Antinutrients????

[jmoney]

So some of you may have heard of this, but this is my first time hearing about this and I'm a bit confused now. One of my professors is really convinced that humans are carnivores and has told me a bit about the Paleolithic diet. What really shocked me was that beans, seeds, and grains have natural pesticides which protect the seed from being eaten. These antinutrients in turn cause us more harm than good. When humans started eating these foods they used to ferment their grains to get out most of the toxins and apparently even quaker oats used to say to soak the oats overnight before preparing. So he says humans aren't meant to eat beans grains or potatoes. I'm curious to get the other side of the story and if anyone has any information on this I would greatly appreciate it. He says vegans can't "thrive" without eating meat or eggs. I am not easily convinced. I have NO desire to eat meat or eggs, but I hope you guys can give me some information to help me out. Thanks

[DV]

I will assume that this professor does not have a chemistry, biology or nutrition background. Plants DO contain toxic substances (natural pesticides, etc). However, plants ALSO contain numerous compounds that protect us from free radicals and carcinogens - the pros FAR outweigh the cons. The phytochemicals in plants will protect you against free radical damage and natural and synthetic pesticides but there is very little in meat to protect you from them.

 

A very entertaining and easy to read book that dispells many of these myths is An Apple a Day: The Myths, Misconceptions, and Truths About the Foods We Eat by Joe Schwarcz, PhD.

 

As far as vegans not thriving, you can invite him to my next family reunion. The vegans in the family are all MUCH healthier than the omnis.

[Gaia]

I will add my thoughts on this subject. Seeds in particular are eaten by animals, which many did during the Paleolithic Era. Now they don't per say have pesticides on them, but they do have enzymes to help protect the seed coat. Seeds that are usually eaten are meant to go thru the digestion system unharmed, be released in a nice supply of fertilizer, and sprout in the ground when the weather permits it to. Now if the seed is chewed into pieces, then it will not be viable to sprout. The enzymes are also are released into the environment (which if cooked, soaked and sprouted, will be denatured and modified) and can cause havoc on the digestion system. But evolution of mutation has enabled many animals to eat these enzymes and not be harmed, and in the ones whose survival depended on, they were the only ones who were able to procreate and thus established a mutation that is now the normal.

[Tommy-Jitsu]

humans are not carnivores, tell your prof to take an entry level anatomy and physiology class and pay close attention to the sections that covers the structure and functions of the mandible.