Since I’ve seen some discussions lately on Food Combining, here are some older Posts by Jeff Novick, Art Baker, a Debate between Jeff & Art, Dr. Ron & Dr. Flora. The only Food Combining Rule I follow and preach is to put all of the Rabbits in before the Turtles and don’t put Turtles in before the Rabbits. In other words, “Eat the most watery food first, the next less watery food second, etc., and end with the least watery and most concentrated food last and NEVER reverse this order of eating.”
[www.rawfoodsupport.com]
Food Combining According to Jeffrey S. Novick...
John Rose (---.59.51.208.Dial1.Houston1.Level3.net)
Date: 11-17-02 08:11
From: "Jeffrey S. Novick"
Date: Sun, 06 Apr 1997 02:24:47 -0500
Subject: Is Food Combining Justified?
THE CHEMISTRY AND PHYSILOGY OF DIGESTION:
Is Food Combining Justified?
> >The basic principles of physiology and biochemistry of digestion that
> >Shelton (and others) based their "rules" of food combining on, were
> >based on an incorrect and limited understanding of human physiology
> >and biochemistry.
>
> is certainly a large claim. Perhaps you have generalized upon
> the quotes you made of Mr. Shelton in an earlier note.
As I mentioned earlier, it may be us who are confused. We may be the ones with the proverbial "cart before the horse".
First the simple solution:
The manifest world is supposed to be a reflection of our inner being. Not the opposite. So if we are having difficulties in the manifest world, where should we go for the solution? Inner or outer? So, the food we are eating or are attracted to, or are manifesting around us is also just a reflection of our inner state. So if we want to change this manifestation, where should we go and what should we work on? Not what’s on the plate, as it’s only the reflection. Change what is in our heart and mind and then what’s on the plate will follow along, simply and naturally without any force or struggle. We can’t change what’s on the plate and expect the inner to follow. It will only create a struggle which many of us have some real good first hand experience with! :) And that is why we struggle so much with the changes. We try to force them and not let them flow from within in their natural way and time. So relaxation and mediation is more important than dietary "rules".
The more complicated answer:
Without going into all the details and specifics of the exact biochemistry and physiology of digestion at this late hour, I will just give a general overview of why that may be so. (And I assure you that every one of my statements is scientifically accurate and valid and can be backed up by research studies. I have spent the last 10 years or so trying to validate (or invalidate) this.
In the mouth besides the mechanical breakdown from chewing, the only real biochemical digestion is from salivary amylase. This works *just* to break down some larger starch molecules into smaller ones. It is a precusor or preperatory step for the real starch digestion that happens later. And it works best in a alkaline environment. It is not where much starch digestion really happens. And a little mechanical digestion through the teeth, tongue and chewing. Additionally, there is some lingual lipase that is released, mostly in infants (due to the high fat content of breast milk), but it does little to digest the fats we may eat.
The stomach is set up mainly to *begin* protein digestion by breaking the larger proteins into smaller ones and it does so in an acidic environment, though nowhere near as acidic as a carnivores. There is no other chemical breakdown that is either designed to happen or supposed to happen. Not for fats or for starches. The system is designed to hold them both in "limbo" while they get churned up and await their real digestion. And if we are eating normally and rationally, this will happen pretty quickly without this fermentation that is supposed to be so rampant but no one seems to be able to document. This is NOT the major site of protein digestion. The stomach however, is made up of a very strong musculature and also changes the mass of food that we swallowed from a "bolus" of food into something called chyme through powerful churning and contractions and mixture with fluids.
This chyme is then released (~ 5 ml at a time= 1 tsp) into the first part of the small intestine where the acid is immediately neutralized and changed to a slightly alkaline environment again. Additionally, bile is released to act as a emulsifier for the fat molecules. This is also where the chemicals and enzymes for the MAJOR digestion of fats, starches AND proteins happens. All together. It’s truly an amazing event. Many specific types of enzymes are released that act on specific substances and it all happens together in this alkaline environment.
This is where the real complexity and "wizardery" of the process really happens. The other areas where just *preperatory* stages for this part. This is where most of the digestion of the components really happens. And it all happens together. Fat, protein and starch. All in the same environment, and its slightly alkaline. Even for the protein!
Now, there are a few things that can really mess up or negatively influence this system that we know about for sure. One is large amounts of fats. It will slow the whole thing down because the digestion of fat is very difficult, complicated and takes a long time. So there are actual chemicals released (CCK) that signal the system to slow itself down so it can have the time to work on the fat. It can take up to 6 hours or more.
