Catching Fire: How Cooking Made Us Human (Part Three)

I am hanging in there with this book, though Wrangham is driving me crazy with his lack of logic. He constantly cites research that points to cooking being bad for food, then he argues that it is good. Most writers use research to support their claims, Wrangham does the opposite.

For example, in Chapter Three he talks about rat research that shows that "soft, well-processed foods made rats fat." The experiments results were that a softer (cooked food) diet led to obesity. And this is a good thing? For Wrangham yes, because there is more energy gain. I say "No! there is more fat! Idiot!

Someone please tell Dr. Wrangham that you can get softer, easier to digest, energy producing food, from...drum roll please...fruits!!!

There are more things for humans to eat on this planet besides meat and potatoes. Okay, fine, meat and potatoes are easier to digest when cooked. And they make you fat. And yes, humans were able to multiply in greater numbers by cooking and eating meat. But that does not mean it is healthier.

So, great, evolution did its job. More people were able to live long enough to have more babies and spread their genes. And if that is all you are interested in, fine. Wrangham you understand evolution. But you sure are not helping the rest of us who would like to live longer, healthier lives. For a guy who spent his life researching monkeys you sure did not learn anything about their eating habits!!!

I'm writing this after drinking a delicious smoothie made of fresh squeezed oranges, mangoes, and pineapple. I've got a bunch of bananas on my desk and a bag of lettuce in the fridge. You think I'm going to have any problem digesting my food? Dr. Wrangham, come over to my house for lunch some time will ya?

Catching Fire: How Cooking Made Us Human (Part Two)

I can tell already that I'm going to be trashing this book all the way through. I'm disappointed because I thought this would challenge my raw food beliefs. Instead I'm left thinking, "who are the people who are reading this book and think the author is rational?" Is it just because he is a Harvard professor? Yikes!

For instance, Chapter One, which goes right after the raw foodists, uses the Evo Diet experiment in England as proof the raw diets do not work. The experiment, Evo for evolutionary, took people with dangerously high blood pressure and kept them on a diet of fruits, vegetables, nuts, and a small amount of fish for a short time. In the end blood pressure went down to normal, cholesterol levels fell by a quarter, and everyone lost significant amounts of weight. So, why does Wrangham say that a raw food diet is dangerous? Because it causes people to lose weight. I am not making this up.

Wrangham's major premise is that only food that can deliver energy, and apparently more weight, can be considered safe and good for us. What planet is this guy living on?Does he not know that we are a country of fat people? A mostly raw food diet is healthy because it helps us bring our weight down to what it should be.

Next he brings up journalist Jodi Mardesich, who wrote about her experience with raw food. She claimed that a raw food diet made her feel energized, mentally sharper, and more serene. However, she too lost weight, and there you go, more evidence that raw food is bad for you. Throughout the chapter Wrangham keeps writing that raw foodists do not "fair well." He says that animals thrive on wild raw foods, but there is something odd about us humans, we need cooked food. Someone tell him that last time I checked humans were animals too.

His logic drives me up a wall. For instance, he says in Chapter Two, "Very little is known about how our detoxification system and enzyme chemistry differ from those of great apes, but studies should eventually provide further tests of the hypothesis that human bodies are adapted to eating cooked foods." In other words, there is no science to back up his claims, but we should take his word for it that some day there will be. It will be a miracle if I make it through this book without breaking my Kindle.

Catching Fire: How Cooking Made Us Human (Part One)

I am reading a very anti-raw book called Catching Fire: How Cooking Made Us Human. I believe that it is important to hear all sides of an argument. I truly believe that a raw diet, or mostly raw diet, is far better for people and the planet, but I want to hear all the evidence on both sides. So I'm reading the other side to see if my beliefs hold up.

This book targets raw foodists directly. There is no mistake about it,  the author, Richard Wrangham, goes after those of us who do not like to set our food on fire. I have no problem about that. Maybe he will convince me that I don't have to feel guilty when I stray and treat myself to a burger and fries. Hey, boiled lobster and butter is awesome. Just please make a reasonable, rational, realistic argument for it.

