Could Eating Meat Reduce Magickal Ability?

[Human]

The thread about in-vitro meat stirred a few thoughts:

I was browsing videos on YouTube a while back and came across an interview in which a supposed psychic (a ghost-speaker from a talk show) talks about how she believes eating meat reduces peoples' psychic and general magickal sensitivity.

Now, I find her reputability and namely her integrity dubious at best (sorry if your occupational descriptions are similar) but it is certainly food for thought.

What do you think? Could eating meat reduce your psychic and/or magickal ability? If so, would it be worth it to you to remove meat from your diet?

Personally, I believe it may have some effect, and I am considering completely removing any flesh from my diet. I already consume low-fat dairy and generally opt for soy when it is available, so if I choose to become a vegetarian, I will not be a pure vegetarian (vegan).

[Cindlady2]

I don't think it has for me, personally, however I know some paths think it would. I don't like to eat a heavy meal of any type when I know I have strong magic to do. Moderation and time to digest before magic works best for me.

[HetHert]

we usually fast from meat before ritual and heavy spell work for that purpose. But that's more of a cleansing the food of detrius that might otherwise train the energy away from your cause. I've read that plant matter employs less energy to breakdown, giving you a greater return, where as meat requires the most because of its complexity in composition.

[brymble]

I agree that it depends on the person, the magick, and their path.

I for one have been vegetarian for not quite 15 years. My reasons for going veggie were mixed, having to do in part with "energy" and magick, but also with politics, highly personal ethics, health (doctor's recommendation, and to the omnivores who will scream all vegetarians are unhealthy, I'm sorry, but she's the one with the medical degrees and having examined my medical history, so I'm still going to believe her over a ranting anonymous bozo on the internet) and probably the most significant but the one no one admits, personal taste.

Some psychics and witches do claim that diet affects their abilities. However, again it's going to depend on the person and their path. Someone who follows a hunter-god, for example, may do better psychically with meat, especially food they've tracked and killed themselves. And there are still living traditions that do peactice animal sacrifice, in which the killing and consuming of a food animal is a sacred act.

Now if you'll 'scuse me, I'm going to go ritually carve up a block of tofu...

[aranarose]

For me personally? No, I don't think it has any effect. I like meat, a lot. I am, however, working towards only consuming ethically grown meat. Which generally means free-range, organic, etc. I try to also focus on locally grown. I have the advantage of living less than a mile from a very good farmers market with meat vendors who grow the meat themselves.

I think that it ultimately has to be an individual decision. You have to look at yourself and determine how your body reacts to meat. I think some people are better off as vegetarians, some better off with a light meat diet, others perhaps benefit from more meat. Listening to our bodies, and how they respond in all ways, is essential. And that includes observing how our bodies react energetically and/or magically when we eat certain foods.

[MonSno_LeeDra]

To me I think that meat has no negative upon ones magic or ability to work it. Where I do think it comes into play is in the notion that we are omnivours so our bodies are designed to process and exploit from that perspective.

Yet omnivour does not mean that we eat one entirely over the other but have to balance the intake. Over load any factor of it and it will produce influencing trends or currents in the body. Inversely, I believe to ignore any facet of it and it produces the same unbalance in our internal currents.

That is not to say that one should not cleanse the system every once in a while. I think that cleansing also causes flucations in the machine which is what we tap into when we fast for a few days then perform large energy manipulations or journies.

Sort of like staying up for many hours then seeig the results upon the inner workings of the body. The very disruption to the system also triggering arcs and sparks which can be exploited.

[LostSheep]

I don't see why it should. Animals are, after all, natural. Maybe if they're not raised in natural surroundings, or pumped full of chemicals, that might have an effect in some way, by disrupting how in tune one is with nature, perhaps. But the same would apply to any artificially produced food.

[brymble]

I think that more important than the choice of eating or shunning meat, is the question of the consciousness with which that food as consumed. A hunter has to be very attuned to his or her prey, in a sense, almost becoming one with it, and then has to take responsibility for cleaning and preparing it. In that sense, a meat-eater might be more aware of and thus deriving more energetically from their food than a vegetarian who just grabs a processed, chemical-laced GMO meat-analog from the grocery shelf and doesn't even think about where or how the soy is grown, or how much energy is wasted in the process.

