(tiger nuts = chufa, an almond milk like drink)

[www.ibtimes.com]

The 'Nutcracker Man' Diet: Extinct Species Of Early Human Survived on 'Tiger Nuts,' Not Meat

Fresh analysis of an extinct relative of humans suggests our ancient ancestors dined primarily on tiger nuts, which are edible grass bulbs, settling a discrepancy over what made up prehistoric diets. According to a new study published in the journal PLOS One, the strong-jawed ancient hominin known as paranthropus boisei, nicknamed “Nutcracker Man,” which roamed East Africa between 2.4 million and 1.4 million years ago, survived on a diet scientists previously thought implausible.

The study suggests paranthropus boisei derived up to 80 percent of their tissues from low-quality foods like grasses and sedges, so-called C4 sources. As Live Science notes, controversy surrounded whether or not these kinds of plants could have provided enough nutrition for large-brained hominin to subsist. Scientists have long debated why Paranthropus boisei had such strong jaws made for eating hard foods like nuts, but their teeth appeared better suited for soft foods. The answer seems to lie with C4 tiger nuts.

"Tiger nuts, still sold in health-food shops as well as being widely used for grinding down and baking in many countries, would be relatively easy to find," study author Dr. Gabriele Macho, a paleoanthropologist from the School of Archaeology at Oxford University, said in a statement. "They also provided a good source of nourishment for a medium-sized hominin with a large brain. This is why these hominins were able to survive for around one million years because they could successfully forage - even through periods of climatic change."



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/14/2014 10:37PM by Panchito.

That is very cool. Thanks for posting it!

Sure am glad I have modern tools to break down tiger nuts. That's quite a jaw on that guy.

I just ordered a pound of them on Amazon Prime so I'll have some in a few days. One of the reviewers said they taste woody so I think I'll pulverize them.

I used to make milk with them. you put them in water for a while, then blend them in water to make a whitish drink, then use a cloth or a cone to filter it and add some sugar. Where i grew up, it is a popular summer drink (but the seeds where later imported from Egypt because they were cheaper there).



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/14/2014 11:22PM by Panchito.

Panchito Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I used to make milk with them. you put them in
> water for a while, then blend them, then use a
> cloth or a cone to make milk and add some sugar.
> Where i grew up, it is a popular summer drink (but
> the seeds where later imported from Egypt because
> they were cheaper there).


Cool. I'll do that. Have you ever tried using coconut water for the milk?

no did not try coconut. These 'seeds' have a very fragile flavor and adding things like cinnamon to the milk or anything else would destroy the original flavor of the milk. It is best to only use some kind of sweetener without changing the flavor. But you can also chew them on their own. They are nice and semi sweet.

Panchito Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> no did not try coconut. These 'seeds' have a very
> fragile flavor and adding things like cinnamon to
> the milk or anything else would destroy the
> original flavor of the milk. It is best to only
> use some kind of sweetener without changing the
> flavor. But you can also chew them on their own.
> They are nice and semi sweet.


Do they contain antinutrients and/or enzyme inhibitors? I'm sure they do... is there a way to buy organic, sprouted tiger nuts?

Thanks for the tips!

jtprindl Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Panchito Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > no did not try coconut. These 'seeds' have a
> very
> > fragile flavor and adding things like cinnamon
> to
> > the milk or anything else would destroy the
> > original flavor of the milk. It is best to only
> > use some kind of sweetener without changing the
> > flavor. But you can also chew them on their
> own.
> > They are nice and semi sweet.
>
>
> Do they contain antinutrients and/or enzyme
> inhibitors? I'm sure they do... is there a way to
> buy organic, sprouted tiger nuts?

They are tubers. I've just been doing some research on them and apparently they should be soaked for 8 hours. For best nutrient retention, from what I've been reading, soak them in water that has vitamin c added to it.

[acascipub.com]

It's really odd how little traffic this thread is getting. I should think the article would have been of great interest on a raw vegan food site to all serious students.

I was hoping to come back to it and at least see a few interesting comments. I hope it's just the subject title that is to blame for the lack of attention so I'm bumping it so some who have missed the article get a second chance.

roots have the highest bacterial activity of the plant (soil). b12 is the vitamin with lowest amount needed.

You may also like this article:

Ancient Humans Mostly Vegetarian

[www.huffingtonpost.com]

very interesting - thanks panchito

My tiger nuts arrived tonight and I ground a few up and ate them. They are good and pleasantly sweet. I have a cup of them soaking now for milk tomorrow.