Drinking with meals can also interfere somewhat depending on the fluid and its temperature, osmolarity, etc.,.
Stress and anxiety can and will shut the whole thing down. And cause a decrease of the secretions and blood flow that is necessary. (see how powerful our minds are!) And we are back to the simple solution! :)
And another one and maybe THE big one......, you guessed it,
****overeating*****!! Messes up everything. Timing, chemicals,
coordination, etc., etc., Causes distension and problems in the whole
process especially in the stomach (where we notice most of the problems anyway). And most people overeat due to stress, and boredom, and depression, and lonliness and etc, etc, and now we are right back to the simple solution again! :)
So why does food combining seem to work so well for you or me. (and now comes a lot my theory, which is not proven or documented)
Probably because when practicing food combining we also usually stop overeating (relatively speaking), cut down on the fats, stop drinking with meals, and eat simpler meals all of which have been shown to be helpful (or are actually the opposite of those things that have a known negative impact).
It’s easier to overeat on cooked, processed, refined, foods that on whole natural raw foods.
So, a lot of what Shelton (and others) said may be accurate in theory, but it may not actually hold water for the reasons he gave. Starch and protein were never meant to be digested together in the stomach and the system is set up to take care of that as there are some natural foods that do contain both and sometimes in significant concentrated amounts. Or were they a flaw in nature? Now, most don’t and thank god, because it’s just easier and simpler that way and we aren’t really set up to eat to many concentrated foods at all. And what about beans? Sprouted or not? Abandon the beans! :) There are other factors in them (that have been discussed on the lists recently) that mess with digestion. There are parts of them that we cannot digest and though sprouting may reduce their presence, it doesn’t eliminate them.
Food combining, (from my understanding of it, and my conversations with many of the NH pro's who have come before us) was originally designed and set up NOT for the true practicing NHer (who wouldn’t really need it anymore due to the simplicity of their diet), but for the person in transition who was still eating all the "other" stuff, to help ease and simplify their dietary practices and meals. To reduce their dietary atrocities. That’s why except for his little book on it, which if you check out the recipes, aren’t very hygienic to begin with, he never really promoted it. It’s everyone else who has. What role does food combining really play when we are eating mostly mono fruit or food meals anyway! :) or at least I hope we are. :) :)
The info someone also just posted about achloridosis in humans has been coming to light more and more lately. Especially in the elderly though many middle age adults are also showing it. Seems we have stomachs that aren't doing what they are supposed to be doing in the area of digestion. My guess (and this is a guess) is because of the years and years of overstressing the system with highly concentrated proteins which overworks and overstresses the acid mechanisms and components. Overuse becomes wear and tear that leads to breakdown and deficiency.
Also remember, (still my theory here) :) , another problem is that we go from a conventional diet to a raw food diet and we haven’t give our system a chance to adjust. It takes a while for certain enzymes to build up their levels (if they still can) to the change. You are talking going from about 11 grams of fiber a day to about 40-60!! Holy Gas and cramping, Batman!!
So, want to really improve your digestion without worrying about food combining (separating)? Try this experiment. Eat whatever you want in whatever combination but do the following,......
... make sure it is whole, natural and unprocessed and no more than 2 or at most 3 different things at a time, and chew your food really well, enjoy our food, and most of all RELAX, RELAX, RELAX!! Much simpler this way! :)
Someone keeps bringing up the gorillas and chimps and all, well, how many of them do you see violate those rules? Or eat multiple processed foods at a meal.
To me it seems like most of us just use food combining to complicate our lives and to see how far we can go and with what we can get away with in the area of dietary entertainment and complexity.
So, keep it simple, relax, enjoy your food, watch your breath.
Jeff
P.S. I would be glad to add the details in on any of the above if anyone wants them and I would also gladly welcome any documentation that either further supports what I say or challenges it. Please do so. My mind is always open. But now its time to shut my eyes. :)
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[www.rawfoodsupport.com]
Food Combining According to Art Baker...
John Rose (---.59.51.208.Dial1.Houston1.Level3.net)
Date: 11-17-02 08:11
Date: 04-26-01 08:45 Art Baker
Hi Eugene,
Food combining is important when eating cooked food. The book FIT FOR LIFE by Harvey and Marilyn Diamond describes food combining for cooked food eaters in a manner that has resulted in millions of copies being sold, and healthy weight loss taking place.