For me, Wrangham gets off on the wrong foot right in the introduction. He states that humans began cooking nearly 2 million years ago. However, there is absolutely no archeological evidence for this at all. Controlled fire, and we do not even know that this involved cooking, only begins to appear 800,000 years ago. I don't like writers who play loose with the facts.

The worst part of the introduction is that first he states that "Little change has occurred in human anatomy since the time of homo erectus almost 2 million years ago", then he says that cooking changed our brain size, our jaws, and our hairy bodies. Which is it? Has human anatomy changed or not?

Wrangham's inconsistencies are one thing, but he draws conclusions that just do not follow logically. For instance, he says that humans had small jaws and teeth, not made for eating meat. So we had to have cooked it. It never occurs to him that maybe humans just didn't eat meat.  After all, our bodies were not designed to digest meat, cooked or raw, like they for eating fruits and vegetables.

He goes on to say that the strongest voices that argue for cooking being a core influence on human nature are students of food and eating. Duh? How stupid does he think his readers are?

The main point of the introduction, and possibly the book, is that cooking increases the amount of energy our bodies can obtain from food. I'm looking forward to seeing how he proves this. I think what he should be saying is that by cooking foods, particularly meats, humans had more food and energy available to them to survive. I could agree with that. But being able to process sugar cane and make twinkies also allows humans to extract more energy from nature. That doesn't make it more healthy.

I was hoping for a good challenge to my raw beliefs, but when Wrangham says that human bodies are biologically adapted to cooked foods like cow are adapted to eating grass he makes breatharians look good.

Reasonably Raw in Vietnam

I'm back in Vietnam for the rest of the winter. My main activity here is teaching English to Vietnamese university kids. I absolutely love it.

I would say it's nearly impossible to be as raw here as in the states. Not nearly as many standard ingredients here, like nuts, cacao, herbs, etc. But, the fresh fruits do make up for it and the variety of restaurants here in Nha Trang keep things from becoming boring.

Probably the best thing here is the low cost of fresh young coconuts. 50 cents each. I have the water and meat of one every morning after my 5 mile run. There is something about the water in a coconut that totally hydrates my body because I have very little thirst after drinking one. I make a smoothie after going to the market in the morning. Usually it consists of mango, pineapple, and oranges. Not a green smoothie because my travel blender will not break up greens very well. After that I really don't drink any water the rest of the day. To break things up once in a while I have watermelon for breakfast.

Lunch consists of a big salad with homemade raw dressing. I bring a few jars of raw tahini with me and make a tahini, lemon, garlic dressing. When I run out I'll buy olive oil and make a dressing of oil, lemon, and nutritional yeast (brought that along with me).

For dinner I usually go out to eat and try to be reasonable. I do eat some meat and occasionally have a burger and fries or Pad Thai Gai.

Life is good here. I usually lose nearly ten pounds not even trying. I do miss my afternoon banana cacao smoothies and homemade guacmole. Anyway, I can't be perfect, but I can be reasonable. And that's life here in Vietnam. Probably not much more to write about till I return home in April. Except that I've ordered a book for my Kindle which I will be reading shortly. It's called Catching Fire. Something about the history of cooking. It is supposed to be about how humans have always cooked their food. I'm thinking I should read something that will challenge my beliefs and see if they stand up. I will report back on that. In the meantime, I'm loving my coconuts!

Gina's No Jet Lag Exilir

I spent the last 11 weeks living in Nha Trang, Vietnam. Hence very little raw to write about that I haven't already. Basically, exotic fresh fruit for breakfast and snacks throughout the day. A salad and granola for lunch. And a non-raw restaurant meal for dinner. Over all I felt great and lost 9 pounds! I return in 4 weeks to continue teaching English to college students.

Here's the best thing to report: I made a small fruit smoothie for breakfast and my daughter Gina made me a chocolate exilir smoothie for lunch and I had absolutely no jet lag today despite traveling yesterday for more than 24 hours! I know that the key ingredient was Vita Mineral Green.

