Loren Lockman <[log in to unmask]>:
>I am absolutely convinced through my own experience, through eighteen
>years of studying nutrition, and the experience of the many people that
>I've had the privilege of working with, that humans are meant to be
>frugivores, eating only fruit and leafy greens, small quantities of nuts
>and seeds.

Tom:
Welcome to the list, Loren.

There is a very large body of scientific evidence that indicates that
humans are natural faunivores/omnivores, i.e. adapted to a diet that
includes significant amounts of both plant and animal foods. Humans
are
certainly not pure fruitarians (the massive failure of fruitarianism
in
practice, should give us some clues about that, :-)).

For in-depth discussions on the above topic, spend some time at the
Beyond
Veg website (http://www.beyondveg.com) and specifically see the
following
articles there:

Comparative Anatomy and Physiology Brought Up To Date
http://www.beyondveg.com/billings-t/comp-anat/comp-anat-1a.shtml

Paleolithic Diet vs. Vegetarianism
http://www.beyondveg.com/nicholson-w/hb/hb-interview1b.shtml

By the way, there are some extremists who claim that humans evolved
as fruitarians.  That is nothing but pseudo-science, and many of the
pseudo-science claims are analyzed and discredited in the two articles
above.

Loren Lockman <[log in to unmask]>:
>I joined the list hoping to get some insight into what people who eat raw
>animal products believe, and why they do it.  So far, I've seen little if
>any substance to back up this idea.

Tom:
I can't speak for those who consume raw meat, as my animal food intake
is limited to dairy.  But anecdotal reports suggest that some folks
add
RAF when raw vegan fails for them (a common ocurrence, by the way).
Adding
RAF is seen as "more natural" than adding cooked veggies.

I find that dairy, in limited quantities, helps me. Of course, others
are
lactose-intolerant and should avoid it. (Dairy is an interesting
paradox:
it can be seen as a product of Mother's love, yet many vegans are
amazingly
negative and hateful when the topic comes up. An example of vegan
"compassion"?)

PS I encourage you to explore the Beyond Veg web site - there is a lot
there that is relevant to raw foods and veganism.

Tom Billings