That does not mean I think everyone should hunt or raise and slaughter their own meat, and farm their own veggies and grains. But I do think that active participation and awareness, at least on some level, in growing, distributing, and preparing one's food, does make a big difference when it comes to things like magick, psychic ability, or any kind of conscious living. This is one reason why I'm such a raving fanatic about CSA, farm markets, co-ops, and whole natural foods, and for those who can manage not to kill stuff or control the weeds (usually, not me, sadly!) gardening.

Because (and this is a very generalized statement) vegetarians tend to have to work a little harder with nutritional planning and food awareness, vegetarianism is one excellent way to psychically or magickally enhance - but it isn't the only way of raising consciousness.

[Caitlin.ann]

I'm an animal, specifically an omnivore and I'm built for both plant food and meat, therefore I won't shun either. Attempts for me personally have failed numerous times and to be honest I can't find a good reason to shun either. As a part of nature, I don't see how eating either would mess up my natural workings.

[evergreen]

I've been a vegetarian for almost four years and I haven't seen any difference in magickal ability.

I'm not a huge magick practitioner, though. And I've been vegetarian for about as long as I've been learning about and practicing magick, so I'm not really an expert on the subject.

I say, whatever works for each individual! Vegetarian or not.

[Cassie]

In terms of magical workings I think eating meat may have some impact for the reasons HetHert suggests. I also try to avoid eating meat for a day before any significant magical work.

we usually fast from meat before ritual and heavy spell work for that purpose. But that's more of a cleansing the food of detrius that might otherwise train the energy away from your cause. I've read that plant matter employs less energy to breakdown, giving you a greater return, where as meat requires the most because of its complexity in composition.
In terms of affecting general psychic ability I also think that meat eating could have a limiting effect on your powers. I have read and heard this from many people I respect. However, I do eat meat and have never really experimented to see if my powers are any keener on a meat free diet. I have thought about becoming a vegetarian many times for many reasons but I am still a carnivore at heart!

[Nox_Mortus]

From my experience no, but a lot of vegan new agers I've met like to say it does in order to flaunt their "superiority", I think that's what a lot of this sort of attitude is about TBH.

[brymble]

Seriously, I have had more than enough of this.

In every single thread about vegetarianism on this board, someone has accused vegetarians of "flaunting their superiority".

Are vegetarians not allowed to post without harassment here?

Disagreement is one thing. Accusing us of "flaunting superiority" because we discuss our own opinions is quite another.

Quote me a post, one single post, from this thread or any other, on this board, in which a vegan or vegetarian "flaunts their superiority" or attacks omnivores, and I'll let it rest. But I for one am damn sick of the accusations without the back up. I don't feel safe discussing vegetarian issues here, every single vegetarian thread has faced such baseless accusations. We aren't looking to cause trouble, you omnivores discuss your own nutritional and food-related posts here without harassment. Why are we the exceptions?

Back it up, or don't drag it into the thread.

[Nox_Mortus]

I'm not harrasing anyone, I'm just saying that most people I know who make the claims discussed in the thread act like that (IRL not on this forum). I'm making no claims about vegetarians as a whole.

Chill.

[brymble]

Then complain to the RL people who bug you about it, not us. We don't bother you, please don't take it out on us. Every single vegetarian thread I can remember on this forum has been hijacked by the "vegetarians think they're superior" hooey, and it isn't right or fair to the rest of us.

I'm sorry some people elsewhere bother you. Leave us out of it, please.

Back on topic: Regarding your post, I think it's baseless in the context of the rest of the thread. You claimed that the entire reasoning behind the eschewing of meat for magickal or psychic purposes was nothing more than another avenue for claims of vegetarian superiority. Have you read the rest of the thread at all? There are vegetarians here stating it makes no difference, I myself argued in favor of hunting, and some meat-eaters speculated that it might at the very least make an interesting exercise. How do you conjecture "new age vegan" claims of "superiority" are behind any of those statements?

I'm still waiting for you to quote even one post.