I am more determined than ever to be reasonably raw. I realize now that the most important concept in nutrition and great health is getting enough nutrients and not over eating. Nutrients keep us from being hungry. And eating certain foods make us hungry. It's kind of like when we eat we open the flood gates. So, don't open those gates! Get nutrients and then leave the table. If necessary give yourself a treat later on. For me, in Vietnam, I knew that when I had the urge to have food pleasure I could go to the store and get a handful of Oreos. That did the trick for me. Whatever you do, just be reasonable!

Matt Monarch and Raw Success?

This blog is not going to win me any friends in the raw food movement. But I got to tell the truth as I see it. This is all about Matt Monarch and his teachings about raw food. He and wife Angela Stokes were in the area this weekend and this is what I learned at his talk and while he stayed at my house.

I prepared for Matt's visit to Mystic and Westerly by reading his book Raw Success, which is available on line for free. Matt basically repeated essential concepts of the book in his talk. So, if you missed Matt or haven't read the book this is the message:

1. It's not what we eat that is important to our health, it's what we don't eat (refined foods being the worst).

2. You cannot be healthy unless you get colonics regularly, at least once a month.

3. The healthier we get, the more sensitive we get. Bad foods like a hamburger will put you into the hospital right away if you are a raw vegan for a long time like Matt.

4. Eating a healthy diet will make you spiritual like him. Your third eye will start working again.

5. The goal is to eat less and less food, eventually becoming a breathtarian, someone who lives only on air.

6. All foods are detrimental to your health, even good foods. That is why you want to eventually get to not eating foods at all.

7. We are born with cells that have the accumulation of all the bad food choices of our ancestors.

Those are all the main points of Matt's teachings, both live and in the book. So here is where I get into trouble. What a bunch of crap. The kid ought to go to school and read some serious stuff, not this new age garbage based on stories.

Here are my thoughts on Matt's teachings:

1. It's what we do eat that's important to health. We make bad food choices because we are not nourished. Fill yourself up first of good foods and you will slowly and gradually find that you will want less of the bad stuff. Think positive, not negative.

2. All the research that I have done points to colonics being a waste (pun intended) of time.

3. The healthier we get, the stronger our immune systems get. When we do make bad food choices once in a while our stronger bodies can handle it and other attacks to our systems.

4. I don't think eating better makes you more spiritual, but being more spiritual does make you eat better. (More on Matt's spirituality later.)

5. I agree that we all should for the most part eat less food, but really, if I had to give up food entirely...kill me.

6. Good foods are bad for me? How are we supposed to build strong bodies? The idea that good foods make us live shorter lives than if we ate nothing is so...lacking in substance.

7. The idea that we are born with "the sins of our fathers" nutritionally speaking is another new age idiotic idea. Not only do we not come into this world with bad cells, we can, by eating good foods make our cells more vibrant and alive.

Anyway, I'm writing this because Matt spends a lot of time promoting himself and spreads these ideas everywhere. I just want some people to be forewarned about what he is saying because besides wasting our time and money I think some of this can be dangerous.

I said that I wanted to say a little more about the spirituality thing. I was not impressed with it. My daughter Gina asked me if Matt and Angela could stay at my house because I have the room. I said fine. They were supposed to arrive by 10 pm Saturday night. I waited till midnight, no show, no call. Turns out their car was towed. I would have thought at some point when they knew they were not coming they could have called. While at my house they wanted no interaction and pretty much stayed in the office I set up for them to do work. They asked to use my washing machine to do their laundry, which I said fine, but when the left, they left all their dirty sheets and towels on the floor for me to pick up and wash. Matt and Angela, I'm sorry, but I'm not impressed with your sense of spirituality.

By the way, I'm sorry to say, I missed Angela's talk, which I heard was very good, but the break between talks was so long I went home. Of course, the time between breaks was used to sell the huge amount of product they brought with them. (Another pet peeve of mine...selling products that you are encouraging people to use in your talks. That's not very ethical in my mind.)

Sometimes I just wish raw food people would shut up and just help us all eat more fresh fruits and vegetables. Make it more interesting and enjoyable. Keep it simple. Gotta go now, time to make my banana cacao green smoothie.

