hello from the north

[zaida]

Hi! My name is leah and I am from winnipeg, manitoba, canada. I first looked into the raw paleo diet over a year ago when I started switching my cats and dogs over to a raw prey model diet for them. I was very interested in it but it did not completely click for me. The other day I was reading a article on Weston A Price about Native americans and their diet long ago. It finally clicked for me.

I have seen the benefits and results in my animals and I am exited and interested what will happen to me. From what I can tell so far I will be feeding myself basically what I have been feeding my pets for over a year!

I am still reading through all the threads but I have a few questions to start.

1. Why is it that even though we as humans should be eating the same thing that a dog does that we have such different digestive systems? The dog has a very short digestive tract and humans have a very long one. Would it be because dogs would be eating more spoilt meat that humans or is their a difference in human and canine diet that I am missing?

2. I tend to get animals by the whole. A lot of the time I even do the butchering myself. For my meat I think I would prefer to get it done professionally as they have a much better setup . What I am curious about is what specifications would I butcher for? Whole chunks? Small chunks? I am assuming here that the cut of meat does not matter as it would for someone getting it to cook... or does it? Should I leave the fat attached to the meat or get it separate? Any suggestions on this would be great. I have a general idea but could use some more help.

3. When feeding dogs I feed old meat as well as fresh, I have fed them up to 20 year old meat (that has been in a freezer). It is my understanding that freezing takes away some of the nutritional value though, is there a time period that you tend to go by that you consider the meat no longer good? Also would vacuum packing it all make a difference? Is it worth it?

I am ready to go raw however I am still scared. It is a huge change to undertake and I am glad to see that there are at least discussion boards out there for help as I am not sure anyone in my city even eats raw. If you are in Winnipeg let me know as I would love to meet up and chat!

I am excited about learning much more from this site and the experience it will be to go raw. I have been trying to go natural in all aspects of my life. I have been trying the last year to cook as little as possible and my diet has been mainly fruits, vegs, eggs, meat (cooked mostly to rare or med rare), nuts and yes I often right now eat horribly wrong. I am just not one too cook so I swing by my parents sometimes too eat or my boss feeds me. It is a hard habit I will have to break. Cutting out dairy is no problem for me, my body has never agreed with it so I tend to stay away from it. Whipping cream will be one I will truly miss though. Before I first got into researching dog nutrition (an then human nutrition) I admit that I ate horribly. From fast food to packaged dinners. Now with the diet I am coming from should I switch over slowly or should I just go cold turkey. I eat twice a day right now and exercise regularly.

Thanks in advance for any help on this new process I am about to undergo and I am looking forward to the discussions to be had in the future.

[Hannibal]

Hi

1. Why is it that even though we as humans should be eating the same thing that a dog does that we have such different digestive systems? The dog has a very short digestive tract and humans have a very long one. Would it be because dogs would be eating more spoilt meat that humans or is their a difference in human and canine diet that I am missing?

But rawpaleodiet isn't about eating the same things as dog does. Dog eats quite a lot of bones and some other harder parts of animal.
Here you've got a good article that compares the digestive tracts of a carnivore, a herbivore and man -
http://www.second-opinions.co.uk/carn_herb_comparison3.html

[zaida]

Hi Hannibal,
Thank you for the response. That was a great read! I have always been under the impression that our digestive tracts were vastly different from dogs however from the comparison chart on there it seems we are quite similar. Aside from the dog eating bones and other hard parts of the animal the diet is comparably the same though correct? Obviously I can't see myself eating a bone from a beef shank but would Rawpaleodiet include eating of fish bones?

[Hannibal]

Aside from the dog eating bones and other hard parts of the animal the diet is comparably the same though correct?

Yeah, you are correct. Though omnivorous rawpaleodiet does include fruits and raw honey/ honeycomb, so it's still a little bit different, as dogs wouldn't rather eat these products.

Obviously I can't see myself eating a bone from a beef shank but would Rawpaleodiet include eating of fish bones?