[Nox_Mortus]

Then complain to the RL people who bug you about it, not us. We don't bother you, please don't take it out on us. Every single vegetarian thread I can remember on this forum has been hijacked by the "vegetarians think they're superior" hooey, and it isn't right or fair to the rest of us.



I'm not complaining, I was posting an observation related to the topic at hand, along with my feelings on the matter, but don't put words in my mouth accusing me of attacking all vegetarians when I was in fact only talking about a small minority, I even specifically said that it was only certain people I'd met that where like that. Are all vegetarians somehow immune to criticism?

[watersprite]

Seriously, I have had more than enough of this.

In every single thread about vegetarianism on this board, someone has accused vegetarians of "flaunting their superiority".

Are vegetarians not allowed to post without harassment here?

Disagreement is one thing. Accusing us of "flaunting superiority" because we discuss our own opinions is quite another.

Quote me a post, one single post, from this thread or any other, on this board, in which a vegan or vegetarian "flaunts their superiority" or attacks omnivores, and I'll let it rest. But I for one am damn sick of the accusations without the back up. I don't feel safe discussing vegetarian issues here, every single vegetarian thread has faced such baseless accusations. We aren't looking to cause trouble, you omnivores discuss your own nutritional and food-related posts here without harassment. Why are we the exceptions?

Back it up, or don't drag it into the thread.
Actually, I think vegetarians have to work hard at their path. Finding complete proteins and fats, I mean. I still eat meat, but it is more to flavor my food, rather than be the focus of the meal. I have been working harder to that end, and my bad cholesterol and triglycerides are coming way down. That is important for my diabetes. I do, however, consume eggs, milk yogurt and cheese. In the lowest fat content possible, for the same reason. I make my own yogurt and am learning to make my own white cheeses.
They are SO good fresh.
The aim of the thread, however, was about eating meat, and whether it hampered ones' magic. It doesn't for me. I eat mostly fruit, yogurt or a salad before magic anyway.

[Nicholas]

I assume meat adds the essential protein to the brain that allows humans to be subject to more realistic perception. :)

[aluokaloo]

no. since there have ben both vegan and omnivorous people who've been practicing the occult for ages. that lady sounds like she's trying to feed people a line of bullshit on a silver spoon. there are also tons of magical and mythic lore associated with animals just as there are with plants.

[Louisvillian]

I was browsing videos on YouTube a while back and came across an interview in which a supposed psychic (a ghost-speaker from a talk show) talks about how she believes eating meat reduces peoples' psychic and general magickal sensitivity...What do you think?
For one, I think the claimant is full of shit, anyway. Ghost-talker, my foot.
And, secondly, humans are predators by nature; we're omnivorous. Eating meat is not detrimental to our health in general, and I highly, highly doubt that it'd cause a decrease in "magical" sensitivity...whatever that's supposed to mean. Her claims are probably vegan propaganda.

[Cosmic_dragon]

I dont think anything but misuse/lack of use could take away abilities. the foodchain is just that, pecking order of life.
Maybe these people became so obsessed with food, they lost touch with things?

[Torey]

The thread about in-vitro meat stirred a few thoughts:

I was browsing videos on YouTube a while back and came across an interview in which a supposed psychic (a ghost-speaker from a talk show) talks about how she believes eating meat reduces peoples' psychic and general magickal sensitivity.

Now, I find her reputability and namely her integrity dubious at best (sorry if your occupational descriptions are similar) but it is certainly food for thought.

What do you think? Could eating meat reduce your psychic and/or magickal ability? If so, would it be worth it to you to remove meat from your diet?

Personally, I believe it may have some effect, and I am considering completely removing any flesh from my diet. I already consume low-fat dairy and generally opt for soy when it is available, so if I choose to become a vegetarian, I will not be a pure vegetarian (vegan).

Personally, I don't believe that it can. I eat meat and have no problems with being receptive to psychic impressions nor do I have a problem with my magickal potency.

I do not believe that dead meat contains any residual spiritual vibrations, therefore I don't believe that it can affect a person's psychic receptivity nor their magickal potency. Food is food. That's just my opinion.

