Kane: Primal to Raw Paleo

[Kane]

I'm Kane.  Pretty sure my handle gave that away. 

Anyway, I'm 37, living in Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, Canada.  So, more north than most people ever see on a map.  Winters are harsh.  Very harsh.  But the spring, summer, and autumn are all majestic.

I have a supremely awesome family.  I'm sure you'd agree if you met them.  5 kids (4 boys, and a wee, beautiful girl), and a monumentally gorgeous, prodigiously gifted wife.

Sometimes I gush.  Especially about my wife and kids.

On my wife's prompting, our whole family went primal (à la Mark Sisson's Primal Blueprint) on Dec. 1st, 2010.  What a magnificent turn for the better that had on our family.  Everybody is 100% better-off for the change.

Now, as of yesterday (August 18, 2011), I'm going raw paleo.  I'm loving the raw, marinated scallops, that's for sure!  And I'll be picking up Robb Wolf's Paleo Diet Solution today, so I can advance my understanding of this newest chapter in my life.

I could write more about me, but I think that will come out in subsequent posts.

Thanks for being here.  I hope to get to know some of you -- well, as much as this kind of medium allows.  And I look forward to learning more from people who know more about this lifestyle than I do.  And I'm assuming many of you know more than I do, since I'm just starting out.  But put your mental running shoes on because I like to sprint full-speed into new understandings; it helps me satisfy my obsessive-compulsive curiosity. 

Cheers!
Kane

[TylerDurden]

First read these threads as they are very useful for newbies:-

http://www.rawpaleodietforum.com/important-info-for-newbies/

Anyway, welcome to the forum!

Raw scallops are far easier for cooked-foodists to get used to re taste. It takes c.8 to 12 months to get used to all other raw animal foods, provided one is eating mostly or wholly raw.

May I ask what reason you are going rawpalaeo, as opposed to sticking to the cooked-palaeodiet?

[cherimoya_kid]

Raw scallops are far easier for cooked-foodists to get used to re taste. It takes c.8 to 12 months to get used to all other raw animal foods, provided one is eating mostly or wholly raw.

Tuna?  There are some other fatty fish that I think are also very easy to enjoy raw, for most people.

[TylerDurden]

Tuna?  There are some other fatty fish that I think are also very easy to enjoy raw, for most people.

Not for me, I always found raw tuna too lean re taste. I always far preferred raw mackerel and raw swordfish, raw mussels, raw oysters and raw scallops.

[Kane]

May I ask what reason you are going rawpalaeo, as opposed to sticking to the cooked-palaeodiet?

Thank you for the links.  I will read them happily.

To answer your question, going raw paleo was birthed primarily of necessity: our stove went on the fritz, and neither my wife or I want to put money into a new one if we don't have to.  Since with raw paleo we don't have to, we're now not going to.   

Thank you all for the warm welcome.

[eveheart]

our stove went on the fritz, and neither my wife or I want to put money into a new one if we don't have to. 

I've eaten raw paleo since last April, when I moved into a new apartment that didn't have a stove. That wasn't my main reason for going raw, but I think it helped my resolve to be 100% raw. Sometimes I even think is was a "sign" that raw was right for me.

I've read a handful of books about cooked and raw paleo, but none of the book information comes close to the wealth of information I've gotten in this forum. I jumped right in to eating raw meat. Every time I read a post about eating a certain type of raw flesh, I went out and tried it.

Raw paleo has been a healthy and healing choice for me.

[TylerDurden]

Thank you for the links.  I will read them happily.

To answer your question, going raw paleo was birthed primarily of necessity: our stove went on the fritz, and neither my wife or I want to put money into a new one if we don't have to.  Since with raw paleo we don't have to, we're now not going to.   

Thank you all for the warm welcome.

I'm amused. Most people go for a raw, palaeolithic diet only after all other diets have failed, mostly or wholly, to cure their various health-problems. The irrational fear of bacteria/parasites is so strong among newbies that it takes people usually some weeks/months before they reluctantly realise that they are not dead yet and are in no danger from such a diet.

But yes, not cooking does save a lot of time and money, as well.

[Ioanna]

welcome!

[magnetic]

I have a supremely awesome family.  I'm sure you'd agree if you met them.  5 kids (4 boys, and a wee, beautiful girl), and a monumentally gorgeous, prodigiously gifted wife.

