A few years ago, I was your typical office-worker: stressed out, uneven energy, overweight, and inconsistent complexion. Now I'm just your typical 28-year old urban hunter-gatherer on a quest to be healthy, and having a few adventures along the way. See my full bio.
These may be my favorite lines from Robb Wolf's The Paleo Solution. While your first impulse may be laughter OR revulsion, may I suggest we all just read it and let it sink in for awhile.
"Plant sources of protein, even when combined to provide all the essential amino acids, are far too heavy in carbohydrate, irritate the gut, and steal vitamins and minerals from the body via anti-nutrients. Remember that whole chapter on the double-edged nature of grains and legumes? Beans and rice, nuts and seeds, are what I call 'Third World proteins'. They will keep you alive, they will not allow you to thrive. Your protein needs to have the following criteria:
1. It needs a face.
2. It needs a soul.
3. You need to kill it, and bring its essence into your being.
4. Really."
Comments
That's a brilliant quote.
That's a brilliant quote. However fish are soulless, and I think they're the optimal protein source. Especially now that most animals are raised, processed and delivered in an untrustworthy manner.
Hey John, can you point me in
Hey John, can you point me in the direction of where you bought that bottle rocket bacon/lamb meat creation that Robb posted on his blog a few months back?
hey john (and friends),i
hey john (and friends),i love your blog and i try too keep up with on a regular basis. this is my first time commenting though and i have a question...i love this post, and i agree with it 100%. but i dont realt believe in killing thing in the conventional way. by that i mean with guns and compound bows and the like. not that i have and problems with anyone who does, its just a preference. i always felt like it should be more personal than that is all. for instance ive heard of tribes in Australia and South America that kill small animals by throwing sticks. and ive also read about some tribes in africa who hunt down game with just a knife. and of course spear fishing and other similar practices.so my question to anyone who reads this is: is there a name for this type of primitive hunting? do you have and experience doing it? where can i find more information about it and most importantly, if not here, is there a good place to connect with other people who are interested in the same thing?thanks fr your time!
Hi Patrick. From personal
Hi Patrick. From personal experience, bowhunting is extremely challenging. I've taken several deer with a bow and I've probably put 60 to 70 hours into each kill; and that's a conservative estimate. Tracking, setting up stands, and sitting takes a lot of time. Imagine doing this on foot, and your effective range is now 15 yards, instead of 40 yards. My time investment would increase exponentially. I don't think one could hunt any more primitively and hold down a job, or have time for social activities (unless you are an actual hunter-gatherer). John has covered this topic in one of his early posts. I believe he is licensed in all 50 states and is opting to rifle hunt as it is more time efficient. Part of "living wild in the modern world" is making concessions. Personally, I think getting out and taking your own meat is one hell of an accomplishment, whether it be with rifle, shotgun, bow, or these sticks you speak of. If you are feeling adventurous, contact Gene Morris. He is the best spear hunter in the United States. Here: http://www.huntingwithspears.com.
thanks for that Aaron. i
thanks for that Aaron. i appreciate your perspective. you definitely made a lot of good points especially as far as the time you would have to put in hunt in the way i was suggesting. and like i said before, i have absolutely NOTHING against hunters who do so ethically and responsibly, regardless of what instruments they choose to use. i guess im thinking about it as less of a lifestyle (like many people on here) and more of a a journey or meditation. now i know that the end goal of hunting is to catch food for you to eat. but i used to do some free diving, when i lived in CA and as far as i can tell, unless you are fishing, there is no point to free diving. but i loved it. and even when i started taking a knife and a spear with me on my dives with intention of catching a fish (which i never have, haha) i still enjoy the process. i guess i thought it might be similar with other types of primitive hunting styles. though probably not if your life depended on it...
I would add a 2b: optionally
I would add a 2b: optionally needs a pink snout and a fat belly. :)
It is certainly MY favorite
It is certainly MY favorite quote from the book, as it rings very true with the sense of connectedness that we share will all life on this planet, especially animal life. My own Native American heritage stood up and cheered!
That's my favorite thing!
That's my favorite thing! From now on I'm making sure my beef is grass-fed and has a soul!
My personal favorites:"Bag up
My personal favorites:"Bag up all your crap food, take it to your local shelter, and I guess inadvertently contribute to the death of the homeless. Well, better them than you I guess." (p. 215)"This is also helpful as our first family of fats is more misunderstood than an Emo kid growing up in Arkansas." (p.107)
I agree Aaron, that quote
I agree Aaron, that quote from p.215 is probably my favorite line in the book. In fact, I did just that!! 2 Big bags of about 14 different kinds of flours (I used to bake artisan bread), a bunch of pastas, wheat berries, rices, various legumes, and all my bad oils (safflower, soybean, corn, sunflower, peanut), right over to the homeless shelter! I actually did this a few weeks before reading the book, but I went back and combed through what remained in my pantry after reading Robb's book and pruned some other things. That space is now filled with coconut shreads, kale chips, and a number of seaweed products, and avacado, almond, and coconut oils.
You don't actually need to
You don't actually need to combine plant proteins to get enough of it. That idea came from an environment in which everyone was obsessed with "getting their protein." Protein deficiency is NOT the problem in diets lacking in animal foods, and it isn't because people are somehow expertly mixing amino acids.Most diets aren't protein obsessed anymore, including paleo diets, so it makes no sense to keep pushing that erroneous belief.