[Human]

Thanks for the responses.

The only reason I think meat might have some "residual spiritual vibrations" (good description, by the way) is because of the blood that generally comes with it. (Thinking fast food places here. Wendy's, for example.) Now, I haven't seen it freshly spilled, but I have seen it on the meat (and have washed the dishes that contained it), and it is not necessarily appetizing. :blech:

Now, by looking at our teeth, our digestive tract, and the nutrients we must consume (thinking B-vitamins) I'd say that we are naturally and necessarily omnivorous. It's just that I have trouble with the "An Ye Harm None" clause coupled with our nature... (Though I am not Wiccan, I have adopted this.)

If anyone else has opinions, feel free to share.

[aluokaloo]

Thanks for the responses.

The only reason I think meat might have some "residual spiritual vibrations" (good description, by the way) is because of the blood that generally comes with it. (Thinking fast food places here. Wendy's, for example.) Now, I haven't seen it freshly spilled, but I have seen it on the meat (and have washed the dishes that contained it), and it is not necessarily appetizing. :blech:

Now, by looking at our teeth, our digestive tract, and the nutrients we must consume (thinking B-vitamins) I'd say that we are naturally and necessarily omnivorous. It's just that I have trouble with the "An Ye Harm None" clause coupled with our nature... (Though I am not Wiccan, I have adopted this.)

If anyone else has opinions, feel free to share.

OT: true but don't forget that plants are living creatures as well and in my opinion should deserve no less respect then their animal counterparts. after all we're animals too :) not saying that you or other vegans/vegetarians automatically disregard plant life, i'm merely stating my pov is all.

i try to remember to say a prayer of thanks to the spirits of the animals and plants for nourishing me before i eat.

[Lunacie]

Thanks for the responses.

The only reason I think meat might have some "residual spiritual vibrations" (good description, by the way) is because of the blood that generally comes with it. (Thinking fast food places here. Wendy's, for example.) Now, I haven't seen it freshly spilled, but I have seen it on the meat (and have washed the dishes that contained it), and it is not necessarily appetizing. :blech:

Now, by looking at our teeth, our digestive tract, and the nutrients we must consume (thinking B-vitamins) I'd say that we are naturally and necessarily omnivorous. It's just that I have trouble with the "An Ye Harm None" clause coupled with our nature... (Though I am not Wiccan, I have adopted this.)

If anyone else has opinions, feel free to share.

I've always liked the way Catherine Noble explains the meaning behind the Wiccan Rede here (http://wicca.timerift.net/rede.shtml)- not having the kind of day where I could explain it any better myself so please take a peek at the link.

As far as eating meat, I prefer mine well done thankyouverymuch. Don't like it 'juicy' (i.e. bloody). But I happen to believe that meat is a good part of our diet and certainly no worse and probably much better than much of the processed convenience food we eat too much of. And certainly better for our minds, bodies and spirits than eating too much starch and sugar. But I don't see people blasting refined sugar as blocking our magical abilities, eh? So I'm good with eating meat, even red meat, in moderation. I eat much less of it than I was doing 20 years ago, but I can't say I've seen any increase in my spiritual vibrations or my ability to have a clear channel to the Divine.

As far as "residual spiritual vibrations" why would getting those from our diet be any worse than getting them via having an animal totem guide? Except that the connection would be more fleeting.

[Phoenix Blue]

In every single thread about vegetarianism on this board, someone has accused vegetarians of "flaunting their superiority".

Are vegetarians not allowed to post without harassment here?
I don't think Nox or anyone else was accusing anyone here of the attitude in question. With that said, I've seen it, too -- folks who think they're morally superior because of a dietary decision. But then, there are folks who will take any opportunity to place themselves on a moral pedestal.

[Louisvillian]

Thinking fast food places here. Wendy's, for example.
Do what you want, but I like Wendy's. Their food is damn good.


It's just that I have trouble with the "An Ye Harm None" clause coupled with our nature... (Though I am not Wiccan, I have adopted this.)For one, the rede isn't meant as a static principle that commands your life. It's intended as just good advice.
And furthermore, it's also not meant to be taken that literally and stringently.