For raw fooders, and during a 100% raw meal, food combining is much less important. It all comes down to enzymes. Enzymes in raw food are viable. In cooked food, they are not. With cooked food, digestion relies primarily on the body's digestive enzymes, which are limited. This is why the typical cooked food eater suffers from indigestion at nearly each meal.
With raw food, digestion relies primarily on the enzymes within the food. If the raw food is ripe and fresh, then nature pre-digests it for us. If we eat relaxed, unstressed, unhurried, then the meal has a good chance of being digested without a problem so long as no previous digestive issues are unresolved within the physiology.
If healing of the digestive tract of a former cooked food eater is still occurring, then digestion and absorption of raw food meals may not be maximally up to speed until self-healing has been completed, which of course, takes place either at a quick rate on a fast, or a slower rate on as much fresh produce and raw food that you can consume over an extended period of time.
Since I have been a 100% raw fooder, I mix all sorts of raw food without a problem at just about any meal. It took my system years to clean out however, to get to this point, since I chose not to go on an extended fast, but rather go the slower route as mentioned above. I still usually eat fruit first, before the portion of my meal that includes veggie or nut recipes, but not always. I never have a problem either way. I also eat fruit afterwards without a problem when desired.
I hope this helped.
ART BAKER MA, NHE
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[www.rawfoodsupport.com]
Food Combining Debate Between Art Baker & Jeff Novick (Posting As Nobody & Nobody Special)...
John Rose (---.59.51.208.Dial1.Houston1.Level3.net)
Date: 11-17-02 08:12
Date: 04-29-01 20:28 nobody [Jeff N.]
Hi Art- thanks for your answers!
I too read your article on food combining- it was very good! But it sounds like you are saying something completely different here from your article!
I've heard a lot of other raw fooders say that food combining was invented for cooked foodists.
I understand the enzymes helping digest more efficiently but I don't see how eating the same food raw would make food combining laws obsolete?
Don't nuts still take 3-4X as long to digest then fruit? Raw or not? I though food combining was about not eating long digestion time foods with short ones. Like fruit and nuts etc. Because the short time foods will only digest as fast as the longest ones you ate and ferment inside?
I have had the worst digestion problem once on a big raw meal I made- all 100% raw. I mixed everything and was way too full- ate too much but the amount I ate was very little. The combination and amount of fat caused problems. Was so bloated for days.
Sometimes combining fruit with other things has caused headaches etc or stomach aches.
If once I'm clean I don't have to worry about that anymore then fantastic! But it all sounds too good to be true!
If it is true then why do long term raw foodists like Dave Klein and Douglas Graham still advocate food combining even on the raw diet?
What scientifically would make it so different raw or cooked?
Thanks!
[www.living-foods.com]
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Date: 05-01-01 15:20 Art Baker
RE: raw food and food combining (to "nobody")
Nobody, you wrote the other day (and I just saw it) the below most excellent (dude) post:
Author: nobody (---.we.mediaone.net)
Date: 04-29-01 20:28
Hi Art- thanks for your answers!
I too read your article on food combining- it was very good! But it sounds like you are saying something completely different here from your article!
I've heard a lot of other raw fooders say that food combining was invented for cooked foodists.
I understand the enzymes helping digest more efficiently but I don't see how eating the same food raw would make food combining laws obsolete?
Don't nuts still take 3-4X as long to digest then fruit? Raw or not? I though food combining was about not eating long digestion time foods with short ones. Like fruit and nuts etc. Because the short time foods will only digest as fast as the longest ones you ate and ferment inside?
I have had the worst digestion problem once on a big raw meal I made- all 100% raw. I mixed everything and was way too full- ate too much but the amount I ate was very little. The combination and amount of fat caused problems. Was so bloated for days.
Sometimes combining fruit with other things has caused headaches etc or stomach aches.
If once I'm clean I don't have to worry about that anymore then fantastic! But it all sounds too good to be true!
If it is true then why do long term raw foodists like Dave Klien and Douglas Graham still advocate food combining even on the raw diet?
What scientifically would make it so different raw or cooked?
Thanks!
MY RESPONSE:
Correct me if I am wrong from my previous posts, but I never meant to say (if I did) that food combining ONLY applies to cooked foods, BUT RATHER that food combining definately is less significant with raw food. For instance, I agree with Dave Klein and Doug Graham, and personally the fruit meals I eat are usually mono-meals.