Some more points I can think off:

plants don't move or run away. They are an easy calorie source. Given that early humans did not have settlements (culture), it is very possible that they ate a plant based diet and maybe practiced some kind of nomadism under favorable climate.

Western ethnocentrism is based on assuming their animal diet is best for their climate and for any other climate (ethnocentrism). There are few plant calories foods on their climate except for the potatoe (after 1492). The discovery of the potatoe saved them from winter starvations and became a staple of calories. They also relied on unatural techniques like irrigation and other techniques from the agricultural revolution (started in the neolithic). The western diet is not natural and created the ideology that domestication is best. They also started escavenging for new food sources like extracting oil from non edible olives (hard like golf balls) for example. In many ways, it is based on tricks, which them they trurn around and said it is the best food ever (ethnocentrism). Bread in Germany was assumed to be the best. But thats because it was only type of grain the climate allowed.

OK. time for a break

SueZ Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> My tiger nuts arrived tonight and I ground a few
> up and ate them. They are good and pleasantly
> sweet. I have a cup of them soaking now for milk
> tomorrow.

These tiger nuts are going to take a lot longer to rehydrate than one day. They are now soaking in the fridge because I don't want them to ferment. I will check them again tomorrow but it wouldn't surprise me if it takes a third day. They still look like they did before I started soaking them yesterday.

After three days of soaking them I made and drank the tiger nut milk. Although I did not add any sweetener to the milk it spiked my blood sugar as much as high glycemic fruits do so although I've read that it is ok for diabetics I would disagree with that.

I did later consume some tiger nuts which I ground to powder which, understandably, didn't spike my blood sugar as high as the milk did but the fiber is rather unpleasantly drying in the mouth when eaten alone.

I'm sure our ancestors probably had a better experience with raw tiger nuts than I did with the dried ones. I won't be ordering any more of them even though they tasted interesting and would have cost about half as much as my nut milks do.

I think the ancestors did not eat +60% fat (specially if they only eat plants). Fat in excess will block the insulin receptors (plus more)

[www.youtube.com]

Panchito Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I think the ancestors did not eat +60% fat
> (specially if they only eat plants). Fat in excess
> will block the insulin receptors (plus more)
>
> [www.youtube.com]


Once again, Panchito, my trouble with blood sugar started after being on a low fat high carb 100% raw vegan diet for 11 months. Until then my blood sugar regulation was fine. Also, there is no one on either side of my extended family, nor any one of my known ancestors, who has had blood sugar problems although all of them ate SAD and several of them died obese. Also, as I think I've said before, I am not, nor ever have been obese and had been mostly vegetarian for over 40 years.

So, Panchito, until one year ago I have always eaten a low fat diet and only became pre diabetic after 11 months of eating a 100% raw low fat high carb diet. Today, after eating a high fat very low carb diet for a year, my blood sugar regulation is totally under control and, when I don't cheat, my fasting blood sugar remains in the 80's.

I drink a lot of high fat nut milks and none of them spike my blood sugar. The tiger nut milk spiked my blood sugar as high as when I ate a high glycemic cherimoya! This surprised me as from what I had read tiger nuts were being touted as being low glycemic.

Facts are facts, Panchito. Like them or not I keep track of my blood sugar and diet closely and these are facts I'm talking about - not theoretical things I've read or seen on videos. Tiger nut milk is not high fat but is 22% fructose, rather high carb, and they spiked my blood sugar which high fat nut milks do not do! I hope this sets you straight, Panchito. I've given it my best shot.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/25/2014 03:20PM by SueZ.

One of the major flaws with a high-fat diet is that your omega-3 to omega-6 intake is going to be extremely unbalanced with excessive omega-6's. Not good, especially in the long-run.



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 01/25/2014 05:01PM by jtprindl.

I think it's funny when people think health and longevity can be pin-pointed to a specific diet. It's unrealistic, there are way too many variables. Exercise (+ the type of exercise), clean environment, diet (nutrient density, enzymes, amount of calories, bioavailability, quality of food, etc), stress and dealing with stress (for e.g. meditation, sun gazing and laughter), detoxing (saunas, colon hydrotherapy, exercise), genes, and likely many more. You can't look always assume that someone's health is a direct reflection of their diet. The oldest woman ever to live (Jeanne Calment, 122 years old) smoked for 96 years of her life.



