Anopsology

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Anopsology is an approach to the problem of a natural/original human diet created by Guy-Claude Burger in 1964^[1] and based on the evolution theory, having lead to a raw food diet balanced through alimentary alliesthesia and sensory-specific satiety. The term "anopsology" derives from αν (an-) - not, ὄψων (opson) - prepared dish and λογία (-logy) - theory, thus meaning "the theory of primitive nutrition". While the term anopsology designs the theoretical aspect, the synonym instinctive nutrition refers to the dietary practice and instinctotherapy to the therapeutic aspect. It should not be confounded with anopsy, a term for blindness.

Contents 1 Hypotheses 2 Theory 2.1 Smell and taste 2.2 Food alteration 3 Origin 4 Credibility 5 Criticism 6 Anopsology and ther diets 7 Medicinal qualities 8 Notes 9 External links 10 See also

[edit] Hypotheses

Anopsology is a theory of nutrition based on the hypothesis that the human body is genetically adapted to 'original' foods, that is, foods which were available to human ancestry during the past millions of years.

[edit] Theory

Anopsologists claim that raw foods are best for the body: "The human body evolved over millions of years breathing, drinking, and eating what it found in nature as it was found in nature. Evolution 'designed' the human body to survive best on what it found in nature. What it found was fresh, raw, unprepared." (Frederick Mann). Instinctos/Anopsologists usually believe that all raw foods are acceptable, other than those foods which appeared in Neolithic times – so raw dairy products, raw cereals and raw legumes are not consumed.

[edit] Smell and taste

Food intake is based upon the phenomenon of alimentary alliesthesia first described in 1971^{[citation needed]} by the french physiologist Michel Cabanac. This physiologic term states that the pleasure aroused by a stimulus not only depends on its nature and concentration but also on the 'internal milieu' of the organism. Therefore, the senses of smell and taste can communicate physiologic needs to the person and mediate biologically adapted behaviors (i.e., which amount of a food is required to maintain nutritional homeostasis). In this way, a food that smells and tastes good is useful to the organism, or needed, and vice versa. When a food becomes distasteful, the body has consumed a sufficient amount of it. When eating, anopsologists pay close attention to the body's reaction to a food, and the chemical senses. Supposedly, all foods have an alliesthesic "taste change" and taste less attractive when the body has had a lot of them. Unselected (wild-types) of foods are said to have more pronounced taste changes than cultivated species.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Food alteration

People cook food to alter a food from the way it is found in nature by heating it. However, there are many other ways we alter our food from the way it is found naturally. For example, we might put salt on our watermelon or salad dressing on our lettuce. We might genetically engineer our strawberries to be sweeter, or our tomatoes to be juicier. In all of these instances, the point of our action is to make a food more palatable so that we can eat more of it, with increased enjoyment. Anopsology claims that by doing this, we are 'tricking' our taste buds – we will no longer find the food distasteful as soon as our body has eaten enough of it.

The best diet, therefore, according to anopsologists, is one that contains foods that our bodies are genetically adapted to so that the senses of taste and smell are capable of telling the consumer when his body is sated.

[edit] Origin

The diet was created by Guy-Claude Burger. Burger was diagnosed with lymphoblastic sarcoma, a form of cancer. He didn't believe his doctors when he was told that there was no cure – still following the treatment of his doctors^[2], he went on a raw-food diet as part of a 'back to nature' regimen. Burger's cancer soon after disappeared.^{[citation needed]} He decided that his diet was the cause for its remission and disappearance, and began studying the eating of raw foods. He wrote about his observations and began encouraging others to follow a similar diet.

[edit] Credibility

The beneficial effects of anopsology are debated. Most evidence towards either side is anecdotal and therefore cannot produce a definite answer. Some people have reported improved physical health through anopsology, but no medical institution has yet conducted the extensive research required for mainstream medical approval.

[edit] Criticism

Anopsology shares criticisms made of other raw food diets. In addition, some claim that the anopsology diet may be harmful, creating a false sense of health immediately but hurting the body in the long term.^{[citation needed]}

Anopsologists admit that the diet can cause physical discomfort or more serious problems.^{[citation needed]} Anopsology may worsen health problems^[2] such as anorexia nervosa.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Anopsology and ther diets

While some anopsologists do not eat meat, anopsology itself is not by definition vegetarian. Anopsology included consumption of raw or dried (much as beef jerky) and uncooked meat. In fact, Burger struck down the vegetarian diet, saying that a true vegetarian diet was never pursued by human ancestry.^{[citation needed]}

Therefore, anopsology is not related to vegan diets. Burger's original diet did not include milk, but some anopsologists consume raw milk.^{[citation needed]}

Anopsology has much in common with the Raw Paleolithic diet.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Medicinal qualities

This section may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. Please improve this section if you can. (November 2009)

Cooking "may result in loss of the potential anti-cancer compounds"^[3] and "destroys medicinal properties".^[4] Medicinal qualities are more ready destroyed by heating, viz. at a lower temperature, than are nutritional qualities. Boiling may often destroy medicinal qualities, although it will not tend to affect nutritional qualities. Baking, which involves heating to a higher temperature than does boiling, is quite destructive of various essential nutrients, resulting in low longevity and high death-rates in populations which attempt to survive on baked foods.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Notes

[edit] External links

• Anopsology Theoretical Basis by Guy-Claude Burger
• Possible problems in raw-food diets

[edit] See also

• raw diet