Hi Kirt,

I really liked Schmid's book.

Somewhere in there he points out that much of what we hear about the Hunzas is
bogus. Apparently the Emir invites specific individuals who come there to
be shown only what he wants them to see. One example was Renee Taylor who
authored "Hunza Yoga". (A rather weird title, since the Hunzas are not
traditionally Yoga practitioners - no Muslims are. Though the Hatha Yoga
Pradipika does list an Egyptian among the original adepts. It was most
probably pre-Islam.)

I thought Schmid made a good case for "original", unrefined food. He was also
able to easily make the case that tribes which ate meat tended to be bigger,
stronger and able to easily dominate those who didn't. Some of the side effects
of being dominated may have resulted in the non-meat-eating tribes' deficiencies
and health problems.

Schmid appeared to stay away from more contemporary cultures. For example, I
would have liked to see him reconcile the Seventh Day Adventists with his
theory. I also wish he had evaluated the Jains in India (surely they are a
pretty ancient culture. Probably because Weston Price never studied the Jains?)

Overall I rate the book a "must read".

By the way, thank you everyone (Bob, Sandy, Rene...) for answering my fruit
glycemic index question.

Cheers,

Roy

______________________________ Reply Separator _________________________________
Subject: Re:  magic ingredients in meat
Author:  [log in to unmask] at SMTPGATE
Date:    11/17/96 2:33 AM


>Dear Kirt,

>I wish you and Melisa the best of fortune in your quest to become parents!

Gracias.

>I'm glad you didn't trash your last post.

Gracias tambien.

>The thought of eating meat, raw or otherwise makes me nauseous.

I understand completely, believe me. Notice you said the _thought_. It's a
learned revulsion not shared by little kids, but taught to them over time...

>However, I
>must say that I've never heard of a society or culture that doesn't include
>some animal products in their diet.  I've often wondered why that is.  Does
>anyone know of one?  I really doubt that there is some magic ingredient in
>flesh that we can't produce in our own bodies from plants just as the animals
>most folks eat produce them in their own.

There are thousands of ingredients in animal foods, including EPA and
Omega3 fatty acids, enzymes associated with fats and protiens, and the
protiens themselves. None of these are magic, but many are apparently
useful to our metabolisms in some way. Peter, in the last M2M speaks of a
positive correlation between brain size and animal foods in the diet of
primates, and consider that the other brainy mammals (the dolphins and
whales, some of which have reverted to a sea-veggie diet) evolved on a diet
very high in seafoods. There is more, of course, but take a good look at
Schmid's book "Native Nutrition" or "Paleolithic Nutrition" by Eaton, et al
(which I've seen in two different 1/2-priced book store places; it flopped
pretty good I think).

>Surely if there is some magic
>ingredient, it could at least be provided more humanely by eggs or dairy
>products?

Dairy products now gross me out! :) Seriously, sure those options may be
more humane, depending on the methods employed. Egg yolks, in particular,
seem to me an ideal baby food, next to breast milk, of course. And a baby's
instinct will let the mother know if the yolks will be useful or not, as it
would with shellfish, lamb, bone marrow, etc.

>I had hoped that humans would someday evolve to the point where
>we would no longer eat the bodies of fellow Earthlings.  As you know, this
>has been an ongoing topic in the M2M.

Maybe insects are the answer! ;)

There's no all-raw culture either. Hmmm...

>I am interested in reading Weston Price's book,  do you know if it is
>difficult to obtain?

It's hardback and $40 or more. Try the library first. (Schmid's book is a
fine summary, in PB, but doesn't have all the pictures Price's book has.)
There is an address inside the front cover of Price's book:

I should see what they have myself and stop over there sometime soon...

>I think the advice to Susie from others to eat seaweed instead of the
>collodial minerals could have some merit, certainly seaweed is a more natural
>source.  But fasting when pregnant sounds dangerous to me.

That was Bob Avery's suggestion. I suggested raw animal foods, but I doubt
that they would be attractive if she is nauseous. One never knows though.
It sounds like her body may be calling for a fast. Perhaps the supplements
are mucking up the works. Who knows??? Frustration. It'll will likely pass
after a time.

(Melisa had no morning sickness but to what end?)

BTW, what do you say back to your husband regarding his criticisms of a raw
diet?