The difference is now that I am 100% raw however, is that I have no problems whatsoever with meals like banana ice cream with raw nuts or raw coconut mixed in, and no problems with dozens of dips, sauces and dressings I'll eat made of a mixture of avocado with blended fruit or freshly extracted fruit juices as well as a single type of nut that has been pulzerized in a coffee grinder, all mixed together and eaten as a dressing or dip with fruit chucks and veggie slices, including starchy root veggies.
It isn't that food combining principles become obsolete with raw food. The chemistry still applies. The difference is that digestion becomes normalized, healed, and more efficient, and stressed much less on raw foods versus cooked meals. Because of this, digestion is easier on a raw food diet. It does depend on the individual however. It makes sense to me why Dave Klein is more strict, since his health challenge has been Crohn's. Personally, I have an iron gut, and never had many symptoms while being raised on meat and potatoes for the first 20 years of my life, except for the standard smell stools and gas which is pathogenic in itself. So you need to look at the individual as well.
As far as your question about nuts, when I grind them up, I digest them much more easily. When I eat nuts whole, I need to be really careful to chew, chew, chew before swallowing, which is a conscious thing for me since with all the years of cooked food, just gulping food down without swallowing much was such a habit, which is the norm in our quick paced society.
Of course, this pre-grinding s impossible to do with cooked meats, which therefore take 3 to 4 hours to digest, not to mention the hardship the digestive apparatus has still to contend with from the heated protein crosslinkages, and the meat not being food that we are designed for in the 1st place.
The comment you made about the raw meal high in fat makes sense too. Fat is difficult to digest. Go easy on fats until your digestion is up to speed. You'll find that as time goes by, you'll be able to digest these easier, but do not expect it overnight. It all depends on your age, how long your digestion may have been abused on a SAD diet, and prior digestive problems.
Hang in there and Go nuts!
AB
[www.living-foods.com]
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Date: 05-01-01 15:46 Nobody Special [Jeff N.]
RE: raw food and food combining
Food combining was based on a very limited science and understanding of how the digestive system works. Today we know much more and now know that while food combining may work for some people, it works for different reason then first assumed, and is not as essential as once thought.
Sheltons writing were written for people following the tradional diet and his food combining rules were basically to prevent them from overeating "unhealthy" food and overeating period. Check his books out and the menus and you will see what i mean. They were not written for the raw fooder. Also, he admitted in several of the rules that he "knows no physiological reason" supporting his ideas. In other word, there was no science behind them,.
Some of the problems with the basic concepts.
1) food combining is based on the concept that most of the digestion takes place in the stomach and different foods need different "ph's" to digest properly. this is incorrect. First, only about 1-10% of digestion takes place in the stomach. 90-99% of all digestion takes place in the small intestine and it all takes place in an akaline environment. All digestive enzymes in the small intestine work in a alkaline medium. Second, the stomach is always acidic (and not akaline when we eat a starch meal) and can break down both protein and carbs and thier is no "conflicting" phs.
2) the enzymes that are in food are in food for the benefit of the food and not us. When they hit the stomach, these enzymes (which are small protein molecules) are broken down into their amino acid components and do not act as enzymes. We secrete our own enzymes. Also, by the time they hit the Small intestine, where most digestion takes place, they have been completely inactivated.
3) many foods in nature have compostitions of fat, carb and protein that would in and of themselves violate food combingin rules, yet we digest them just fine. For instance, dark green leafies are about 20-30% protein (high protein food) and also about 60-70 carbohydrate (high carb food). Food combining says you can digest high carb foods with high protein foods. Yet we digest green leafies just fine.
So, why does food combining "appear" to work for some many people? Well for most, they are already eating a very poor, highly mixed, high fat diet and most people overeat. So when they start following food combining, they have made a vast improvement in their dietary compostion, less variety, and less fat and less tenedency to overeat. Many people get well on healthy diets that dont teach food combining.
What are the main causes of poor digestion?
1) Overeating
2) High Fat foods (we dont digest fat very well)
3) too much Variety of foods at one meal
4) Stress
So, see why food combinging "appeared" to work. By the following the rules, you eliminated at least 3 of the above 4 major reasons of digestive problems.
You can do you own experiment. Try mixing some meals, violate food combining rules but dont over eat, over do the fat, or over do the variety at any one time and you will be fine. and do NOT overeat.
