The optimal diet for homosapiens??

[Raw Ambition]

Is there such a thing as a "perfect" diet for human consumption? vegan? SAD? how about the Raw food movement?

 

Did you know that wild chimpanzees share an estimated 99.4% of genes with humans (hence the theory of evolution), but their diet is dramatically different from ours. The most glaring difference is that chimpanzees consume significantly more green leaves than humans.

 

Wild chimpanzees eat approximately: 50% fruits (both sweet and non sweet), 44% leafy greens 5% pith, bark, and seeds and 1% insects.

 

After being raw for several years, I'm not afraid to say that I feel like I've reached a plateau, and in fact I may be taking a step back. Some days I've felt like something wasn't quite right, and I've gone through bouts of dizziness, mood swings. I know most raw food "experts" would tell me that it's just my "detox". Well, I'm tired of the never ending "detox".

 

As a raw foodist my diet has been approximately 50 - 75% fruits (sweet and non sweet) 10% leafy greens/veggies and a good 10 - 35% seeds, nuts, avocados, and oils.

 

Somewhat different than the species I share 99.4% of genes with.

 

So what I propose to do, is over the next 3 months I will adopt a similar diet as that of the wild chimpanzee, take pics as I progress and blog it.

 

I will consume approximately 50% fruits, 45% leafy greens and veggies and the remaining 5% nuts, seeds, and oils.

 

Who knows?

[ljk11]

So raw food, you never get to eat hot soup? Or tea? How do you manage in winter?

 

What is the approx. macro (protein/fat/carb) breakdown of your diet?

[Raw Ambition]

Well I am from Canada, and we have some bitterly cold winters reaching minus 30 degrees. So I manage by bundling up nice and tight.

 

And I do not know the approximate macro breakdown diet. I stopped concerning myself with that a number of years ago. It's too complicated. Life should be simple. I'd rather concern myself with the joy of my training, and the delight of my palate.

[seand]

don't forget to add 1% insects! haha just kidding

 

for me decreasing my fat (actually pretty much eliminating overt fat) and mono eating (like chimps i guess) made all the difference - good luck with it and keep us posted!

[pelicanAndrew]

I'm going to try and go raw if i get my own place in college next year. It's tough to eat raw when you really dont have any place to store food and you need a meal plan because you're a freshmen. I also need to do more research on nutrition and stuff.

 

This diet looks really interesting. I like the chimp diet idea. Very cool.

[Last of the Sane]

Great experiment. I wonder how it affects you. I'll be following your progress with great interest. Good luck!

[Ravi]

very interested in seeing how you far with this experiment

[Ravi]

btw...have you seen this video by Paul Nason?

 

http://sethigherstandards.com/?p=80

 

he talks about he made more progress in a few months after increasing leafy greens in his raw diet than over 14 years of previously being on a raw diet with a much higher fruit intake. greens were the key (for him it seems).

[_raVen_]

I replied in your blog to this; but, I think high-greens is essential, but not too low on fruit or one will begin to slow down, and, in my opinion, become deficient. Fruit is the best carbohydrate and needed by everyone, but especially athletes.

 

Basically, whenever one gets out of balance, they begin to feel unwell. That's pretty much everyone, even people whose diets mask this or have become acclimated to poor nutrition. Some don't realize they are unwell till they get well .

 

I think striving for alkalinity is key.

 

I drink tea and, for me, the only difference it made was to give me pleasure; so, it stays ;D. I was 100%-pure "raw" for a while, and, for me, tea, whether I drank it or didn't drink it, whether "raw" or not, did not have adverse effects. Coffee is another thing, though. I could drink it and still feel well, but I would get addicted to it, whereas I do not with teas. Plus I know it's hard on the body and highly acidic, which is not desirable and, eventually, I would experience "crashes." It also leads me to crave sugars, and increases appetite. None of these things are beneficial, so it's out . If tea made me feel bad, it would be out too, of course; and it may for others.

 

My journal has some alkalinity and tea observations.

 

I think the optimal diet is the one that follows the basics of Dr. Fuhrman's outline with one's own personal tweaking for individual needs.

[Raw Ambition]

Wow! thanks to everyone for their positive support. And not to worry, I have not cut back on my fruit consumption, just cut back on the nuts/seeds/oils and increased the greens.

