Catching Fire:...........

[Guest guest]

" ........How Cooking Made Us Human " by Richard Wranham. Saw this book blurb in

the Everett Herald and then heard the author on KZOK this morning. Was

wondering if anyone happened to hear it or go to see him at Town Hall on Monday

night. He claims we developed our superior brains when we started cooking our

food.

 

It was an interesting conversation, to say the least. It is his theory that man

first cooked his meat when he was pounding it with rocks and made sparks and he

liked it. He thinks when man ate cooked food he was sustained for a longer

period of time and didn't have to spend all day hunting, gathering and chewing

which gave him more time to think. Thus exercising our brains and making them

grow.

 

Of course one of the disc jockies made a comment about the raw food faction to

which Wranham replied " It's a good way to drop a lot of weight. " And that was

about the extent of the conversation, but remember he was in a room with a bunch

of carnivores.

 

Then I had to turn off the radio and get to work.

 

I just found it very interesting.

 

Shari

[Guest guest]

This was my response...

http://blog.raw-living-food-success.com/

<http://blog.raw-living-food-success.com/>

 

Sure, it gave us bigger brains, anyone who has studied physiology knows

the brain is fed by sugar alone. Nothing like a cooked sweet potato to

inject it with a source of lots of sugar fast! But that doesn't mean

that we need it now......but a great awareness for the raw foodist!

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

Shari,

 

 

 

Thanks for calling this to our attention. I'd like to take a look at this

book. I'll see if my library has it. From the Amazon reviews:

http://is.gd/YpFL

 

 

 

" Wrangham reports that humans with even a large supply of well-processed,

high-quality food lose both weight and reproductive capacity on a raw diet,

and that there are no known cases of a modern human surviving on raw food

for more than a month. "

 

 

 

" For those readers who argue that we could survive on raw food alone, Dr.

Wrangham describes the tribulations of people throughout history who have

temporarily survived on uncooked or dried foods.

 

" Even today, when top quality produce is readily available, " raw-foodists "

are chronically undernourished. The most extensive research is the Giessen

(Germany) Raw Food study of 513 individuals who ate between 70 and 100

percent raw diets. Writes Dr. Wrangham, " The scientists' conclusion was

unambiguous: 'a strict raw food diet cannot guarantee an adequate energy

supply.' " The energy shortage " is biologically significant.... Among women

eating totally raw diets, about 50 percent entirely ceased to menstruate. "

[pp. 18-19] "

 

 

 

" I also enjoyed his coverage of the claims of present day raw-foodists, some

of whom he interviewed. After that chapter I was left feeling simulataneous

admiration for the dedication of raw-foodists and repulsion at the thought

of following a similar diet myself! "

 

 

 

Mark

 

 

 

_____

 

On Behalf Of Shari

Wednesday, June 10, 2009 8:43 AM

 

" Catching Fire:........... "

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

" ........How Cooking Made Us Human " by Richard Wranham. Saw this book blurb

in the Everett Herald and then heard the author on KZOK this morning. Was

wondering if anyone happened to hear it or go to see him at Town Hall on

Monday night. He claims we developed our superior brains when we started

cooking our food.

 

It was an interesting conversation, to say the least. It is his theory that

man first cooked his meat when he was pounding it with rocks and made sparks

and he liked it. He thinks when man ate cooked food he was sustained for a

longer period of time and didn't have to spend all day hunting, gathering

and chewing which gave him more time to think. Thus exercising our brains

and making them grow.

 

Of course one of the disc jockies made a comment about the raw food faction

to which Wranham replied " It's a good way to drop a lot of weight. " And that

was about the extent of the conversation, but remember he was in a room with

a bunch of carnivores.

 

Then I had to turn off the radio and get to work.

 

I just found it very interesting.

 

Shari

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

Wow! Thanks Mark.

 

I remember one other thing he said that really struck me as, maybe ignorant?

Not sure the word I want to use, but the radio hosts made the comment that we

are the only animals that cook our food. To which he replied: " any animal will

prefer cooked food, given a choice. " I'm picturing a Kodiak on the riverbank

with a flopping fresh salmon and a barbecued one, which will he choose????????

 

Shari