Many long term advocates of food combining have long abandoned their strict adherence to it as they have also learned that it is not as important for the reasons once believed. Even Harvey Diamond did at the last ANHS conference he spoke out, when he downplayed the importance of food combining saying that when he was younger in his zealousness he may have overemphasized some things that are not as important as he once thought they were.
Relax, eat simple, and enjoy your food.
[www.living-foods.com]
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Date: 05-01-01 16:07 Art Baker
RE: raw food and food combining (to
When in doubt about conflicting information, do an experiment and decide for yourself. Drop food combining for awhile (at least a month) and see how you feel, and then make a choice based on direct experience.
[www.living-foods.com]
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Date: 05-01-01 17:04 Nobody Special Jeff N.
RE: raw food and food combining
how-ever, (and which my point is) comparing the standard american diet to a strict hygienic raw food combined diet, and then saying the difference is due to the food combining is not fair.
I recommend your suggestion however, Lets compare a fairly strict hygienic raw properly combined diet with a fairly strict hygienic raw diet that is not combined by the "rules" but follows the suggestions i made. then we will have a fair comparison.
[www.living-foods.com]
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Date: 05-01-01 21:10 Lysander
RE: raw food and food combining
I used to observe combining-rules quite strictly, and have since dropped them progressively. After a while you get to read your body like a book, and you can predict exactly what you can digest comfortably and what you cannot. Still, I prefer not to combine a fruit with any other type of fruit or any other type of food.
The hygienic doctor John Fielder expressed it well:
Food combining is a very contentious issue amongst Hygienists, and a very interesting one at that. I believe there is some truth in the traditional way as expounded by Shelton, as well as that by Bass. I don't feel they are wholly right, nor wholly wrong.
I believe we must all find out what is right in these principles for ourselves. My good friend Dr. Goldberg I think would refer to it as our "Biochemical Individuality".
My experience has been that what my body tells me to combine today, it will reject tomorrow as totally inappropriate. It is a moment by moment, day by day, ever changing vista, according to the biochemical needs of our own individual, unique organism.
[www.iig.com.au]
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Date: 05-03-01 16:03 Art Baker
Green vegetables are considered neutral in digestive character when considering food combining, since cellulose is indigestible but acts as roughage to keep the digestive canal well toned. Bacteria in the gut help break it down thereby triggering peristalsis (the muscle involuntary contractions that allow for bowel movement).
Food combining rules are relative to acid and alkaline digestive enzyme secretions, and since neither of these occur with green vegetables, they are neutral. High-water content green vegetables (celery, lettuces) combine well with everything including fruit, protein and starch foods.
AB
[www.living-foods.com]
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Date: 05-04-01 18:14 Art Baker
Great questions, nobody.
Cooked food is immediate food more for bacteria, than for humans. Even low cooking temperatures so destroy the nutrients (as well as the enzymes), that bacteria that are ubitquitous (everywhere in the air and in the body) thrive on the decomposing just heated rotting organic matter.
For example, visualize cooked apples side-by-side with raw apples on a kitchen counter: the raw ones stay fresh for weeks, the cooked ones rot virtually overnight. The same type of bacterial action occurs in the body depending on whether the meal is cooked or not, which is why feces smell so bad in cooked food eaters.
On the other hand, when its enzymes are viable as the food is consumed in a raw state, they are provided by nature in abundance, and they aid digestion at large of the entire meal especially when the meal is all raw. This may explain in part why leucocytosis (proliferation of white blood cells) does occur with cooked foods, but not with either raw foods, nor with properly combined easy to digest, simple cooked vegan meals that also have an abundance of fresh high water content foods included (usually salad type veggies or non-sweet veggie fruits like tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, etc).
This is why food combining is so important with cooked foods, yet is more lax with raw foods. It is the enzyme component in the high water content fresh produce, which is partly responsible for eventually breaking down the food even when its NOT eaten (like in the apple example above, the raw apples do not stay fresh forever), that also aids in digestion of the overall meal (the nuts in your example).
As far as your specific questions regarding potential problems with food combining, it depends on the person. For example, if they were a long time 100% raw fooder whose system is cleaned out, without any history of digestive problems, the fruit and nut combo would probably be easier to handle versus someone with the opposite history. Also, high water content vegetables are usually easier to digest with nuts than fruit, but it all depends on the individuals digestive constitution, since all body's have their strengths and weaknesses.