 

I know the importance of good carbs, especially to a fitness practitioner like myself.

[Guest]

For health I think we're designed to eat a raw diet consisting of whatever is around where you live(so food friendly to your climate and season) along with insects(surely I don't eat them but our closest primates do)

[9nines]

Something interesting about this is one difference in Gorillas digestive system and ours. I read a study (I am fairly sure I posted it here) that stated that gorillas digest about 30% of their calories, in their lower intestines (I might be off on the percentage, as I am going from memory), while humans digest only about 3 to 4%. Now many people highlight that as a major difference, as far as diet, between us and gorillas. But what is interesting, is that 30% is in the wild gorillas. Captive gorillas, who are not fed their natural diet (zoos etc. actually add diary and in some cases meats and many processed food – kibble type stuff), severally have their ability to digest calories in their lower intestines decrease to around 5 to7%. In other words, the more human like diet kills the bacteria and enzymes that make the digestion in the lower intestines possibly, in the apes. The study does not hit on this but it makes me wonder: what if we ate more as gorillas do, in the wild, would we gain the enzymes and bacteria to digest more calories in the lower intestines, a situation allowing us to get by strictly on shoots and more coarse, harder to break-down vegetation?

Edited September 9, 2006 by 9nines

[seand]

hrmmmnnn! intriguing!

 

*as seand strokes his long white Kill Bill/Pai Mei style beard*

[Guest]

zoos feed rediculous things to animals...before I knew better I worked at the philly zoo and they fed some of the tortoises cat food with the veggies...this makes them grow much more quickly but gives them a ton of health problems

[Raw Ambition]

A sheep farmer whom was interviewed stated when he fed his sheep concentrated foods (grains, etc.) they did in fact gain weight much faster than the grass fed sheep. But the weight they gained was almost all fat. And not just the fat on the surface, but the fat between the muscle (hence the marbling effect).

 

Sheep on the other hand whom were fed grassy foods gained weight at a much slower pace, but the weight that was gained was all lean body tissue

[Ravi]

how is the progress going with your experiement (eating a higher % of greens)? seeing any changes?

[Richard]

Pwee! Yes this sounds cool, keep us updated certainly. I have been thinking of similar things, about humans 'natural' food and what it would be like to eat like we did in the begining.

[Odidnetne]

I've always felt optimal eating a good amount of greens each day, and whenever I'm eating high raw I normally eat just fruits and lettuce and feel amazing.

 

The amount of greens that most apes eat makes sense to me though. Although there are some veggies that I like raw aside from lettuce & spinach (like carrots), most I can't handle raw, but feel best eating what I normally could eat if I lived in the wild.

[Guest]

You must really love raw potato and poison ivy salads then

[rawsamantha]

hi guys, i read a book that goes right along with your topic of discussion, green for life by victoria boutenko, chpter three is called what chipanzees eat, you are on the right track, also this summer i went and saw paul nisson at a lecture, he was good, anyways you guys should all read that book, victoria has a raw family, thats awesome, happy reading

[Guest]

I'll have to steal that from you as soon as I don't have too much damn school work...that or I can get it as a "book on tape"

[rawsamantha]

i thought you dont read, jk, no definetly you can borrow it, its a quick read, good book, the next health book i want to read is david wolfs new sunfood diet for success book, after you read green for life you can def check out my collection of health books, i have another cookbook that you roomate didnt have, and other books, i got to read so much this summer because everyday at work i would just borrow books from my boss, joel from rawlifeline.com, anyways if you get on a reading kick my mom has an educators card for barnes and nobles so she gets 20% off everything which really can add up, has anyone read the book BLINK? anyways, oh last nite i was reading and someone reviewed the book skinny bitch, dude you have to check it out its hilarious, and VEGAN, i didnt get a chance to read the whole thing, i want to know what they think of fasting, [/i]

[Guest]

I'll surely at least give the book a skim...maybe even a partial read I've heard good things about Skinny Bitch so I'll have to give that a skim too...who knows what it'll say about fasting

[kjtten]

I'm almost embarrassed to admit that "Skinny Bitch" catalyzed my conversion to veganism about 18 months ago...

[lmmy]

I, on the other hand, have heard some very bad things about Skinny Bitch -- for example, that the authors espouse various rituals in eating that are scarily (read: exactly) like the ones done by those with eating disorders.