I think that all plants have toxins not only in their
seeds but also in leaves, as presumably they wouldn't
only want to protect the seeds but also the leaves
from predation. I think the reason why it's more
appropriate for us to eat leaves than seeds is that we
are evolutionarily accustomed to it, i.e. our system
has developed to have some resistance to the toxins
contained in leaves because our ancestors ate them. Of
course our ancestors didn't eat grains so we haven't
built up a system to properly digest them.

That being said, though, what about small seeds that
are possible to eat uncooked? I think you can crack
open a walnut and eat it without cooking, so doesn't
it make sense that our ancestors would have eaten
things like that? Or the little seeds in grapes and
figs and those kinds of fruits?

Jens Wilkinson


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