At 08:17 26/07/97 +0000,PE wrote:
>The Veg. Resource Ctr reply is interesting, though the macrobiotic
>stance begs some questions. First, background. East and South Asians
>eat rice-- most Chinese eat it white, and refer to whole rice as
>'chicken rice.' Folk from India I've met prefer whole rice.
>   Complicating the issue is the 'better' milling done for the past
>century, which further reduced nutrient value in grains.

I personally use the discovery that Phytic acid interferes in the absorbtion
of minerals:
also, Edward Howell ( I seem to remember) tried eating exclusively nuts for
a while and became sick: his digestion never fully recovered!
So I havn't yet found a system that I feel that I could trust that would
enable me to eat seeds in any form.
(eating sproutlings is another matter).

>   However, to assert a superiority of agricultural peoples is as
>ethnocentric as asserting the superiority of the current, moribund
>economic system--

If the people in question demonstrate excellent health, then I for one take
notice!!!

>or to assert that raw meat is Good because some
>time before 800,000 yrs ago, Homo erectus or H. habilis ate food raw,
>and some of that food was animal.

Since we can only surmise what people ate before history, its a big jump to
use that as the only basis for any decision.  What we do know is that some
of them had dietary habits that enabled them to survive long enough to
procreate effectively.  (ineffective procreation leads to the dieing out of
the line).

>   Surely complex arguments can avoid the steep descent into
>simplistic swamps like pretended instincts or adherence to diets of
>yore, whether other primates' or Inuits'. .

I prefer simple arguments, and good evidence:
Raw Food makes sense to me because
(1) it retains the living Enzymes  which results in
(1.1)  economical digestion
(1.2) general recovery from pathology
(1.3) resistance to diseases
I am wary of using "Instinct" to decide anything because
(1) habits can seem to be instinctive
(1.1) eg my experiences eating personal addictive foods ( cheese on toast,
cakes, coffees,...)
(1.2) the fact the I can change these drives relatively easily
(1.3) the suggestions provided say by Anopsolgy have contradictions, eg
(1.3.1) using smell and taste
(1.3.2) then conciously restricting fruit and forcing veges
However, I find using my "total being" to evaluate my experiences of eating
(whatever) leads me towards observable better health.  To me, this (and
especially the down-line health of succeeding generations) is the major
indicator.
I find the sharing of experiences and thinking in this venue very rewarding
to extend my appreciation of the possible.

>   On a more positive note, vision changes may result from loss of
>fatty deposits round the eyeball, or their replacement.  Again I ask
>older contributors, have you noted any hair color changes or absence
>of change?  Or was Ann Wigmore among the few who recolored hair?
>   As to the 'natural' eye color being blue, is the 'natural' hair color
>for those folk blonde, and all others are sanpaku or mud people?
>I expect such notions in Murka the racist land, but here?

I am still a youngster at 51, though I was alarmed at the increasing number
of grey hairs showing; since going all-raw it has improved (I do take
dehydrated barley-juice - I must get back to growing my own!)
I also notice vision improvement.

regards,
Lynton