We Want To Live, the Original Primal Diet

[Projectile Vomit]

Many who frequent this forum are familiar with Aajonus Vonderplanitz, a controversial author and speaker who worked tirelessly to protect the rights of consumers in the US to purchase food outside of typical commercial channels and who recommended a largely raw food diet. I've owned both of his books for quite a few years, and while I'm forced to remain skeptical of some of his pronouncements I do admit that I found both of his books inspiring. Over the past few weeks I've been on a book review kick, so decided to write one for his 2005 book We Want To Live. I'm always unsure whether I should paste the whole review here or just offer a link; unless people request otherwise, I'll do the latter: Review of Aajonus Vonderplanitz's book We Want To Live.

At any rate, WW2L is a fun read, partly because it's as much a story of the authors' path towards contrarianist nutrition as it is a Raw Primal Diet Manifesto. I enjoyed it and recommend it, although as the author passed away in 2013 due to an accident I suspect it may become challenging to find copies of his book over time. We Want To Live and Vonderplanitz's other book Recipes for Living Without Disease are two books that I never lend out to people, for fear of not getting them back...

[LePatron7]

Link won't load. I think I remember reading his original recommendations were to consume some cooked starch, but later changed his mind. Not sure, don't quote me lol.

[Projectile Vomit]

Thanks for the heads up, I fixed the link. Yes, I think in the earlier version of WW2L he did advocate that, but I don't think that's in this edition or his other book Recipes for Living Without Disease.

[goodsamaritan]

I give Aajonus more credit, higher status, tireless scientist, tireless healer, self experimentor, truth seeker wherever it may lead.

His books i regard as one of my healing references. I always keep copies in my ipad and phone.

His teachings in TB and diverticulitis were crucial in me healing my then sick son.  His diet recommendation principles are spot on by experience for myself and others I have healed or will follow the raw path.  His is a hard core let food be thy medicine.

Aajonus was a great healer and fellow healers will recognize his heart.

The only way people fail with Aajonus' recommendations are:
- lack of commitment to go raw.
- lack of discernment when food allergy is the issue... dairy allergy, nightshades allergy, etc.
- not resourceful enough.

[Iguana]

- lack of discernment when food allergy is the issue... dairy allergy, nightshades allergy, etc.

GS, we have a different understanding of allergies:

So, what in itself is an "allergic" reaction? It is a reaction of the immune system that disturbs the host, because it is stronger than normally, resulting in unpleasant symptoms.

There is no clear boundary between so-called normal immune response against foreign molecules (called antigens to express the fact that they trigger antibody formation) and an allergic reaction, except that the latter seems to escape the normal regulatory mechanisms (which can be recognized in the silence of the organs).

Why can there be a relationship between NCS (New Chemical Species derived from processing that accumulate in the body) and common antigens (all molecules from the environment recognized as foreign by the organism: hair, dust mites etc.)?

For a very simple reason that we usually don’t think about enough: there are multitudes of "cross-reactions" between different antigens. "Cross reaction" means that two different antigens trigger the same reaction of the immune system because of similar molecular surfaces.

Principally, the immune system identifies each antigen and implements a specific reaction. Each antibody produced has molecular reliefs which correspond exactly to the reliefs of the antigenic molecule to which it is intended. There is little risk of confusion. But with the billions of possibilities, some reliefs still lead to confusion, calleds "cross reactions" by immunologist.

It is thus understandable that a reaction triggered by a new antigen may be of unexpected importance if a similar antigen has already been introduced into the body and has "sensitized" the immune system. Therefore, food antigens (incompletely degraded molecules crossing the intestinal barrier) can sensitize the immune system, so that other antigens (dust, pollen, etc.) will trigger apparently inexplicable cross-reactions. This will ultimately lead to an allergy to foreign antigens, without suspecting that the reaction itself is induced by food antigens.

The converse suggests that by stopping the penetration of these food antigens (switching to a natural diet which doesn't contain the same non-degradable molecules), the immune response to environmental antigens will decrease rapidly. This is what can commonly be observed after transition to instincto.

However, there are some cases where these reactions occur with delay. The organism can indeed learn to tolerate certain antigens, such as the effect of repetitive consumption of dairy products. Then it may happen years later that a new antigen, from an unusual food, from an insect bite, from a bacterium, will cause the awakening of the immune system (immunologists refer to it as "breakdown of tolerance"). This apparently inexplicable reaction thus may seem disproportionate.

Reactions of this type are called "detoxination reaction" in instincto slang. Note that antigens capable of "awakening" the immune system, can derive from microorganisms (bacteria, fungi, viruses, or from another organism), but foods are most often sources of antigens that provoke a breakdown of tolerance.

This concept is compatible with conventional notions of immunology, except that immunologists have not yet realized the importance of food antigens since they are unable to show their effect in the too repetitive context of a traditionally cooked diet.

Regards
GCB