Calorie density? Teeth may have been 'designed' for low-caloric-density foods. The art of civilization is increasing that density, so we have time to do other things (civilized things)
Why didn't our ancient ancestors get cavities?
171–180 of 207 posts
Re: Why didn't our ancient ancestors get cavities?
#172Earlier quoted context omitted.
I have recently become interested in finding out more about this (and food/nutrition in general). I want to compile an overview of findings and reference studies. How did you learn about this? Do you recommend any scientific resources concerning the themes of your comment?
I started on this path when I was trying to nurish myself back to health over a decade ago when I suddenly got fat. I thought science was the way to go... but was robbed of that notion a couple of years into it when I discovered that the path to health was in the opposite direction of what the science tells us. Turns out the food industry fully controls the science of food and nutrition. You can start by reading Unsa…
First, I want to ask you to write up a 101/how-to for this diet (and include one for pescatarians like me). Cuz this is great.
Second, my friends and I (years and tears ago) got really into Price and the (recipe /cook) book based on his work, Nourishing Traditions. I recommend this work to anyone into the above. Was this book a part of you coming to these conclusions?
Re: Why didn't our ancient ancestors get cavities?
#173Earlier quoted context omitted.
My grandma had all her teeth at 97 or so when she passed, and never saw a dentist, and I saw her use this tobacco toothpaste 3x per day for 25 years, until she died. https://image.slidesharecdn.com/stfactsheetcombined10-23-02-... I assume she had a combination of good genes, frequent teeth cleaning right after meals, low sugar intake, and no soda/alcohol. I have never had a cavity as of mid 30s, and I only started go…
Just curious, where did the linked image come from? I'm imagining some sort of encyclopedia of tobacco toothpastes
I image searched for ipco on DuckDuckGo.
Re: Why didn't our ancient ancestors get cavities?
#174Earlier quoted context omitted.
Interesting. My Indian grandparents and g-grandparents appeared to have most or all of their teeth, and were a long lived bunch (all but one into their 90s). I can’t say conclusively all but I never noticed any gaps or problems, which is the kind of thing kids notice. The g-grandparents would all have been born in the 19th century. My Australian grandmother had all her teeth pulled out when she was 12 and wore artifi…
Why pulled?
This would have been the early 1920s so the availability of dentistry out in the countryside would have been minimal. Instead of having a bunch of rotting and broken teeth (and the concomitant pain) it would h have been simpler to just get them all out.
The replacement plates can’t have been that comfortable either.
Re: Why didn't our ancient ancestors get cavities?
#175Related observations: 1) Ötzi had cavities and gum disease. “Ötzi, a Stone Age man who died atop a glacier about 5300 years ago, suffered from severe gum disease and cavities.” [1] 2) Sailor Steven Callahan, after 72 days adrift in the Atlantic ocean, where he subsisted on fish and birds, after being rescued: "When I wake up in the morning, I look into the mirror. My God! Who's that? The face I see is straight out of…
My personal experience from dabbling in low-carb diets is that dental plaque goes away almost completely in a relatively short amount of time.
Admittedly such a diet shift does a lot to upset your microbes, what once flourished with abundant carbohydrates is suddenly starving and maladapted. May be that eventually something else would come along that is better optimized to the new environment.
Re: Why didn't our ancient ancestors get cavities?
#176Earlier quoted context omitted.
One doesn't have to ditch all "western food". Just being sensible with it is good enough: - ditch plant fat for animal fat - avoid excessive sugar - eat real food (no fake milk, meat etc.) - stop eating vegetables, specially raw vegetables Food is one of those things I take an ultra conservative stance on. The food industry has made eating literal poison (plant seeds, plant oils, spinach, brussel sprouts etc.) seem h…
Thank you for the word of warning. I'd like to eat a lettuce salad with cucumber and spring onions (standard stuff where I live). What kind of indegenous preparation technique do I need to use to make the lettuce safe to eat?
I believe you would have to extract the juice, turn it into a kind of lettuce milk by boiling and straining, and then ferment the result into cheese. Takes about 6 months. Best enjoyed paired with 5kg of raw beef and a litre of vodka.
Re: Why didn't our ancient ancestors get cavities?
#177Weston A Price is really the go-to for the early research in nutrition and dentistry. His book Nutrition and Physical Degeneration was making the rounds back when Nourishing Traditions became popular. Price, conclusively in my mind, showed that the moment the modern western was introduced into cultures who ate traditional foods, the next generation had terrible teeth, jaws that were too small for all their teeth, etc…
Weston A Price is an infamous quack. I'm disappointed to see he mentioned positively here.
https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/sbm-weston-prices-appalling...
Re: Why didn't our ancient ancestors get cavities?
#178Related observations: 1) Ötzi had cavities and gum disease. “Ötzi, a Stone Age man who died atop a glacier about 5300 years ago, suffered from severe gum disease and cavities.” [1] 2) Sailor Steven Callahan, after 72 days adrift in the Atlantic ocean, where he subsisted on fish and birds, after being rescued: "When I wake up in the morning, I look into the mirror. My God! Who's that? The face I see is straight out of…
Yours was the first sensible comment I came across.
While it's true the availability of fermentable carbohydrates in modern diets has contributed to the prevalence of dental caries, etc, it is mostly collective cultural amnesia to believe our ancestors had perfect teeth.
The concept of "tooth worms" existed for thousands of years prior to the advent of medical science. I'm on mobile, but I also recall reading about ancient remains (possibly pre-humans) with drilled cavities, woven metal bracings, and many other types of dental protheses.
Re: Why didn't our ancient ancestors get cavities?
#179Weston A Price is really the go-to for the early research in nutrition and dentistry. His book Nutrition and Physical Degeneration was making the rounds back when Nourishing Traditions became popular. Price, conclusively in my mind, showed that the moment the modern western was introduced into cultures who ate traditional foods, the next generation had terrible teeth, jaws that were too small for all their teeth, etc…
Weston A Price is an infamous quack. I'm disappointed to see he mentioned positively here. https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/sbm-weston-prices-appalling...
Be careful throwing around the word quack.
Among The “SkepDoc’s” oppositions to the Weston Price foundation’s website are these assertions:
> [That weston price offered] Advice not supported by good evidence, like using unrefined Celtic sea salt, cooking only in stainless steel, cast iron, glass, or good quality enamel, thinking positive thoughts, and practicing forgiveness.
> Dangerous advice: drinking raw milk and avoiding pasteurization. They even hold an annual raw milk symposium. They also recommend frequent consumption of raw meat, raw fish, and raw shellfish.
Dangerous? Unsupported? Once again someone arguing passionately for “science” but in actuality arguing for their world view, which in this case was shaped as a physician in the Navy.
Re: Why didn't our ancient ancestors get cavities?
#180Earlier quoted context omitted.
Thank you for the word of warning. I'd like to eat a lettuce salad with cucumber and spring onions (standard stuff where I live). What kind of indegenous preparation technique do I need to use to make the lettuce safe to eat?
I believe you would have to extract the juice, turn it into a kind of lettuce milk by boiling and straining, and then ferment the result into cheese. Takes about 6 months. Best enjoyed paired with 5kg of raw beef and a litre of vodka.
Sounds great but I wanted to have a salad. Is there no way to make lettuce salad safe to eat?