Welcome aboard! How are the children adjusting to eating paleo? Was it an easy transition for them?

[Kane]

I've eaten raw paleo since last April, when I moved into a new apartment that didn't have a stove. That wasn't my main reason for going raw, but I think it helped my resolve to be 100% raw. Sometimes I even think is was a "sign" that raw was right for me.

An apartment without a stove? Wow, that's a little odd.  I wonder what the reason for that was...

I've read a handful of books about cooked and raw paleo, but none of the book information comes close to the wealth of information I've gotten in this forum. I jumped right in to eating raw meat. Every time I read a post about eating a certain type of raw flesh, I went out and tried it.

I would love it if you could tell me what books you read on raw paleo.  My searches have yielded nothing.  A lot of articles, mind, but no books.  And I'm not sure if Robb Wolf is raw or not, but it really doesn't matter to me.  I'm interested in the science in his book.

Raw paleo has been a healthy and healing choice for me.

Excellent!  I'm looking forward to the benefits of raw paleo, too.  Primal has been awesome, but I've been very suspicious for a little while now that Paleo may be just that much better.
[/quote]

[cherimoya_kid]

I'm amused. Most people go for a raw, palaeolithic diet only after all other diets have failed, mostly or wholly, to cure their various health-problems. The irrational fear of bacteria/parasites is so strong among newbies that it takes people usually some weeks/months before they reluctantly realise that they are not dead yet and are in no danger from such a diet.

But yes, not cooking does save a lot of time and money, as well.

Eating raw/fermented meat/fish is a pretty common thing in Alaska, northern Canada, etc.. I'm sure it's more culturally acceptable among the whites there, in addition to of course the natives.

[Kane]

I'm amused. Most people go for a raw, palaeolithic diet only after all other diets have failed, mostly or wholly, to cure their various health-problems. The irrational fear of bacteria/parasites is so strong among newbies that it takes people usually some weeks/months before they reluctantly realise that they are not dead yet and are in no danger from such a diet.

But yes, not cooking does save a lot of time and money, as well.

Well, it would be a little misleading if I was to leave you under the impression that our now defunct stove was the only reason for our lifestyle change, amusing as it is.  The other aspect of our switch has to do with our constant desire to improve our lives, to live in the fullest, healthiest way possible.

So saying, in the past 6 years we've migrated between a raw nigh-vegan diet to a traditional diet (whole foods and fats) to the primal blueprint, and now to raw paleo.  Given what little I've learned of raw paleo, I think we'll probably park ourselves here.  I see no reason to evolve past raw paleo: the research seems to indicate it's quite a healthy and fulfilling way of life.

I will tell you this: I'm very curious how we're going to prepare our free-range chickens now.  There are a good many ways to marinade and deal with the possibility of bacterias, but such fear-based preventative measures ring a little hollow to me overall.  I just want to know what they'll taste like uncooked and drenched in some nice garlic and apple-cider vinegar.   

[Kane]

Welcome aboard! How are the children adjusting to eating paleo? Was it an easy transition for them?

Oh, they're totally game!  In the non-I'm-going-to-hunt-you-and-eat-you sense.  No eating children here.  Even if we're not religious (which is a whole other digression for another time).  

But more seriously, they were quite excited about it.  My eldest is 8 -- just to give you an indication of the descending order of years -- and he was quite enthusiastic to dig in and start rending raw flesh with his recently minted and semi-pointy bicuspids.  And to be clear, the other boys were just as eager to devour.  For them, cooking always "takes too long, so why can't we just eat it without cooking it?"  They've been ahead of their parents for a while now.

As for the wee girl, she still nurses.  I think that's about as paleo as one can get.  It's also about as local as one can get.  So, she's got the best (breast?) of it, for sure.

[eveheart]

An apartment without a stove? Wow, that's a little odd.  I wonder what the reason for that was...

I live in a converted garage behind my daughter's house. The kitchen area is just a sink. It's very cozy, and I love it here.

I would love it if you could tell me what books you read on raw paleo.

First was Aajonus's book. Then G. C. Burger, Robb Wolf, Cordain. I decided what to eat based on my reaction to the foods I tried, so I don't follow any one author. About once a month I eat cooked paleo when situations  require it, such as at work luncheons. All other times, I eat nothing cooked and nothing processed.

