Grains are bad for humans!?!?

[shawnb222]

I have did extensive research on raw veganism, and I came across some interesting facts.

 

One fact is that humans are frugivores. We thrive mostly on fruits and greens, maybe roots and seeds/nuts. And yes, this excludes grains. Humans are not granivores, we aren't meant consume grains.

 

Humans have been cultivating and consuming grains for only about 8,000 years. We did not develop the ability to digest and break down grains in a healthy matter.

 

Compared to how long we have existed - 2.33 million years - 8,000 years is a minute fraction.

 

This is also the case for legumes. Legumes have only recently been cultivated and consumed by humans.

 

The beyond veg.com website that I am providing explains in in-depth study in why we as humans are not fully capable of digesting and assimilating grains and legumes in a healthy, energy efficient manner..

 

http://www.rawfoodexplained.com/the-human-dietetic-character-part-i/are-we-milk-drinkers.html

 

http://www.beyondveg.com/cordain-l/grains-leg/grains-legumes-1a.shtml

 

I am willing to discuss this with others.

 

Please respond with your thoughts on these facts.

 

This thread can be a great eye-opener for many upon many people.

[Zack]

Humans are not frugivores.

 

Humans evolved eating meat..

[shawnb222]

Approximately 8,000 years ago, grains were cultivated and consumed. Prior to that humans have not consumed grains at all. Some say that grains were possibly consumed raw, but the grains available were extremely scarce.

 

Humans existed for approximately 2.3 million years, and through all of that time we evolved through diets that ultimately did not include grains.

 

We are frugivores.

 

Frugivores do occasionally eat meat, but rarely. Frugivores mostly thrive on fruit, and some vegetables, seeds and nuts, plus insects. All primates are classified as frugivores, including humans.

[xjohanx]

Humans are starch eaters, we have the highest concentration of alpha amylase out of all animals and we have tripled the amount of AMY1-genes since we branched away from the chimpanzee. Allthough we have alterted the grains we didn't "invent" them like some people seem to think, we just did some selective breeding of wild varietys that has been around for I don't know how long.

I'm not a big fan of epidmiology but a lot of the most healthy populations on this planet is grain eaters or root eaters. Consumption of whole grains are constantly being associated with reduction of various diseases and is proven to reduce biomarkers of certain types of diseases (like cancer and heart disease). Legumes seems to be even better.

However I do prefer the roots and pseudo grains.

[Marcina]

I'm not a big grain eater but I was recently told by my doctor that I have "lazy bowel" because I have IBS-C. A.k.a I'm literally full of shit.. Hahaha!

 

Anyways he's got me taking Metamucil everyday.

 

Psyllium fiber is now my new best friend.

[Vegan Joe]

In 1998, Ambrose proposed in the Journal of Human Evolution that the effects of the Toba eruption and the Ice Age that followed could explain the apparent bottleneck in human populations that geneticists believe occurred between 50,000 and 100,000 years ago. The lack of genetic diversity among humans alive today suggests that during this time period humans came very close to becoming extinct.

 

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091123142739.htm

[Vegan Joe]

Genetic variation in human ptyalin (salivary amylase)

The salivary amylase gene has undergone duplication during evolution, and DNA hybridization studies indicate that many individuals have multiple tandem repeats of the gene. The number of gene copies correlates with the levels of salivary amylase, as measured by protein blot assays using antibodies to human amylase. Gene copy number is associated with apparent evolutionary exposure to high starch diets.[5] For example, a Japanese individual had 14 copies of the amylase gene (one allele with 10 copies, and a second allele with 4 copies). The Japanese diet has traditionally contained large amounts of rice starch. In contrast, a Biaka individual carried six copies (three copies on each allele). The Biaka are rainforest hunter-gatherers who have traditionally consumed a low starch diet. Perry and colleagues speculated that increased copy number of the salivary amylase gene may have enhanced survival coincident to a shift to a starchy diet during human evolution.

 

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alpha_amylase

[cubby2112]

And far more important, I believe, than what we evolved to eat (though obviously starches are the primary food we have evolved to eat, as evidenced above by others) is the fact that most long-lived populations eat tons of starch.

 

From Jeff Novick's section of the McDougall forums, the composition of the Okinawan diet, the longest lived modern people, before Western tainting:

 

Total calories 1785

Total weight (grams) 1262

Caloric density (calories/gram) 1.4

Total protein in grams (% total calories) 39 (9)

Total carbohydrate in grams (% total calories) 382 (85)

Total fat in grams (% total calories) 12 (6)

Saturated fatty acid 3.7

Monounsaturated fatty acid 3.6

Polyunsaturated fatty acid 4.8

Total fiber (grams) 23

 

Food group Weight in grams (% total calories)

 

Grains

Rice 154 (12)

Wheat, barley, and other grains 38 (7)

Nuts, seeds <1 (<1)

Sugars 3 (<1)

Oils 3 (2)