The Superfood Debate: Part Five (Gina Responds)

The following blog was written by my daughter Gina Law, her third and final installment in the superfood debate. I had previously written about my concern over all this interest in superfoods. Gina offers another perspective.

Many cultures thriving in longevity are often surviving in undeveloped countries that have access to wild, mineral filled superfoods as part of their regular diet. These superfoods are the foods that they can access, many times in their own backyard. Most of the superfoods in question come from warmer climates, where many of the Earth’s less monetarily wealthy people live. True superfood companies are fair-trade, organic or wild-crafted. They offer to sustain an ecosystem and culture, rather than rape them of their land, ravage their forests and leave them with a barren land in exchange for a small sum of money. I once heard an argument in support of eating tropical fruits and vegetables shipped from third world cultures. The author argued that to purchase goods from a third world country fed the families of the farmer, where buying local produce would merely send the farmer’s children to college. I am not agreeing with this statement, but however you take it, a high percentage of that tropical fruit is conventionally farmed. This leaves the land unable to produce for itself and the workers in regular contact with chemicals, smothering them in dis-ease. The simple foods that many of the cultures of longevity are consuming are growing without these immoral chemicals, and they are the superfoods that we desire. 




In order to support fairly traded, organic products, the cost will be there. You vote with your dollar. My vote goes to paying real prices for real products verses buying produce from a store like Wal-Mart, conventional produce from Stop and Shop or even Whole Foods, just because it is less expensive. These products are not putting those people who are farming them in a good situation. The superfoods that I stand by are quality products. I support the superfoods that are grown in the highest quality, packaged responsibly, are fairly traded and have a positive effect on other cultures.


Some folks are concerned with superfoods being sold as part of a multi-level marketing company, namely Elements for Life. As someone who has bought her fair share of quality superfoods, I know first hand that they are an expensive product. The company in question has top quality products, sold at competitive prices. The intention of selling them as part of an MLM company is for those many times that I’ve turned people onto superfoods. I can now actually get a commission from referring them to the company. I am not pushing people to use these supplements. This winter, when my mother finally didn’t mention how tired I looked, I attributed it to one major change in my diet. I added in high quality minerals and nutrients, through products such as Vitamineral Green, Revitaphi, blue green algae, and my personal favorite, marine phytoplankton. People ask what I am doing different, or we will have them over and offer them a superfood tonic. They come back and tell us they feel great, that the next morning their vision was stronger, how their aching hands aren’t so stiff or how connected they feel. Instead of referring them to a company that will charge the same as Elements for Life, I will refer them to my personal website. I will receive a commission, and if they are excited and promote the products as well, I can make a bit of a profit from everyone they turn onto it. We have always been very generous, sharing our food and spreading knowledge, as many people on this path are. This is a chance for us to reap a portion of the monetary benefits of products we have long been promoting. Many of us have been using superfoods for quite some time. We have been paying the same amount through regular companies as it is being sold through companies like Elements for Life. For us to earn commissions seems like a good way to help the products pay for themselves. You don’t have to be a pushy businessperson in this company, all you need is to love and believe in these products. Most importantly you share them. These products speak for themselves. If you are feeling called, there is the potential to make money while you are learning so much that can help boost the health of your family and friends. At that point your job is literally to learn about health. As far as Elements for Life goes, they have an amazing resource for distributors that is not only information about their products but an extensive network of support on health and wellness in general. I know other MLM companies that have superior products that I love to support and have no affiliation with. I believe a network marketing company, just like any other company, should be judged on the integrity of the company and not on the label that it functions under.


We call ourselves Superheroes because we ARE Superheroes. We are Superheroes not because we sell superfoods. We are Superheroes because we are happy, healthy, loving, friendly people who are working together to better our world. We are all part of a paradigm where we need to radiate love, health and positivity to all beings.

Unconditionally.

In conclusion, I am not NEARLY as stubborn as my thickheaded father ;-)
(His words, not mine!)

♥Love is everywhere. Spread it unconditionally♥