EDIT: Brymble, stop overreacting. Not everything is a personal attack on you and your dietary choices. You are not the centre of the universe; get over yourself.

[watersprite]

There are folks in every group who think that their view and their opinion is superior to all others. They apparently have to in order to survive. Sad, but true. The only way they can justify their path is do try and demean others. For the most part, here, that is true. The exceptions try to reach out and bash you on the head 'til you agree with them.
Our duty is to verbally abuse them back, as long as we do it in an intelligent way. That way, they often don't know they are being slammed 'til it is too late.

[sidhe]

Could eating meat reduce magickal ability?

No.

</thread>

[LunarSoldier]

This is something I haven't heard of before. Meat reduces magical ability. Why would that be? Could meat perhaps alter ones magical ability because of the way it nourishes you? I actually found that eating less sugar increases my psychic levels. It may be different for other people.

[watersprite]

This is something I haven't heard of before. Meat reduces magical ability. Why would that be? Could meat perhaps alter ones magical ability because of the way it nourishes you? I actually found that eating less sugar increases my psychic levels. It may be different for other people.
That is interesting! I have noticed that I am more talented and ready to work when my blood sugar is under control.

[MonSno_LeeDra]

Actually sugar makes more sense to me. If one's sugar falls it can cause severe problems and also trigger Asthma or Asthma like conditions for the person. If it shoots up to high many of the same things.

Ironically, a low sugar comma is almost impossible to come out of simply from adding incillin. While a high sugar comma that is one of the recommended methods to bring it under control.

Then add that both conditions can cause, shakes, shivers, blurry vision, lethargy, headaches, mini-blackouts to name but a few.

Yep especially if one has Hypo or Hyper glacemia and is subject to rapid changes. I myself have hypoglacemia though a family history of it later converting to hyperglacemia.

[sidhe]

Eating reasonable portions and getting regular exercise helps me. Doesn't matter what I eat - if I'm staying in good physical (microcosmic) shape, then I'm in better spiritual (macrocosmic) shape.

Thank you, Hermes Trimegistus! ;)

[watersprite]

Actually sugar makes more sense to me. If one's sugar falls it can cause severe problems and also trigger Asthma or Asthma like conditions for the person. If it shoots up to high many of the same things.

Ironically, a low sugar comma is almost impossible to come out of simply from adding incillin. While a high sugar comma that is one of the recommended methods to bring it under control.

Then add that both conditions can cause, shakes, shivers, blurry vision, lethargy, headaches, mini-blackouts to name but a few.

Yep especially if one has Hypo or Hyper glacemia and is subject to rapid changes. I myself have hypoglacemia though a family history of it later converting to hyperglacemia.
I have kept my sugars in the same area with only one incident for the past year. That is when I found that was a bit more magical, without distractions.

[Shanti]

By natures design we are biologically true omnivores. I think nature knows what she is doing. :)

[DoktorSick]

I assume meat adds the essential protein to the brain that allows humans to be subject to more realistic perception. :)

This is a good point.

[MonSno_LeeDra]

I have kept my sugars in the same area with only one incident for the past year. That is when I found that was a bit more magical, without distractions.

I found out if I keep my sugar in balance then the other things pretty much work porperly. It's a struggle to balance at times as I have Asthma so it's sort of a tetter totter affect.

I do know for me it really impacts upon my ability to "receive" and see things. From a viewing perspective it's like watching a movie that is out of track and you get enough to know there is a movie playing and scattered bits but it keeps shifting into static snow.

Really do not know about spell or energy work as I never feel up to doing it when my sugar has gone whacky.

[*oonagh*]

while i am not a meat-eater (just don't like the taste of mammals or birds), i do eat fish. i think it's important for one's spirituality to do one's best to keep one's body in balance.

[Windsmith]

So I'm in a bit of a rush and didn't have a chance to read all the posts; sorry if I'm retreading old ground.

My thought is that, if one has respect for life of the animal one is eating, it might theoretically enhance magical ability, because it might offer a different perspective. In the same way that some cannibal societies believe that eating the flesh of another gives you their strength and abilities, consuming the flesh of an animal - making it truly a part of you, might lend you that animal's strength and abilities (just don't go out in the rain if you've eaten turkey recently! :smile: ).

