I guess raw liver could be not as soft but still easier to digest than cooked. Perhaps as you said, I'm making some erroneous assumptions. Yesterday I read an article by Mark Sisson citing a study that found that cooked egg protein is much more bioavailable than raw, and yet I'm certain that what happened to me last night with the raw egg would not have happened with a cooked one. Not only did it clear my stomach and rejuvenate me, I actually slept last night after a day of maybe 700-800 calories, most of it raw honey. No restless leg syndrome. The one egg was my only fat and protein. That's astonishing.
Risrosen,
Good to hear that you're feeling better. I remember reading a study about cooked vs raw egg white, it's probably the same one that Mark Sisson cited. The study was done on people who had their colons removed. At the end of the small intestine, the remainder of the food was analyzed for protein content. Higher protein was found for raw egg white than cooked. The conclusion was, that the raw egg white protein is not digested well (since protein digestion does not take place in the large intestine). Two things to keep in mind:
1. This study was done on sick people, who had their colons removed. Its results do not necessarily generalize to healthy people.
2. This study was done on people who are used to a standard diet. Their gut flora, and their tastebuds, were probably not used to raw eggs. So the results do not necessarily generalize to people who enjoy raw eggs, and eat them on a regular basis.
For people who have serious digestive issues, Aajonus often prescribes lots of eggs, butter, and honey, and not much else (because those foods are easiest to digest). Maybe a small fish meal or a bit of milk when you have the appetite for it. And only start eating meat when your digestion gets better.
About Aajonus vs Matt Stone --
Keep in mind that most diet gurus' advice is largely based on their own experience. I used to read Matt Stone's blog. He's a young man who never had any serious health problems. He has experimented with zero-carb, vegan, all-milk, and several other diets, and did OK on all of them. He has never been in the shoes of someone with a serious illness.
On the other hand, Aajonus had many illnesses, and an operation which turned off HCl secretion in his stomach. Consequently, he practically can't digest cooked food, and finds honey to be a miracle digestive aid.
About Aajonus' theories and ideas --
I suspect that when Aajonus writes books/newsletters or presents workshops, he deliberately oversimplifies some of his theories, to present a simple philosophy to help people get well. Most of his audience is not interested in a scientific debate/discussion about viruses and germs and enzymes and cooking.
Here's an older thread about this:
http://www.rawpaleoforum.com/omnivorous-raw-paleo/allergic-to-cooked-green-and-red-vegetables/About the coyote story --
I have no way of judging whether it's true or not. It certainly is possible for animals to act in unusual ways, and help and feed others. Take a look at this video, where a crow feeds and takes care of a kitten. In light of this, the coyote story is not completely implausible.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1JiJzqXxgxo&feature=player_embeddedAbout cooked vs raw meat digestion --
Like many others, I also find that raw meat digests better than cooked. But it was not always like this. When I was starting out with raw meat, I went through periods where it did not digest so well. And I spent a few months on the "Wai diet" (fruit, eggs, and fish, and nuts, all raw) before eating raw meat. Although I see the Wai diet as being detrimental in the long-term, I think it can be a good "preparation" for raw paleo, to get your body used to raw animal foods in a gradual way.
GCB is much more logical:
A NEW THEORETICAL MODEL OF VIRAL PHENOMENA
Iguana,
That was interesting to read. Thanks for posting this. In a nutshell, it hypothesizes that viruses are tools for eliminating foreign molecules, rather than "inherently pathogenic". It's similar to AV's view, but is more conservative, and written in a more scientific way.
