Reptiles & amphibians, as food

[a_real_man]

Does anyone have any experience eating reptiles or amphibians raw? Any suggestions on which commonly found species are palatable? Any suggestions on what body parts are palatable and what parts are not?

[surfsteve]

Tastes like chicken! Never tried any of it raw though.

[a_real_man]

I'm wondering if I should treat like a fish, in the sense that I should basically eat the flesh and organs, but avoid the scales

[Projectile Vomit]

I have never done this. If you are seriously considering it, I suggest researching the parasites the species you are considering eating carries, what organs they tend to reside in, and whether they can create pathogenic infestations in people. Although I do eat a lot of animal-derived foods raw, I tend to err on the side of caution. Trichinosis, salmonella, and bad strains of E. coli are no joke.

[surfsteve]

Or maybe just go buy some frogs legs from the supermarket.

[a_real_man]

@Eric: unfortunately I don't really trust most of the research out there. I'm sure you share my point of view, that most sources are unreliable. Do you know of some sources that are trustworthy?

@Surfsteve: supermarket! That's crazy talk. Also, I don't live somewhere where frog legs are normally sold. 

[Projectile Vomit]

@a_real_man, I definitely do not share your point of view. There are plenty of reliable sources out there on the impacts that various parasites and infectious microorganisms can have on the human body. Just because someone says something that runs counter to your current belief system doesn't mean it's wrong.

An acquaintance of mine was on the Discovery show Naked and Afraid some years back. One of the other 'cast' members decided to try eating raw turtle liver because she caught the turtle and she and her partner couldn't get a fire started to cook it. She almost had to be hospitalized. I'm not sure what it was that caused this, but it really knocked her down.

[a_real_man]

@Eric: Thanks for sharing the anecdote. To clarify, I wrote "I don't really trust most of the research out there." The fact that you are eating RPD is evidence that you don't either, as most sources will tell you that raw food is deadly.

I am fully aware that various germs and parasites can harm you. Driving a car can also kill you. It's a question of likelihood. That's why most sources are unreliable - they greatly inflate the likelihood. I'm still waiting for that promised salmonella from raw eggs.

[TylerDurden]

Actually, "most of the research out there" already shows that cooked food consumption is harmful....

[Projectile Vomit]

Actually, "most of the research out there" already shows that cooked food consumption is harmful....

Exactly. We don't have a problem so much with inaccurate information as much as we do an unwillingness to accept the truth of much good information out there. Though there is some misinformation out there, to be sure.

[a_real_man]

Yes, "research" also shows that raw food is harmful, more harmful than cooked food. I would go on to say that research shows that everything is harmful.

I typed "raw meat research" into google.
Result 1: Raw food diets in companion animals: A critical review
From the abstract: "Although there is a lack of large cohort studies to evaluate risk or benefit of raw meat diets fed to pets, there is enough evidence to compel veterinarians to discuss human health implications of these diets with owners."

Result 2: Risks outweigh benefits of raw meat-based diets for pets

Result 3: Cummings school of Veterinary Medicine. For safety reasons, raw meat diets are not allowed in the Foster Hospital for Small Animals.

etc.

You're saying there is a lot of good information out there. Where? Weston Price and AV? That's not a lot of reliable information. It's neither a lot, nor very reliable. AV makes shit up in his books. Weston Price is more reliable but is unverifiable.

[TylerDurden]

You're saying there is a lot of good information out there. Where? Weston Price and AV? That's not a lot of reliable information. It's neither a lot, nor very reliable. AV makes shit up in his books. Weston Price is more reliable but is unverifiable.

The vets are in the pay of the pharmaceutical companies. Indeed, these companies deliberately fund pet nutrition courses at veterinary coileges among other scams in order to corrupt the vets in advance.

You are quite right in ridiculing some of Weston-Price's "Noble-Savage"  and some of AV's more absurd claims(like his "40 days and 40 nights Jesus-like coyote-/raw-food-experience in the wilderness etc.etc.). However, there are now tens of thousands of studies done on the ill-health caused by advanced glycation end products/AGEs derived from cooking. There are somewhat fewer, but still definitive studies done on heterocyclic amines and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons(both found in tar-pits, cooked foods, cigarette-smoke and car-exhaust fumes), quite aside from studies on nitrosamines and acrylamide and advanced lipoxidation end-products(ALEs), and Maillard molecules, and perhaps a few others I can't think of right now. Just search pubmed under "dietary-derived advanced glycation end products", among other websites:-

http://www.rawpaleodietforum.com/important-info-for-newbies/info-on-toxins-in-cooked-foods/

http://www.rawpaleodietforum.com/important-info-for-newbies/the-dangers-of-grain-consumption/

Some studies focus on benefits of raw foods, such as bacteria(thus explaining the benefits of "high-meat"):-

http://www.rawpaleodietforum.com/important-info-for-newbies/the-benefits-of-bacteria/