@paka Spinach and Rhubarb, when raw, have enough oxalic acid to be toxic ... native forms of lettuce are said to sometimes be so high in alkaloids that they can give you a high... and you have your betel leaves, right?
@Chef doom, paka you both bring bright light to this world - though some might regard that light as punishingly bright and blinding
With global warming, we can expect thai and south indian food becoming more and more popular - it is such good food for hot days.
I have been curious about oxalic acid, more about I think it binds to calcium and inhibits absorption? I recall it might relate to other varieties of amaranthus besides spinach, though some are high enough it might matter less, and I think it was in taro leaves which I had considered then decided to not seek out. How much does the oxalic acid matter if one cooks it and combines with other spices? Don't know. They say brassica affects the thyroid if one is low on iodine. Considering all possible foods, there's a complex interaction that we're quite unaware of, that those that had millennia to experiement figured out fairly well or quite well. Traditional cultures already knew some of the best available or common foods such as dark colored rice, corn, millet, and other grains, amla fruit (phyllanthus emblica), or whatever tended to be much better in any category of grain, vegetable, legume, herb, spice, nuts, seeds and meat, and their properties and effects such as cooling, warming, light or heavy, and how to combine. Some say eating enough amla itself adds 20 years. Allium (garlic/onions) has been shown to increase zinc & iron absorption and aid somehow in dealing with the useful and also anti-nutrient phytates. We also have started to think seasonally, but not for every single ingredient we consume, and considering what season, in what quantity, ratio, interval, etc. to eat or avoid, plus how the tastes of bitter, sour, sweet, pungent, astringent, am I missing something, should also be considered as such.
As for as global warming, too I have been wondering why capsicum/chili became popular in the tropics. Some say the induced sweat is not enough to cool. (Long?) pepper was primarily used before the introduction of capsicum. In that case, unsure. Besides considered more longevity-promoting than black, maybe heat was part of it. Pepper doesn't seem to have enough antioxidants to slow oxidation and spoiling in the tropics. It does increase absorption of turmeric, numerous herbs, and possibly all foods. Of so far studied nutrients that protect against sun damage, lycopene dwarfs beta carotine. That may partially expain the adoption of capsicium and tomato. Wish I could more easily find red carrots. Something in tamarind has also been noted in some way though don't know how it compares.
The trick is to eat the entire animal. Organs, offal... not just the muscle fiber (as we tend to do now in a lot of places). There were actually a bunch of guys who tested it like a 100 years ago, surviving a full year on nothing but meat without any health issues. But they did eat all the organ meat too. Otherwise you'll run into issues.
Indeed the whole animal, or knowing which parts to eat when needed. I think there's more to it. There are enough studies showing effects in humans, various nutrients accumulating in various parts of the body, that I think every animal part is better in particular wild animals that eat wild plants. Besides the mentioned lycopene, a different nutrient protects the eyes and are absorbed by them: lutein/zeaxanthin. How do all other animals likely have no eye decay without need for sunglasses? Herbivores greens. If carnivores are not eating eyes, maybe the main source would be blood and organs, and digestive organs. Different Indian works specify only certain wild or desert animals can be eaten regularly, preferably considering the moment, season, their diet, location, etc. Yet so far, enough of the plant-based doctors say so, and traditional texts often suggest a diet of mostly plants is best. After long hybridization, we just have a pale selection of what's available. Wherever we are, in the fields, mountains, looking up in the trees, sky, in the waters, food is everywhere.
As for animal products, after a century or more of industialization, perhaps no where is unpolluted. Of all the chemicals everywhere, such as what we breath in at any time, hundreds have been found already present in us, many cancer-risk increasing, with the worst tested place California. As it bioaccumulates in animal fat in higher levels, at least some or many, and many are more absorbed when consumed from animals, so despite whatever amount of milk or meat might be helpful, I tend to avoid it.