Legumes (e.g., soy and other beans) 71 (6)

Fish 15 (1)

Meat (including poultry) 3 (<1)

Eggs 1 (<1)

Dairy <1 (<1)

 

Vegetables

Sweet potatoes 849 (69)

Other potatoes 2 (<1)

Other vegetables 114 (3)

Fruit <1 (<1)

Seaweed 1 (<1)

Pickled vegetables 0 (0)

Foods: flavors & alcohol 7 (<1)

 

Data derived from analysis of U.S. National Archives, archived food records, 1949 and based on survey of 2279 persons.

http://www.drmcdougall.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=6117

[Theresaann]

If I remember correctly, Dr. McDougall makes an interesting point that its calories that determine the survival of a species and certainly the dense starch of grains would make them a calorically advantageous food. On the other hand, clearly we are not evolutionarily designed to eat grain-it appears that only birds are naturally.

 

So its the evolution of our cerebral cortex and frontal lobe that gives us the abstract intellect to devise ways to consume things that are not an evolutionarily, physiologically perfect food for humans, but which increases caloric availability and allows us to live in regions where our physiologically ideal foods might not be available. Pretty interesting stuff. Clearly, there is a purpose to our evolution to eat things other than a physiologically ideal diet as seen by the fact that no other species is capable of building suspension bridges or writing treatises, for example, lol.

 

So what is the definitive answer? I think its to just see for ourselves what works the best based on climate, stress factors and demands in our lives, our health and how we feel. Interesting!

[Marcina]

I keep hearing about this Dr. McDougall guy. He sounds like a quack to me.

[Mik]

I dont see how grains can be bad for humans, most of the worlds long lived populations eat loads of them and they're pretty much a staple diet for many countries.

 

8000 years isnt very long geologically but its enough to adapt to eating grains, jsut a humans adapted to drinking other animals milk; not that i'm advocating this, but thats cruelty issues environment etc, not the fact that its 'not natural'

 

I dont think humans can naturally live on just fruits, veggies roots and nuts, sure you have raw foodists but these plants are all pretty seasonal, personally i dont think its possible to live, say in the UK on raw vegan food that is NOT imported and not farmed using modern agricultural techniques.

 

and also whether we're *meant* to consume grains or not, whether its natural or not, can we thrive on them...i think so. Ditto for legumes.

[offense74]

I keep hearing about this Dr. McDougall guy. He sounds like a quack to me.

He's not

 

http://www.drmcdougall.com

[Marcina]

Ooh a linky! I'll have to look around on his site later. I saw some stuff that caught my eye that I'd like to read.

 

I always get McDougall confused with some other names I hear.. For some reason I can't remember it right now.

[shawnb222]

I have did a little bit more research on eating grains, nuts, seeds, and legumes.

 

I have found out that when you cook grains, like we as humanity has been doing since we cultivated grains, you de-naturalize it and kill alot of the nutrients in them. Grains are pretty much grass-seeds, inside each grain-seed lies an abundance of nutrients waiting to be sprouted. When you sprout grass-seeds, they are much more nutrient rich and digestible by humans. Only birds can digest un-sprouted grass-seeds without complications. When you sprout grass-seeds alot of the anti-nutrients (or whatever) are eliminated. When you sprout grass-seeds every single nutrient is sky-rocketed. So get sprouting!

 

Same with legumes, when you cook them, like most of us do, you de-naturalize them and they become harmful to our digestion and health. When you cook legumes you mess it's amino acid profile up too. Cooking anything make its harmful to our health, including legumes. When you properly sprout legumes, just like grains, many many of the antinutrients are eliminated and the all of the live giving nutrients are sky-rocketed into space. Legumes are also a type of seed, and humans are not specifically built to consume raw legumes or cooked (because cooking denaturalizes). Only certain species can consume legumes raw because they are built to. But when we cook legumes they are consumable, but they are bad for our health. Anybody who does enough research on raw-diet will soon understand why cooking is toxic to health.

 

This is why raw vegan protein supplements such as Vega and Sun Warrior are superior to any other vegan-plant based vegan protein powders. They both offer brown rice protein products. And guess what?, they first germinize and sprout the rice before they extract the protein from it. By doing this they enhance the nutrient profile and digestibility of the protein supplement. This a fact that support my point is that sprouting grass-seeds, legumes, and even seeds/nuts is a way to make them healthier.

 

I have been about 80-90% raw for about 3 or 4 days now and I feel way better. I feel alot more energetic, brighter, and healthier. By becoming a cooked vegan to a raw vegan you are making a great leap forward into healthiness. Keep an open mind and take my word for it. Do some research if you have the time and become knowledgable of the factors in why cooking anything turns a nutrient packed food waiting to be sprouted, into a de-naturalized toxic food to the body.

 

As I write this I am grateful of the increased cleverness of becoming raw vegan. I am confident that I will be non vegan from now on. Many many benefits to reap from.

 

ADIOS!