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 01/25/2014 05:25PM by jtprindl.

jtprindl Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> One of the major flaws with a high-fat diet is
> that your omega-3 to omega-6 intake is going to be
> extremely unbalanced with excessive omega-6's. Not
> good, especially in the long-run.

Why would you say it can't be done to someone who is doing it? I keep track of my omega ratios and keep my intake in balance.

jtprindl Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I think it's funny when people think health and
> longevity can be pin-pointed to a specific diet.
> It's unrealistic, there are way too many
> variables. Exercise (+ the type of exercise),
> clean environment, diet (nutrient density,
> enzymes, amount of calories, bioavailability,
> quality of food, etc), stress and dealing with
> stress (for e.g. meditation, sun gazing and
> laughter), detoxing (saunas, colon hydrotherapy,
> exercise), genes, and likely many more. You can't
> look always assume that someone's health is a
> direct reflection of their diet. The oldest woman
> ever to live (Jeanne Calment, 122 years old)
> smoked for 96 years of her life.


True, but in my case, which is the case I'm talking about here, only one factor has changed and that is my diet...

powerlifter Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Why anybody would want to follow a diet of an
> "extinct species that were relatives to humans",
> so they weren't even true humans is quite
> strange.
>
> At least we can now put to bed that early species
> of humans ate 80/10/10, that must mean your on the
> tiger nut diet now Panchito ? The latest fad.
>
> Do you guys want to become extinct, as that is
> whats going to happen following these non human
> diets.
>

Lol.

I can only speak for myself. All I wanted to do is to see if I could make an addition to my diet of an unfamiliar food, (of my favorite type - those deemed by big ag/chem as "noxious weeds", that worked for people in the past and might work again. In my experience now I'd call it prehistoric SAD so I'm giving it my "no thanks". I'll be extinct soon enough as it is and I'm in no big rush.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/24/2014 12:05AM by Prana.

SueZ Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> jtprindl Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > One of the major flaws with a high-fat diet is
> > that your omega-3 to omega-6 intake is going to
> be
> > extremely unbalanced with excessive omega-6's.
> Not
> > good, especially in the long-run.
>
> Why would you say it can't be done to someone
> who is doing it? I keep track of my omega ratios
> and keep my intake in balance.


Based on what are you 'doing it'? Your omega ratios should be 2:1 or 3:1. Walnuts and chia seeds alone would put you at similar range but when you throw in almond oil, olive oil, and other oils heavy in omega-6's but low in omega-3's.. that ratio is distorted.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/25/2014 05:59PM by jtprindl.

jtprindl Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> SueZ Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > jtprindl Wrote:
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> > -----
> > > One of the major flaws with a high-fat diet
> is
> > > that your omega-3 to omega-6 intake is going
> to
> > be
> > > extremely unbalanced with excessive
> omega-6's.
> > Not
> > > good, especially in the long-run.
> >
> > Why would you say it can't be done to
> someone
> > who is doing it? I keep track of my omega
> ratios
> > and keep my intake in balance.
>
>
> Based on what are you 'doing it'? Your omega
> ratios should be 2:1 or 3:1. Walnuts and chia
> seeds alone would put you at similar range but
> when you throw in almond oil, olive oil, and other
> oils heavy in omega-6's but low in omega-3's..
> that ratio is distorted.

Once again, I weigh, measure, and record all my intake so can know what I am doing and plan my meals with omega balancing in mind. This also gives me the opportunity to know that people who say what I am doing is not possible probably have never tried it themselves, probably are not as meticulous in planning their meals and recording their intake as I am, and are talking out their butts.

SueZ Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> jtprindl Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > SueZ Wrote:
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> > -----
> > > jtprindl Wrote:
> > >
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> >
> > > -----
> > > > One of the major flaws with a high-fat diet
> > is
> > > > that your omega-3 to omega-6 intake is
> going
> > to
> > > be
> > > > extremely unbalanced with excessive
> > omega-6's.
> > > Not
> > > > good, especially in the long-run.
> > >
> > > Why would you say it can't be done to
> > someone
> > > who is doing it? I keep track of my omega
> > ratios
> > > and keep my intake in balance.
> >
> >
> > Based on what are you 'doing it'? Your omega
> > ratios should be 2:1 or 3:1. Walnuts and chia
> > seeds alone would put you at similar range but
> > when you throw in almond oil, olive oil, and
> other
> > oils heavy in omega-6's but low in omega-3's..
> > that ratio is distorted.
>
> Once again, I weigh, measure, and record all
> my intake so can know what I am doing and plan my
> meals with omega balancing in mind. This also
> gives me the opportunity to know that people who
> say what I am doing is not possible probably have
> never tried it themselves, probably are not as
> meticulous in planning their meals and recording
> their intake as I am, and are talking out their
> butts.


