there are videos at goveg.com which document proof of these conditions.

I care very much about my health and i cannot stomach the idea of consuming meat that has been produced in these conditions, look at the diseases humans have procured?? bird flu, mad cow, swine extc...
Until we live in a world where we know where our meat is coming from, ie. From our own farms, how can we guarentee we are really safe??

About the organic meats, the skinny bitch book also pointed out that some of these animals end up in the same trucks going to the same slaughterhouses in the end. So we still risk contamination. Although it is likley a safer option..
About vegetables being toxic- this can very well be true, but id rather eat my food from the source, rather than injesting food already eaten by something else.

Friday, July 31, 2009, 11:42 AM

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I do have a butcher in my grocery store and I do ask him questions. He, and his staff, are knowledgeable about the meat they sell and I know that they cut the meat and packaged it themselves. The FDA does the best it can to provide safe meat to us - but you have no idea how hygienic that local farm is in raising and slaughtering it's meat unless you watch them all day long. I can't afford to buy organic meat for my family (and neither can most people), but we've never had any health problems eating meat from the grocery store.

I won't, however, buy meat at WalMart because they ship all of their meat already cut and packaged from outsources places. You have no idea who has had their hands on that meat. I once asked to talk to the butcher in WalMart, and the 18 year old employee who was wandering around the meat department look at me like I was crazy!

Friday, July 31, 2009, 11:59 AM

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useful websites

Here are a few sites that you can use as a tool to locate small, locally owned, sustainable farms and stores that provide grass fed poultry, meat, dairy, etc:

www.eatwellguide.org
www.eatwild.com
www.slowfood.com

samshan19

Friday, July 31, 2009, 12:06 PM

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yes, i do believe it's toxic but i buy organic anyway. i still eat meat...i wish i didn't. it's the only thing i've found that keeps me full of energy to workout.

Sunday, August 02, 2009, 6:57 AM

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I don't believe that it is toxic per se, but that in quantities above a very small minimum (1-5% of total calories) it has an extremely negative effect on health. And no doubt, many of the additives in animal products are toxic, and the conditions of processing favor the development of a number of disease organisms such as e.coli and salmonella.

Personally, I choose to eat @ 3 oz of either salmon, clams or oysters (all from very clean fishery sources) for micronutrients that are limited in an all vegan diet, but I consider it risky to go above that level or to eat meat or dairy, esp when processed in standard factory farm/slaughterhouse conditions.

And then there are the ethical, human rights (slaughterhouse industry), and environmental issues....

Sunday, August 02, 2009, 7:57 AM

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Add: that would be 3 oz per week, total, no other animal products of any kind.

Sunday, August 02, 2009, 8:49 AM

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I don't believe animal protein by itself is toxic, although the stuff they add to it probably isn't healthy in large doses.

I wasn't eating very much meat or other animal products, and I was always feeling lethargic. My doctor told me to eat more meat and cheese to get more protein and amino acids in my diet, and now I feel much better!

I believe that humans NEED to eat meat, or its equivalent in supplements, to be healthy because that is how we have evolved.

Sunday, August 02, 2009, 10:08 AM

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PP; if humands *nned* to eat meat, how could there be so many healthy veg people in the world?

Monday, August 03, 2009, 6:23 PM

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10:08 says:
"I believe that humans NEED to eat meat, or its equivalent in supplements,"

"Or it's equivalent in supplements" is the key phrase here. If you only ate locally grown veggies, and nothing else, you would not be able to get enough proteins and amino acids in your diet (unless specialty crops are brought in from other regions of the world) without taking some kind of supplement. This is true for almost every region in the world. There are theories that the Mayan civilization collapsed just because they didn't have access to enough animal meat, and local vegetables were not enough to sustain them (they often resorted to cannibalism).

Vegetarians today have the luxury of mixing and matching food options, which our ancestors couldn't do. Our ancestors had to get their protein and amino acids from meat, because many of them didn't have access to soy and similar products like vegetarians do today. They could only eat what was in reach.

Now there are so many vegetarian substitutes for meat available that you don't have to eat meat to have a well rounded diet.

Monday, August 03, 2009, 7:15 PM

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You can't get vitamin B12 without eating meat or taking supplements.

Tuesday, August 04, 2009, 8:07 PM

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Yes! god made us omnivores! Why is it OK fpr other animals to eat each other?

Tuesday, August 04, 2009, 8:46 PM

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8:07 - B12 can be found in soy beans and seaweed in small amounts.

Wednesday, August 05, 2009, 9:37 AM

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Once again, faith steps in to confirm what ever the believer wants it to confirm ie: god made us omnivores. It's interesting that in India, god chose to make so many people vegetarians (and told them so also), and in several other sects also he came down on the side of vegetarianism.

On a somewhat different note, the genetic line that would become humans split off from the chimpanzee/bonobo line @ 7 million years ago. The fore bears of gorillas had split off the genetic line @ 1 million years earlier than that.

