Ah yes, of course! They were army deserters so it makes sense they'd be armed. At least until they ran out of ammunition. 😆
You raise another very good point with the cats in that even people used to eat a lot more of the animal than just some cuts of steak. The Inuit also used to eat some stomach contents of reindeer.
we are generalists, not specialists in our nutrition
Yes, very true. I believe it's our microbiome that gets us that little bit more specialised where needed as the microbe colonies grow depending on the foods we're eating and what's available to us. I find it interesting that even identical twins will have different microbiome make ups which explains why they might end up with different health outcomes.
With regards fibre in the diet and meat, if this is correct there is a very small amount of fibre in meat (some or all?) and I've come across suggestions a few times that parts of meat (short chain fatty acids?) act the same way as fibre does for us. This video mentions a couple of studies on low fibre and short chain fatty acids with regards to people with IBS. Again it's not so much healthy people they're talking about here as people with inflammation. There hasn't been much study into this yet, but knowing that there are people who have been eating only carnivore for a long time (some for decades) and are perfectly healthy I have to think there is something to it. That said, I also don't think it's something applies to everyone.
I guess I have more of an interest in this than some because chronic constipation is something that is in my family. For me cutting down on wheat helped to a point, but it's only since moving more to keto (not carnivore for me) that I have finally become regular. My migraines also seem connected to sugars, so that's another reason for cutting back on carbs for me. My ancestry hails from northern climates, so I often wonder if that has anything to do with it.
Autoimmune issues are complex and sometimes exclusion diets do help but as a general prescription, human carnivory is a nope
Agreed. If the elimination diet works then my hope for them would be that at some point they could start adding back whatever else works for them into their diet and I know some have been able to do this. They still have foods they avoid due to not tolerating them very well and that can include some animal products too. It irks me when some of the carnivore cheerleaders demonise all plant foods, because it's obviously not just plants foods that are the issue here. I expect that there are those who've come at autoimmune issues with other approaches and had successes as well. It's not a one size fits all.
BTW, thank you for your input. I love having more food for thought on this and more angles to look at.
You're welcome! I also seem to have autoimmune issues that are currently being medically investigated - possibly set off by a spider bite when I was a kid 🤦♀ and some of the foods that cause me issues are very counterintuitive. Our bodies are much weirder than we think. You will get better if the inflammation causes are removed and the gut can heal but it's complex. Never overlook the role of the gall bladder in intestinal inflammation either
Thank you for another tip.
I think it's often underestimated how much external factors can play into chronic health issues. I have a friend who had a tic bite as a kid and likely has Lymes, but it's not really recognised in Australia. She's had a host of issues building up throughout her life, including autoimmune. She's in her late 50s now and has had a mastectomy for breast cancer, and part of her colon removed for bowel cancer. She's also led a high stress life, all of which has likely brought her to this point.
I hope you manage to figure some things out to help with your autoimmune issues. ❤️
Thank you, you too!
About the gall bladder, I was surprised to learn that alkaline reflux is also a thing