RE: Experiences with Atkins diet

From: gts (gts_2000@yahoo.com)
Date: Thu May 01 2003 - 10:21:24 MDT

  • Next message: Lee Daniel Crocker: "Re: Experiences with Atkins diet"

    Keith Elis wrote:

    > Here's my take:

    Your take is wrong. Welcome to the list of people trying to pigeon-hole me.

    As I just finished writing last night to Lee Crocker...

    I am using the word "adapted" according to its concise definition as it
    relates
    to evolution. It is impossible for an organism to be adapted to an
    environment
    in which it did *not* evolve. Adaptation is a process that happens only in
    the
    context of an environment.

    It is meaningless therefore to say that humans might be better adapted to
    some other environment in which it did not evolve. We are best (or only)
    adapted to environments in which we *did* evolve. And just as a giraffe is
    adapted to eating the leaves of tall trees, a human is adapted to eating an
    omnivorous diet of lean meats, fish, fowl, fruits, vegetables and nuts.

    Humans might be able to improve on the natural diet (i.e., to thrive in an
    environment which humans are not adapted). In fact we already do so when we
    use unnatural substances such as medicines to cure or prevent illness. I am
    not suggesting that anyone should not consume medicines, or any food or herb
    or any substance whatsoever that has been proven to be beneficial to the
    diet. I take many non-paleolithic substances myself, but only because I see
    sufficient evidence for them.

    And I am certainly not suggesting that anyone sleep outdoors, or in caves,
    or go back to living hunter-gatherer lifestyles. This is about diet only.

    -gts



    This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.5 : Thu May 01 2003 - 10:30:25 MDT