Gorillas eat almost exclusively leaves, although they eat a very small amount of animals ie insects clinging to leaves. Somehow they achieve their huge size on almost nothing but leaf protein. (of course, since that is @ 25% of the calories in leaves, that's quite alot of protein)

Now humans really aren't going to be able to eat @ 15 pounds of leaves per day, so maybe we should look at our closer relatives. Bonobos and chimps eat quite a varied diet, but it is almost all vegetarian - mostly fruit, with leaves, some nuts, and between 1-5% animals - ranging from worms, insects, occasional eggs, some mollusks (bonobos) to small monkees (chimps).

Essentially all primates eat a primarily vegetarian diet with SMALL amounts of animals - nothing even vaguely approaching what humans eat. And we can see the results of excess animal consumption in diabetes, heart problems, arteriosclerosis, high blood pressure, cancer of various kinds and a long list of other ailments that have ALL been tied into excess animal fat or protein consumption.

Wednesday, August 05, 2009, 10:00 AM

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8:07 There is an analogue of B12 that appears in seaweed and some other plants. It used to show up in older tests. Newer tests can tell the difference. Our bodies can tell the difference also. This is very old, widely repeated and dangerous misinformation. Those foods do not provide an actual source of B12.

B12 is produced by microorganism originally. Only animals contain an appreciable amount. Some may occur on the surface of plants that are not washed, and are grown in a rich organic soil full of those microorganisms, (or have attached bugs) but that is not a dependable source of B12 either. Strict vegans should be eating a B12 supplement if they value their health and mind. B12 supplements are produced in a way that is vegan friendly.

The natural diet of our nearest primate relatives 1-5% animals by calorie provides sufficient B12. That's @ 3 oz of animal per week.

Wednesday, August 05, 2009, 10:16 AM

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Even though we are genetically close to chimps and bonobos, we are separated enough to have completely different dietary needs than them. Many animals that are genetically close have diverse nutritional needs. For example, in the bat family there are examples of herbivores, omnivores, and carnivores.

Probably the closest species to us was the Neanderthal. They were almost completely carnivorous. If we play by the "we should match out diet to the closest species" theory we should be eating meat almost exclusively - which is also not true.

Wednesday, August 05, 2009, 11:00 AM

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Neanderthals actually aren't that good a comparison.

Humans are an extremely adaptable species as far as diet goes. We can survive, and live until at least reproductive age on incredibly diverse diets. Surviving and reproducing though are very different than thriving beyond the age of reproduction.

It was fortunate for Neanderthals that they were adaptable, since during the ice ages there wasn't a lot of good edible plant food available that humans could eat. So they ate meat.

Again - survive or thrive? And if survive - to what age?

Bats do have a huge range of diets. Primates have a range of diets also, but much narrower than bats. Primates (other than humans) all eat primarily vegetation of one kind or another, with very small amounts of animal food. So technically omnivorous, but much closer to vegetarian than other animals (such as bears) thought of as omnivores.

Wednesday, August 05, 2009, 12:04 PM

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"Neanderthals actually aren't that good a comparison. "

Why not? They are the closest species to us. They co-existed with us (we both adapted during the ice age), and they inter-breeded with us which no other species could do. They had just as much opportunity to eat plants as they did meat - after all, if there was meat around what were the other animals eating to stay alive? There was plant life available, but they ate meat and were designed to eat meat. Just as we are designed to eat meat.

You are talking about apples and oranges. Evolution, and eating the diet of close species, is all about surviving and breeding. If you want to talk about thriving, and living as long as possible, all of this evolution talk is moot. And as for thriving - no one has been able to agree on what is the best diet for humans, and we all have unique needs anyway.

So, eat your carrot stick and I'll eat my turkey sandwich. I doubt I'm going to die any sooner than you all else being equal.

Wednesday, August 05, 2009, 12:16 PM

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"So, eat your carrot stick and I'll eat my turkey sandwich."

You seem to have missed the part about "small amounts of animals"

Neanderthals primarily existed during the ice ages in non-tropical regions. It was very cold at that time. MOST (not all) but a very high percentage of the plants in that kind of climate would have been grasses and other high cellulose plants. Humans don't digest cellulose. Ruminants and other large herbivorous animals do. What's a starving neanderthal going to do? Eat that musk ox of course. He's adaptable. He can survive (or at least enough Neanderthals can) to reproductive age. Still doesn't mean that a high meat diet is ideal.

Popular diet authors argue like crazy about high protein, low protein, high carb etc. Go take a look around pubmed for a while and see which eating patterns are documented by actual research to lead to disease or health.

Wednesday, August 05, 2009, 12:53 PM

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By the way, unless you have seen more recent research than I have, in DNA studies of populations in Europe (where Neanderthals and Cro-Magnons overlapped) using mitochodrial DNA from fossils there is no sign that Neanderthals and Cro-Magnons ever interbred.

Wednesday, August 05, 2009, 1:00 PM

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Your research is outdated PP. There are several areas of Europe (especially in Romania) where hybrid fossils have been discovered. There is still a lot of work to do in this field, but small pockets of interbreeding, not wide spread interbreeding, are all but certain. Take a pair of calipers up to the Smithsonian and look for yourself.

Some neanderthals have also been found far south, in areas not affected as much by the ice age. They definitely had the option of eating plants.

