Ann Mullikin ays:

>So, OK.  Do we have a definition of the Evolutionary Diet here?  Can we say
>that we eat only those foods which are digestible eaten raw.  Does that mean
>that we do eat ALL  foods that are digestible raw or do we exclude some?  The
>point I'm leading up to here is, how about goat milk?  Since birth I have had
>a severe intolerance to cows milk (there is a lot of evidence this
>intolerance may be passed from mother to infant in utero) but I do seem able
>to consume at least a small amount of goat milk without problems.  Might
>there not have been some little four-legged, milk-giving beastie tied up near
>the mouth of the cave?  :-)  Definitely not a cow!

Ann, I think the basic definition of the evolutionary diet would be that
(in an ideal world, of course) we would eat only those foods eaten by our
ancestors, raw or not. So from my perspective, raw itself is not the
ultimate question. It is strictly whether the foods were eaten by our
ancestors long enough to result in genetic adaptation, raw food or not.
(Although as it turns, out of course, most if not all the diet by this
criterion ends up being raw anyway.)

There is some question in my own mind as to whether or not fire has been
around long enough that certain cooked foods such as tubers (and possibly
other root vegetables) that have been exploited via cooking for probably a
good 50000 to possibly 100000 to 125000 years (and even meat, which later
in our evolution was often smoked or dried to avoid wasting it, since it
could not all be eaten raw on-site at the kill) might not be part of our
evolutionary adaptation.

This is admittedly a controversial and speculative supposition, though,
which currently does not seem to be supported by much physiological
evidence, especially if you talk to Loren Cordain about it. I have talked
to him privately about this question, and although he says the
physiological evidence shows cooking generally to be detrimental for foods
we could otherwise eat raw (reduces nutrient availability, for one thing),
on the other hand it does very definitely improve the digestibility and
reduce the toxicity of certain foods that are problematic when eaten raw.
The rub is that many if not most of these foods (grains, legumes, etc.) are
foods that we would not have eaten till very late in our evolution, and are
not well-adapted to anyway, cooked or raw or not. (I never did get a
completely straight answer on the cooked root veggies question, though--or
at least did not understand all of Loren's correspondence with me on this
point--so some question about them still remains in my mind.)

However, not all raw foods are themselves foods homo sapiens is adapted to.
I.e. even if edible raw, they could still be poisonous (members of the
nightshade family, etc.), toxic (cashews, I believe, are not really raw,
even if labelled so--they have been blanced or otherwise mildly proceesed
with heat to remove a toxin in them), or otherwise have detrimental
aftereffects that would have caused them to have been avoided by our
ancestors. Other raw foods would simply not have been available, and only
became available during the Neolithic, such as milk products.

For the record, I personally do eat some goat cheese, but do not consider
it ideal. My reasons for doing it are partially as a consequence of not
being able to afford as much meat as I would "ideally" like to eat. Also
the inconvenience and time involved in having to cook meat causes me to eat
less that I would otherwise. (I used to be a total raw-food vegetarian at
one time, and the preference for the hassle-freeness of not cooking still
lingers with me.) Also, I find I just feel better with a certain level of
animal food in the diet, and my well-being starts to suffer some if I drop
below a certain level for awhile. So on days when I am feeling the desire
or need for animal food but am out of meat or fish (or too busy or forgot
to set it out to thaw on time, etc.), to cook it, I will have goat cheese
or eggs or something. But even so I try to keep the amounts modest.

Goat cheese is reputed to be much closer in composition to human milk,
although I haven't seen charts or references myself. I can say, though,
that cow's cheese or milk results in excessive mucus for me very quickly
after eating it, whereas goat cheese gives me no such problems. I generally
don't eat more than 2-3 ounces at a time, sometimes as little as an ounce
or two (usually with veggies or some other food).

--Ward Nicholson <[log in to unmask]>