[Lunacie]

So I'm in a bit of a rush and didn't have a chance to read all the posts; sorry if I'm retreading old ground.

My thought is that, if one has respect for life of the animal one is eating, it might theoretically enhance magical ability, because it might offer a different perspective. In the same way that some cannibal societies believe that eating the flesh of another gives you their strength and abilities, consuming the flesh of an animal - making it truly a part of you, might lend you that animal's strength and abilities (just don't go out in the rain if you've eaten turkey recently! :smile: ).

gobble gob... glub glub glub :lol:

Not just cannibal societies. Many warrior societies over the years have believed that eating certain parts of their killed enemies would grant them certain powers or abilities.

And people have been eating strange things since the dawn of time to enhance their sexual stamina, so why wouldn't eating meat enhance us in some way. If fish is a brain food (which science is currently confirming), and chocolate brings a sense of calm, then what foods would actually enhance magical abilities?

[Taliesyn]

wow. you don't feel safe to discuss your diet? really?


. I don't feel safe discussing vegetarian issues here,



not an attack, just an observation. wow.

as for the meat in your diet = less psychism, i woulkd say this- if you are a airy fairy, head in the clouds type, then eat a cheeseburger and ground, for hte sake of pans ever solid wee wee.
if however you are very grounded, then easing up on the meat and potatoes might let you float a little more.

[aluokaloo]

wow. you don't feel safe to discuss your diet? really?


not an attack, just an observation. wow.

as for the meat in your diet = less psychism, i woulkd say this- if you are a airy fairy, head in the clouds type, then eat a cheeseburger and ground, for hte sake of pans ever solid wee wee.
if however you are very grounded, then easing up on the meat and potatoes might let you float a little more.

dunno bout that. i'm an airy fairy head-in-the-clouds kinda girl and i eat alot of meat.

[Corvis Canis Latrans]

Haven't read through the entire thread, so if its been brought up, sorry for the repetition.

People are genetically different. They have different dietary needs.

Me? I need a certain amount of meat based protein every day...tried beans and rice, tried nuts, tried quitting meat cold-turkey (held out for about a month of being weak and ill) and tried cutting meat out gradually to give my body time to adjust (got weaker and more prone to illness).

Other people manage fine and are more healthy without meat.

Different bodies have different needs.

Different bodies process physical energy differently, and if physical food affects psychic energy, then as with the physical body, our psychic abilities have different needs.

Does eating meat reduce magical ability? Perhaps for some people. Logically, unless somehow genetically speaking there's a higher correlation between genes which respond better to a vegetarian diet and people who have more abilities in magic (possible), it stands to reason that our ways of processing to create magical energy would also vary significantly from person to person.

If its the former (vegetarian-beneficial genes equal better magical abilities) then not everyone is created equally magically, that's for certain.

If its the latter, then you have to find what's right for you physically. You have to have physical health before you can have magical health.

And if we didn't have the genetic variation we do with regard to what diet is best for what person, we'd have died out as a species thousands of years ago.

We are not all naturally vegetarians (some are). We are not all naturally carnivores (a few groups come pretty damn close). We are not all naturally omnivores (although this comes closest to the truth for most people). We're a combination based on genetic factors and the regions our ancestors were from, what pressures they had to deal with to survive. We can go from virtually full carnivore (people in northern regions, particularly arctic regions (example: inuit) who eat only meat and whose only vegetables might be the moss found in a reindeer's stomach) to complete vegetarian. But we have to have the genetics to make a given diet possible or advisable.

So, if eating meat reduces magical ability, then magically speaking, people in arctic regions are dead. Methinks not. But methinks that someone with a different genetic basis might end up so if forced to endure the same conditions. Someone whose ancestors ate a primarily vegetable based diet for thousands of years might well have problems with meat and due to several different reasons from physical to magical.