[raw]

My son is a real raw paleo. His entire meal consists of only raw animals. His health is rock solid. I mostly eat raw meat, but sometimes raw butter and honey. But I see the changes in me even more on only raw animal food without dairy. No doubt that raw paleo is the best option. But try to consume entire animal (I mean every parts of it to get the real benefit).

[TylerDurden]

I will tell you this: I'm very curious how we're going to prepare our free-range chickens now.  There are a good many ways to marinade and deal with the possibility of bacterias, but such fear-based preventative measures ring a little hollow to me overall.  I just want to know what they'll taste like uncooked and drenched in some nice garlic and apple-cider vinegar.   

I avoid free-range and organic chicken, however raw it may be. Chickens are almost universally fed on grain-heavy diets which means their meats taste foul and are most unhealthy. By comparison, the raw wild mallard duck I've eaten tastes fantastic.

If you can get chickens which are pastured as well(ie allowed to feed on insects/earthworms etc. and only given a little in the way of grains) then that's fine, but they are difficult to get hold of.

Re rawpalaeodiet books:-  There are no "official" rawpalaeodiet books. There is Guy-Claude's book "The War of Raw":-

http://www.reocities.com/HotSprings/7627/ggindex.html

which is the Instincto "take". Then you have Aajonus Vonderplanitz's 2 books, "We want to live" and "recipe for living without disease", which is very non-palaeo in that it promotes raw dairy and raw veggie-juice, 2 foods, imo, to be avoided by most people for various reasons. Alternatively, you can buy any book by a cooked-palaeodiet author such as Ray Audette, Loren Cordain, Michael Eades etc. , and just do a raw version thereof. Loren Cordain, so far, is the only cooked-palaeodiet author who has admitted that cooking creates toxins.

If you want to read up about the science behind raw foodism, you should read about heterocyclic amines and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons( both of which not only are created by cooking but are also components of car-exhaust fumes and cigarette-smoke), advanced glycation end products/advanced lipoxidation end products(which are heavily implicated in most age-related conditions such as arthritis/alzheimer's etc. etc. - it's no coincidence that people routinely report at RVAF diet gatherings that the people there look 10 years younger than their cooked-food-eating contemporaries) and nitrosamines, present in processed foods like smoked foods etc.

Here's a couple of links covering a small part of the science:-

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raw_foodism#Potential_harmful_effects_of_cooked_foods_and_cooking

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hygiene_hypothesis


Obviously, just reading through  the message-archives of rawpaleoforum and other RVAF diet forums will provide you with even more practical info on the subject.

[Kane]

I avoid free-range and organic chicken, however raw it may be. Chickens are almost universally fed on grain-heavy diets which means their meats taste foul and are most unhealthy. By comparison, the raw wild mallard duck I've eaten tastes fantastic.

Interesting.  In the case of my chickens, I've raised them and they've eaten mostly grasses and bugs.  Just recently -- because they started to wander into our neighbour's garden -- we've had to put them in their corrals (which are spacious) and have been feeding them wild weeds and wild seeds.  Despite being the same breed as our farmer friends' flock, they have commented that our birds are much different than theirs.  I know that is because they have had a more approximately natural diet; natural to a chicken, that is.

Anyway, its nice that you mentioned ducks.  We're planning on ducks next year.  They're less laborious than chickens, and they taste way better than chickens, too.

Thank you for the links!  I have opened them and will start reading at some point today.

Cheers!
Kane

[TylerDurden]

Breeds can also be important. I've tasted grainfed wild boar, for example, which tasted way better than standard grainfed pork. Of course, genuine raw wild boar, NOT fed on grains but on wild plants/carrion etc., tastes even better.

[Kane]

Breeds can also be important. I've tasted grainfed wild boar, for example, which tasted way better than standard grainfed pork. Of course, genuine raw wild boar, NOT fed on grains but on wild plants/carrion etc., tastes even better.

You're quite right, TD: breed is important.  That is the only failing in my chicken raising venture.  I ordered what I thought were redboros, but I have my suspicion that they're either not quite redboros, or they're genetically deficient in some ways (they have no hunger shut-off).  In any case, the hatchery we bought them from (this is our first attempt at this, by the way) ripped us off quite formidably.  So, next year, we're going to order heritage breed ducks.  They will be a far superior bird with much nicer fat.

I would love to try wild boar!  So far, we have a pink pig that we're raising on organic scraps left-over from our (large) family every day.