Who said it wasn't possible? What you intake does not always resemble what you absorb and utilize. And you sure have quite the ego regarding your lifestyle despite your history of significant health problems. Maybe you just make claims on the internet to make it sound like you know what you're doing.

> Who said it wasn't possible?


Did you forget already that you posted this just this morning in this very thread...

"One of the major flaws with a high-fat diet is that your omega-3 to omega-6 intake is going to be extremely unbalanced with excessive omega-6's."

As I said in response to this erroneous post of yours my omega 3 to 6 ratio intake IS in balance and I walked you through how I know this. That is how I know that this what you called a "major flaw" needn't be and isn't with how I am eating. This is also how I know you don't know but what you've been told on the subject and have no experience in such planning and eating and it is only hubris you're speaking from not experience or knowledge.

SueZ Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> > Who said it wasn't possible?
>
>
> Did you forget already that you posted this
> just this morning in this very thread...
>
> "One of the major flaws with a high-fat diet is
> that your omega-3 to omega-6 intake is going to be
> extremely unbalanced with excessive omega-6's."
>
> As I said in response to this erroneous post
> of yours my omega 3 to 6 ratio intake IS in
> balance and I walked you through how I know this.
> That is how I know that this what you called a
> "major flaw" needn't be and isn't with how I am
> eating. This is also how I know you don't know but
> what you've been told on the subject and have no
> experience in such planning and eating and it is
> only hubris you're speaking from not experience or
> knowledge.


It's still possible to follow a diet that has flaws...

What sources are you getting your oil omega ratios from? How would you know your omega ratios are in balance without getting blood tests done addressing this specifically? Not to mention copper-zinc ratios on a high fat diet are going to be out of sync as well.

powerlifter Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Copper-zinc ratios are out of balance within any
> typical vegan diet so high fat isn't alone here.
>
> Infact high fat raw diets are less likely than
> natural hygiene based diets, because they often
> over-eat on nuts and seeds which are one of the
> few decent raw plant sources of zinc. However the
> majority of all these foods are typically richer
> in copper anyway.
>


Not less likely at all because they also contain mega amounts of copper.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/24/2014 12:05AM by Prana.

hey PL. Watch out for the sardines. Seafood is loaded with copper.

[en.wikipedia.org]

"Foods contribute virtually all of the copper consumed by humans.[55][56][57] The best dietary sources include seafood (especially shellfish), organ meats (e.g., liver), whole grains, legumes (e.g., beans and lentils) and chocolate. Nuts, including peanuts and pecans, are especially rich in copper, as are grains such as wheat and rye, and several fruits including lemons and raisins. Other food sources that contain copper include cereals, potatoes, peas, red meat, mushrooms, some dark green leafy vegetables (such as kale), and fruits (coconuts, papaya and apples). Tea, rice and chicken are relatively low in copper, but can provide a reasonable amount of copper when they are consumed in significant amounts."



"Excess copper intake causes stomach upset, nausea, and diarrhea and can lead to tissue injury and disease."

"excess copper intake produces anemia by interfering with iron transport and/or metabolism.[2][8]"

"Potentially susceptible subpopulations include hemodialysis patients and individuals with chronic liver disease."

"Several rare genetic diseases (Wilson disease, Menkes disease, idiopathic copper toxicosis, Indian childhood cirrhosis) are associated with the improper utilization of copper in the body.[106] All of these diseases involve mutations of genes containing the genetic codes for the production of specific proteins involved in the absorption and distribution of copper. When these proteins are dysfunctional, copper either builds up in the liver or the body fails to absorb copper."

> It's still possible to follow a diet that has
> flaws...
>
> What sources are you getting your oil omega ratios
> from? How would you know your omega ratios are in
> balance without getting blood tests done
> addressing this specifically? Not to mention
> copper-zinc ratios on a high fat diet are going to
> be out of sync as well.