CCL

[Corvis Canis Latrans]

For anyone who is interested, interesting article on Inuit diet.

http://discovermagazine.com/2004/oct/inuit-paradox

At best, if you're far enough south you might be able to forage for a few plant products, but it is possible to get all the nutrients you need from an exclusively meat based diet if the meat is fresh, not overcooked, and if you are eating the organs.

But....it has to be fatty meat (a lot of it is fish, so omega 3s) as the body can only process so much protein without poisoning itself with urea build-up.

Still, the article notes that they do get far more protein than average, and in order to process it, they have bigger livers.


This ceiling, Cordain thinks, could be imposed by the way we process protein for energy. The simplest, fastest way to make energy is to convert carbohydrates into glucose, our body’s primary fuel. But if the body is out of carbs, it can burn fat, or if necessary, break down protein. The name given to the convoluted business of making glucose from protein is gluconeogenesis. It takes place in the liver, uses a dizzying slew of enzymes, and creates nitrogen waste that has to be converted into urea and disposed of through the kidneys. On a truly traditional diet, says Draper, recalling his studies in the 1970s, Arctic people had plenty of protein but little carbohydrate, so they often relied on gluconeogenesis. Not only did they have bigger livers to handle the additional work but their urine volumes were also typically larger to get rid of the extra urea. Nonetheless, there appears to be a limit on how much protein the human liver can safely cope with: Too much overwhelms the liver’s waste-disposal system, leading to protein poisoning—nausea, diarrhea, wasting, and death.
Stefansson had arrived at this conclusion, too, while living among the Copper Eskimo. He recalled how he and his Eskimo companions had become quite ill after weeks of eating “caribou so skinny that there was no appreciable fat behind the eyes or in the marrow.” Later he agreed to repeat the miserable experience at Bellevue Hospital, for science’s sake, and for a while ate nothing but defatted meat. “The symptoms brought on at Bellevue by an incomplete meat diet [lean without fat] were exactly the same as in the Arctic . . . diarrhea and a feeling of general baffling discomfort,” he wrote. He was restored with a fat fix but “had lost considerable weight.” For the remainder of his year on meat, Stefansson tucked into his rations of chops and steaks with fat intact. “A normal meat diet is not a high-protein diet,” he pronounced. “We were really getting three-quarters of our calories from fat.” (Fat is more than twice as calorie dense as protein or carbohydrate, but even so, that’s a lot of lard. A typical U.S diet provides about 35 percent of its calories from fat.)One more interesting extended quote:


Fats have been demonized in the United States, says Eric Dewailly, a professor of preventive medicine at Laval University in Quebec. But all fats are not created equal. This lies at the heart of a paradox—the Inuit paradox, if you will. In the Nunavik villages in northern Quebec, adults over 40 get almost half their calories from native foods, says Dewailly, and they don’t die of heart attacks at nearly the same rates as other Canadians or Americans. Their cardiac death rate is about half of ours, he says. As someone who looks for links between diet and cardiovascular health, he’s intrigued by that reduced risk. Because the traditional Inuit diet is “so restricted,” he says, it’s easier to study than the famously heart-healthy Mediterranean diet, with its cornucopia of vegetables, fruits, grains, herbs, spices, olive oil, and red wine.
A key difference in the typical Nunavik Inuit’s diet is that more than 50 percent of the calories in Inuit native foods come from fats. Much more important, the fats come from wild animals.
Wild-animal fats are different from both farm-animal fats and processed fats, says Dewailly. Farm animals, cooped up and stuffed with agricultural grains (carbohydrates) typically have lots of solid, highly saturated fat. Much of our processed food is also riddled with solid fats, or so-called trans fats, such as the reengineered vegetable oils and shortenings cached in baked goods and snacks. “A lot of the packaged food on supermarket shelves contains them. So do commercial french fries,” Dewailly adds.



I think given the article length these quotes are OK, but if not either a mod can let me know and I'll reduce them or they can reduce the quotes themselves, whichever's easier.

I'm looking for an article now on the opposite extreme, full vegan culture though I think if we grant that the arctic peoples are getting a small amount of vegetables in the form of the stomach contents of sea animals or the moss in a reindeer's stomach traditionally, then the lacto-vegetarian diet that is prominent among many people in India would be a better equivalent....