I also don't care what "popular diet authors" say about anything. One fad is as popular as the next fad, and over the years plenty of those "popular authors" have been dismissed.

I'm very familiar with Medline/PubMed because I use them for my job. Many of the diet related articles conclude that human needs differ based on the regions their ancestors lived in - Asians have different needs that blacks and different needs from caucasians, etc. But I haven't yet seen a single article with research that proves cutting your meat down to 1%-5% makes you a healthier person. It's all faddish nonsense. And unless you have subscriptions to the thousands of journals in Medline you can't read most of the full-text articles anyway - you only get half the truth in an abstract.

Wednesday, August 05, 2009, 2:00 PM

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animal protein, toxic?

I have learned over the years that my body responds better to a higher (not just high) protein type of diet. I tend to lose the most weight per week and have less hunger if I keep my protein levels higher and also consume dark green vegetables and low glycemic fruits (consumed with meals, not alone). Consuming lots of carbs (even beans) tends to stall my weight loss. I don't understand it, but that's how it works for me.

Sunday, November 01, 2009, 8:30 AM

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Do I believe animal protein is toxic? I guess I would say, no, but what they have to do to most meat to make it safe and palatable - ugh. I'll eat certain meats from certain sources, but not most of your mainstream grocery store or restaurant meat.

Sunday, November 01, 2009, 6:26 PM

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Is animal protein toxic?

I have no idea. I eat a ton of animal protein. I have an idea, that I think a lot of people actually share without knowing it, that when I am dieting I do not need to really be strict about portion control of chicken or fish. And I seem to think that 6 oz of red meat is a serving. Because you can eat all the protein you want on a low carb diet, I like to eat a well balanced diet but ignore portion control of the protein. Just here to report that does not work very well.

Sunday, November 29, 2009, 11:16 AM

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Common Sense extended

I think all foods can contain toxins, just that Animal Protein has a high risk of containing toxins and also, consuming animal protein does nothing in the way of helping your body eliminate toxins - while plants based food do i.e. they contain anti-oxidants and fibre. As such, it is perhaps safer to eat contaminated vegetables, rather than a lot of organic meat.

As for the "we are omnivores" argument, I think we are designed to 'be able' to digest and metabolize meat, but not necessarily at continued and high levels as is generally excepted these days. I think for our species to be successful we have adapted so we can eat meats, and in small amounts and at infrequent intervals, the body can easily cope, just as if you get blind drunk once every blue moon, you can recover and get over it with few consequences to your well being. However, if you drink to excess on a very frequent basis, the effect is not so friendly and you run a high risk of suffering some chronic condition and serious health problems. The same logic applies that we 'can' metabolize alcohol, but it really is not good for us.

Eating animal protein is shown to produce a nasty oxidase which can bind and alter DNA, hence the initial phase of cell mutation which then can lead to cancer. To digest animal proteins, your body also has to compensate, hence certain critical elements, enzymes and minerals are depleted, which are necessary for your body to do all the things it is supposed to do.

Dr Campbell discovered this in his extensive research which lead to his writing 'The China Study' so if if you want a more thorough explanation, buy or download the book and read at least the few critical chapters which cover this topic. He found that diets with 20% of animal protein flicked on the Cancer switch with amazing certainty. He tested, retested and retested again the results many times over, changed the combinations and sequences, and his results were not 99.99% accurate but 100% accurate. A rare occurrence in any science. Maybe that is why the Meat and Dairy industries launched rather clandestine and vicious attacks on the good Dr. The high protein diet also contributes to the incidence of Heart Disease and Diabetes as well as Cancer. Many other disease follow suite, know known as 'Diseases of affluence', or Western Diseases.

Do yourself a favor and read at least some of the book and much will become clear. I have read dozens of diet and nutrition books over the past 30 years and The China Study hit all the nails on the head in one piece of astonishing work. No need to measure portions, weigh your food, watch calories every again, the book doesn't even tell you what to do, it just becomes very clear from the findings what we should be doing, so the decisions about what you eat become very clear indeed. My wake call was last year with a Cancer diagnosis. I went through the hell of Surgery,Radiation and Chemotherapy and stared death in the face.

My extensive research since on how to survive this ordeal and avoid a recurrence made me realize the fight needs to be taken from all fronts and diet and nutrition is a major part, sadly ignored by the medical profession who rely solely on the knife, rads and toxic drugs. They also put most cancer sufferers on high protein milk based supplements during and after their treatments. This is exactly what they shouldn't do. When you hear the statistics of recurrence, it makes you weep. This tragedy is unfolding everyday, in every Cancer clinic in the Western world. Medical Doctor study less than 1 day of nutrition and diet in their entire medical careers, hence the arrogant and stubborn stance in diet. So when people tell me 'Well my doctor said..' I just try to smile and wish them well.

The majority of people will survive through eating animal proteins, but it does compromise your health, some cope better than others, the others unfortunately can pay a very heavy price.

I hope this note has helped some of you in some way, and you at least research further the scientific and metabolism side of this argument, and you may find your truth.
Regds
CA

Wednesday, November 17, 2010, 7:25 AM

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