Instinctive Nutrition Review

(aka Instinctive Eating or Anopsology)

 

A faction of raw foodism, instinctive eating (or "anopsology" which means "unadulterated") was first popularized by a Frenchman named Guy-Claude Burger. Burger, a musician, was diagnosed with terminal cancer and embarked on a self-styled, self-taught approach to his diet in the hopes that his health would improve. It did. Whether his diet was responsible has never been proven, but regardless, his cancer disappeared. And though Burger had no medical or nutritional training, his shout-it-from-the-rooftops conviction that it was his diet that cured him got his raw food philosophy noticed.

And what is "instinctive" nutrition? In short - it's a little bit nutrition, a little bit holistic inner-self stuff. The nutrition part consists of only raw, unadulterated (no grinding, mixing, etc.) foods (this includes raw meats), because cooked or processed foods are not "natural" to human beings. The holistic part - this is where "instinctive" comes in - is about how you use your senses to choose which foods to eat at any given time, because man possesses the inner instinct to select the foods that are best for his health. And what does that mean? Basically, the theory goes that humans evolved over millions of years eating only raw foods (agricultural techniques not yet developed, fire for cooking not yet discovered) so the human body was genetically adapted to function properly on raw foods. Part of that genetic adaptation is the ability for humans to determine instinctively (by smell and taste) which foods are good for them. After eating quantities of raw foods, humans find that the tastes will change and become less appetizing, become gross - and this is the signal that your body has had enough to eat and it’s time to stop. See, if you were to mix, cook, season or process foods, you'd mask those naturally occurring changes in taste. Most rational people would translate this to mean that on a raw food diet, you'll know to stop eating when the food starts to rot and stink, but practitioners (called "instinctos") insist that this is not the case, that it's the mind/body connection (the instinct!) that recognizes subtle chemical changes and their corresponding messages to put down the fork. Instinctos don't address the (very real) possiblity that early man might have mixed or seasoned their foods before the discovery of fire, or the fact that there is little scientific or historical evidence to support claims that early man stepped away from the plate when his instinct signaled it was time.

Nonetheless, instinctive eating hit the radar again in the 1980's with the publication of Severen Schaeffer's "Instinctive Nutrition", which "instinctos" consider to be more an introduction to the concept than a comprehensive guide - but regardless, Schaeffer's book makes the same case that Burger did: that instinctive eating, because it is the ultimate in "natural", will cure chronic illness of all types, restoring overall health and vitality to all who practice it. But Schaeffer also expands on the practice and its relationship to weight loss. As Schaeffer explains it, instinctive nutrition is about an individual's unique and always changing needs, and when you choose to only eat the foods that appeal to you (that you "instinctively" enjoy) and eat them until your needs are fulfilled (your "instinct" should be sending you the right messages regarding portion control), your're not dieting but yet your ideal weight will be achieved, and easily maintained. That's all well and good but remember that all you are allowed to eat and enjoy "instinctively" is limited to raw fruits and vegetables, raw meat, poultry and seafood, raw eggs, raw nuts and seeds, sprouts, coconut and honey - foods that are "natural" for humans from the beginning of time. In addition to no cooked foods, you're barred from grains, dairy, seasonings of any kind, alcohol and caffeine. No arguing that the brain signalling "you've had enough" would come through loud and clear with a menu like that. No arguing, either, that even if you were totally sedentary - the weight will certainly drop off. How could it not on a dietary plan like that?

But should, and can, you do it? Health experts will certainly warn you of fundamental risks like food poisoning from bacteria-contaminated raw meats, eggs, etc., as well as certain vitamin and mineral deficiencies which could arise if not everything "appeals" to you. On the flip side, eliminating the chemicals in junk and processed foods and replacing them with voluminous quantities of fruits and vegetables is always going to be a good idea, and contribute to improved health and weight loss. Though advocates of Instinctive Nutrition rave about improvement and cures from everything from skin disorders to cancers, scientists and medical professionals don't have concrete evidence that this diet is the key. But they can't rule it out, either. Can you do it? You're kidding yourself if you think you could commit to this way of eating without huge changes to your lifestyle - both inside and outside of your home. This is, in a word, extreme. From our point of view, what value Instinctive Nutrition has is relative only to dealing with chronic health problems which haven't responded to other treatments - it is far too severe and impractical for weight loss, a problem for which proven strategies already exist.