I'm currently reading The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan. Early on he talks about ruminants, specifically cows, and their abilities to digest grass and in turn build lean muscle out of it. This is due to the four-compartment stomach that most ruminants contain. A good comparison of human stomach and a ruminant's is here. This comparison got me thinking of the evolutionary paths humans have taken versus ruminants, and how completely botched they are today.
This article about posture evolution outlines the stomachs of humans as well as other informative tidbits about alignment and whatnot. Click on "The Gut," it speaks of how the human digestive system is much shorter than that of our primate ancestors, which, according to Richard Wrangham, is due to the process of cooking. Because cooking breaks down the food we eat, we have evolved to have a smaller intestinal system, which in turn means less bacteria, gut flora, etc. By "less" I, in no way, mean a small amount. Robb Wolf does a good job describing the relevance of gut flora, and it's importance in largely Paleo diet--especially those heavy in vegetables, plant fibers, and other non-digestibles that rely on the gut flora to be broken down and utilized.
My question is: where will evolution take us in the next 10,000 years? Will the intestinal system become more compact, with less gut flora? With processed foods(read the top processed foods responsible for high-sodium intake) taking over our diet, will we need this gut flora any more? Will we even eat plants with polysaccharides that need to be digested?
Don't be afraid of your flora. Mucous membranes are a scary place, but infection is the only scary thing about our natural microbial system. Get to know your flora, become associated with fermented foods.
most FF contain lacto-bacillus (Acidophilus) and promote good intestinal bacteria populations + very high in enzymes + reported to be pre-digested (by bacteria), hence easier for your digestion
That's all for now. I'm thinking the next post will be more in depth on gut flora, and/or BCAA's and a fasted protocol.
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