The guiding principle with food combining is: make it as easy as possible on the body. Over time as the system regains vitality and strength as it self-heals due to higher quality raw materials being ingested with the simultaneous avoidance of previously ingested junk, then more complex raw food combinations often do not pose the same challenges that they once may have.
ART BAKER, MA, NHE
www.HealthCreation.net
[www.living-foods.com]
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Date: 05-04-01 18:21 nobody
Thanks Art!
Does that mean that when you dehydrated food (at 110) it also destroys the nutrients and enzymes making it dead? As well as oxidizing it?
What about all those "experts" that claim the enzymes get destroyed in the stomach long before the food gets the the small intestine to "digest"- so the body makes it's own enzymes?
Thanks again!!!
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Date: 05-04-01 18:29 Art Baker
As long as the dehydrator is below about 107, you are fine. Its better to play it safe, and dehydrate lower than that. I keep mine set at 105. It is also interesting to point out that desert plants have biological adaptations that enable their enzymes to survive at desert temperatures in the 110's and above.
Dave Klein posted a message the other day showing that on raw food, digestive secretions are not nearly as acidic if at all (like they are with cooked foods), and therefore the food enzymes survive the trip.
And yes, the body does make its own enzymes but at great energy expenditure, which is another reason to eat raw, since physical healing is all about energy conservation, energy re-distribution and body detoxification (which itself is energy expensive).
ART
[www.living-foods.com]
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Date: 05-04-01 19:01 Nobody Special [Jeff N.]
Not to be arrogant, but Dave Kleins post did not in anyway refute this info. He said that Victor K has refuted it and Howell also, but Victor K and Howell have both been known for thier "Pseudo" sciecne as much as their science.
The reality is that the our stomachs produce HCl that is acidic. A powerful acid. There are not "varying" degrees of how acidic HCl is. To say this is to completely misunderstand chemistry. It is true that someone eating a animal based diet, may need to secret more HCl for a longer period (as this food is harder to break down), but it is not "more" acidic.
Enzymes are small protein molecules that undergo digestion in the Stomach. Most all the digestion that takes place in the stomach is protein digestion.
If you do some reseacrh into the area of cystic fibrosis, you will find out how true this is. People with CS do not secrete pancreatic enzymes, so they must be supplied from the outside. One of the major problems in this area in helping these people is how to create enzyme pills that survive the stomach and make it into the small intestine where they are needed. They try their darndest with all kinds of coatings and most all the enxymes, despite their best efforts ARE destroyed/inactivated in the stomach. So, if you know something these chemists/scientists don't, you might want to give them a call, and stop much of the suffering these CS kids have.
Using our enzymes is not ennervating. It is the way the body is designed to operate. To say that it is, would be like saying walking is enervating (which in some ways it is), and we should all use moving sidewalks. We were meant to expend energy in certain areas and the production and secretion of our enzymes is not what is causing most health problems today.
The enzymes that are in plants are for the plants and are used by the plants in their growth and life.
Now, is it possible, that we digest and break down these plant enzymes into their amino acids, and then these amino acids go into our amino acid pool and then POSSIBLE these amino acids be used in the creation of our own enzymes? yes, but they can also be used in the creation of any other protein molecule we need, (ie Insulin)
As i discussed earlier in my post on food combining, food combining worked but not for the reasons (the rules) that people orignally thought it did. And it is not as important as most people think. The same holds true here. Eating a predominately raw food plant based diet has incredible health benefits, but it is not because of the enzymes.
[www.living-foods.com]
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Date: 05-04-01 19:09 Art Baker
Nobody, you said in your last post that:
"Using our enzymes is not ennervating. It is the way the body is designed to operate. To say that it is, would be like saying walking is enervating (which in some ways it is), and we should all use moving sidewalks. We were meant to expend energy in certain areas and the production and secretion of our enzymes is not what is causing most health problems today."
Does this mean to you that humans were designed to eat cooked foods (but no other species in the history of earth is)?
I disagree with your point here. Cooked food DOES tax digestion, our digestive secretions, the pancreas, and the other organs that generate them moreso than raw food especially since each snack that cooked fooders eat, each meal, day in and day out, week after week for months, years, decades and an entire lifetime each and every day, their digestive secretions are called on far more than a raw fooder who food combines properly. And this IS enervating to digestion.
8