I do eat softer parts of lamb bones and my teeth are getting stronger

[zaida]

Try telling that to my vet about dogs not wanting to eat vegs and fruit. She told me that my dogs diet should consist of 3/4 carbs and only a bit of protein. My dog wont touch fruit and vegs let alone starches or grains. I think her body knows now what to eat. Hopefully mine will be there one day. One of the big reasons for me switching over is my calcium intake. I have struggled to get adequate calcium in my diet as I do not eat very much if any dairy. I have stuck to certain veggies and supplements but I am not happy with that. I feel better about the idea of bone marrow, fat, meat and organs. I have never had any big health problems, however have had muscle weakness recently and I do not think my bones are very strong. My complexion is never completely clear and I have dandruff. I have tried tons of different things and nothing seems to work long term. I started my first meal last night of ground bison and bone marrow. I had to blend the marrow up with ice in the blender and a bit of blueberries to get it down though. It actually tasted wonderful that way. This morning I tried some small pieces of liver frozen and my meal tonight will be cut from a side of mutton I have defrosting in my shower .

I still would like to know more about specifications on butchering and more on freezing if anyone out there has any info.

I am a ex smoker and drinker from a while back. My body does not feel healthy to me and I am wondering too if there is a cleanse or detox I should be doing at the beginning of my diet switch?

[Hannibal]

Re calcium - there are healthy tribes with strong bones and teeth, who do not eat so much calcium - e.g. Bantu
there are so many examples of people who do eat a lot of dairy and have got osteoporosis and other bone problems
so it's a myth that one should eat so much calcium - it's better not to eat it, as you'll probably have magnesium deficiency

[zaida]

Im a tad confused now, does bone marrow not contain significant amounts of calcium?

[yon yonson]

not sure about the calcium in marrow, but i wouldn't worry about specific intakes of minerals and such. if you're eating RPD, things tend to take care of themselves without too much manipulation required. my bones and teeth started feeling much stronger after only a couple of weeks of adding raw meat and fat to my diet. also, not sure how the ground beef went down for you but i find regular cuts of meat much easier to eat, more satisfying, and MUCH tastier. i tried ground at the beginning too and didnt like it. i think that's why it took me a while to transition fully.

[zaida]

found a make up of bone marrow and apparently no calcium in there. I guess the years of hearing you need calcium to build bones gets to you.

[goodsamaritan]

Hi from the tropics!

It's not just about "calcium".

The book www.curetoothdecay.com will solve your teeth and bone requirements. 

Here are 3 videos of the author http://www.myhealthblog.org/2008/07/11/cure-tooth-decay/

Fat allows your body to absorb fat soluble nutrients.  This is why raw paleo diet is big on fats.

Tooth re-mineralization has been reported by several raw paleo and primal diet people.

Other things that may hamper bone growth for women is birth control pills and other similar hormonal / chemical contraceptives.  There are prescription drugs that also hamper bone growth.  The message is you must strive to be drug free.

[zaida]

Hello GS,
I have ordered the book and look forward to reading it. I was on birth control previously and have been off it over a year now. I new it couldn't be good but didn't realize it was affecting my bones. I stay away from any kinds of drugs in general, even advil. My dad always goes by the moto that your body must learn to heal itself.

[phatdave]

Hello to the north, and may i say how pretty you are!

Hm, dont know if i can help with your freezer/butching problems, although if i had the space/means I would LOVE to get a whole deer and butcher it myself! I could get all the good stuff, blood brains and all! mmm.....(sounds a little manic! )

I know Lex (whos been eating raw meat for ages) eats from frozen, and he's better than just fine, hes doing great. Sure 'ideally' dont freeze, if one had the choice, but i wouldnt worry too much right now.

Oh i also much prefer chunks, cuts, joints the bigger stuff to mince (for taste and freshness) But, mince is cheaper, so for now thats what i get . For now...... (again dont worry!)

I found at the start I did better eating fresher meat, i found stuff sitting in the butcher next to where i work was a little too much in the way of 'happenin' meat and gave me a slight upset stomach. In contrast when I bought some delicious beef from the farmers market/markets that was nice and fresh (although frozen) it was grrrreat.

Look round the website, ask a bag load of questions, and experiment. Eat what you enjoy, and ease slowly in - I'm possitive you'll learn a bunch of stuff, be happy that you did, and reap the rewards they have to offer.

Hope that helps. ....and welcome!

David

[zaida]

hello david,
thanks for the info and compliment! I have spent a whole day now looking through this site, its great. I am trying to read as much as I can before repeating too many questions that have already been asked.
looking forward to the future of eating raw even if right now it may make me gag a bit getting it down.

[Hannibal]

not sure about the calcium in marrow, but i wouldn't worry about specific intakes of minerals and such. if you're eating RPD, things tend to take care of themselves without too much manipulation required.

Yeah, that's true but this is when one is eating RPD; dairy isn't paleo and quite many people didn't feel good when they ate it