Mixing raw with cooked/partialy cooked meat

Question
Hi Geoff,

I'm going to start into the Primal Diet, minus the dairy. I've been learning a lot reading your past answers here, thank you!

If possible, I'd like clarity on a point specifically for my
situation. You mentioned that its possible to enter this diet slowly by cooking meat less and less over time.

From this I have two questions:
1) Is it ok to eat uncooked and fully cooked meat in the same day, as raw lamb and cooked chicken? What about raw lamb and cooked lamb? Or raw chicken and cooked chicken?
2) Is it ok to partially fry meat, as chicken deep fried at full heat, but taken out early before the inside is cooked? Or lamb roast that is crisped on the outside but fully raw inside?

I'm wondering about possible interactions between the
bacteria/organisms from the uncooked meat and the - denatured? toxic? - cooked meat, especially when of the same type of meat.

You answered another similar question with advice not to worry about bacteria/parasites as most commercial meat has been dewormed etc, but I am currently in rural India and I don't think there are any hygiene watchdog agencies nor have I heard of any treatments like deworming given to animals.

Thanks for any info you can give me, and thanks again for all you have already helped me learn :)
Ravi

Answer
Well, if you're slowly easing into the diet by cooking meat less and less, then that's fine. It would be much better to eat the cooked meat and raw meat in 2 quite separate meals, rather than eating them both at the same time - this is especially a good idea if you currently have problems re digestion. Also, I don't know if you're in a position to get hold of digestive enzyme-supplements, but if so, you should definitely take them before eating the cooked meat.

Re frying:- Generally speaking, frying food in oil is considered much worse than boiling it,in terms of creating toxins, lowering nutrient-levels etc., though it's perhaps not as bad as using the microwave. I really wouldn't recommend it, to be honest. Indeed, I would think it would be healthier to eat a piece of meat that's only lightly-cooked all over, than a piece of meat that's half raw and half-fried. Fried foods, after all, have been one of the major reasons for inreases in ill-health in recent years.That said, if there's no other way you an handle the taste, then it might be a temporary option until you can get used to it all.

Re possible interactions:- If you don't eat raw and cooked-meat at the same time, that could never be an issue. Anyway, serious food-poisoning is only a problem if one cooks/processes meats, then leaves them out(in canned form etc.) for ages and ages.

Re parasites:- Well, Aajonus' stance is that parasites are a non-issue and should be perceived as "symbionts" rather than parasites - though he does claim that being on a cooked-food diet would be a problem if ingesting parasites . I can't help thinking that this does perhaps have  some validity as I've been eating large amounts of raw wild-game during my years on this raw diet, and I've never once suffered from any side-effets re parasites - no worms in the stools etc, despite having long discontinued the use of herbal anti-parasite remedies. I've only heard of two definite accounts of RPDers getting worms, and these episodes weren't serious and didn't last more than a couple of weeks, before disappearing through the stools.

That said, it's undeniable that parasites would likely be more of a problem in hotter countries. Since you can't guarantee  that the animals are dewormed, I would suggest trying various standard anti-worm herbal remedies. Cayenne-pepper is supposed to be highly effective as a deworming herb, as are black walnut, black pepper, asafoetida and cloves - wormwood  is also recommended for flushing them out(best to use it in tea or a tincture). Adding these and other spices to raw meats when you eat them should help sort out any concerns. However, such spices should be used in moderation as they can easily irritate the stomach-lining if taken in quantity.

Actually, here's a rather more comprehensive list re anti-parasite herbs:-

http://tinyurl.com/2bclxn

Other than that, it's a good idea to ensure that the animals you eat are healthy, in the first place, as unhealthy animals would be more prone to parasites. Some RPDers find it useful to actually have a look inside the farms they buy their meat from, though this is not for everyone, of course.

RPG  

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