--- thetasig <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> I'm fairly certain that the choices of food change
> the way we think -
> change our instincts and our tastes and cause us to
> eventually defend
> those choices.  Is there a hidden instinct in us
> that drives us to be
> this way?  Is this a survival tactic?
>
Mark,

I don't think this is something specifically about food.
But sure, there is a survival value to defending choices.
If you think about it, suppose you're in a small tribe and
get attacked by another group or a dangerous predator. If
everybody stands around saying, "well let's make a
committee to decide what we should do," then you're
finished. It's good in that situation to make a choice and
then stand firm in that choice. Of course, there are other
times when being indecisive (read "flexible") can be
advantageous, so I think it's natural evolutionary-wise
that some people will tend to be more stubborn about their
beliefs and others will be more indecisive. But I don't
think there's anything particular about eating a certain
diet that makes you defend that diet.