Page 14 - Spring2010

Letters

which is not a good trade off, if you ask toxins in plant foods, it is important to world citizens. The path to the healthy
me. always keep the goal in mind: that is, to omnivorous diet, one that nourishes
Priscilla Smith, Chapter Leader be able to enjoy and derive nourishment body, soul and mind, is one of balance
Annapolis, Maryland from as many of the fruits of the earth as and conscious choice: balance between
possible, whether oats originating from meat, dairy, fats, grains, fruits and
A very interesting response from Dr. Scotland, tomatoes from Latin America vegetables; and conscious—rather than
Cowan is published in the box below. As or coconut from the tropics. We are no intuitive—insight into our food choices
we embark on this issue dedicated to the longer members of a local tribe but and preparation techniques. ;

THE OMNIVORE’S DILEMMA: WHY MODERN MAN NEEDS PLANT FOODS IN HIS DIET
By Thomas Cowan, MD

I have been investigating the subject of human food choices for over thirty years, and try as I may, I find it difficult
to get an accurate read on the habits and outlook of prehistoric people. Many competing versions abound, everything
from the views of conventional anthropologists, to the belief in alien intervention, to the complex visions of Rudolf
Steiner. With an eye towards the inevitable uncertainty in this subject, I have nevertheless concluded that before the
dawn of agriculture, humans were physically healthier than we are today; they were subject to far less illness than we
experience today and to virtually none of the chronic illnesses that so plague modern life; and they had larger brains.
Most importantly—and this is the part that is not appreciated by most who comment on this subject—prehistoric
people were “configured” somewhat differently than we are today. This different configuration is partially related to the
structure and function of the body, but mostly it is related to the structure of consciousness. Without going into any
depth on this subject, prehistoric man experienced the world out of time and much more connected to their group
than we do today. To have any sense of this, imagine how differently you would see life if you spent even one year in
a deep wilderness without clocks or mirrors, foraging for your food with a group of ten to twenty people. You would
most certainly conceive of yourself as part of a group and not as in individual. The process of individualization has been
going on for a long time, but accelerated with the Renaissance, when, by the way, the use of clocks and mirrors—and
grains—became commonplace.
My best guess is that the diet of these prehistoric peoples was about 70 percent animal products and about 30
percent plant products, usually plant products prepared in specific ways to neutralize toxins. The animal part of their diet
consisted of animal proteins and fats to build the structures of their bodies while the plant part supplied many vitamins,
minerals, phytochemicals and many other substances that nourished not only the physical body but also their imaginative
and intuitive life. As the consciousness of humanity evolved, in particular as our sense of individuality developed, we
needed more sugar. The reasons behind this are complex, but my understanding is that when we eat a more animal-
based ketogenic diet, where our brains and hearts use fats as fuel, we get efficient metabolism of these organs and a
sense of calmness and even peace—but what is lacking is the elusive sense of one’s self as a separate “spiritual” entity.
As our sense of individuality dawned, we traded some of the fats and proteins for grains, increased our carbohydrate
intake to nourish our sense of individuality, and set out to find out who we are and “conquer” the earth. Obviously,
both good and bad outcomes emerged from this project. In some ways, we sacrificed some of our robust health and
earthy vitality, but we also learned about who we are on a level unimaginable to prehistoric people.
To me this is the trade-off. We can’t and shouldn’t go back to a pre-history diet, but it is a valuable therapeutic
technique to be used carefully and judiciously. As a physician, I recommend certain prehistoric diets (such as the GAPS
diet) when needed to restore physical health and then return my patients to a mixed diet when the sense of lassitude
sets in. The art of medicine involves being acutely aware of the needs of my patients on all levels, suggesting a diet that
can be therapeutic at the time, and then not lingering too long at a stage that is inappropriate for the spiritual evolution
of the patient.
14 Wise Traditions SPRING 2010