If you do not understand racism (white supremacy) and how it works, everything else you understand will only confuse you. - Neely Fuller

We need something to clarify everything for us, because we get confused...but if we use the concept of Asili, we will understand that whatever it is they are doing, whatever terms they use, however they come at you, you need to be thinking about what? How is this going to facilitate their power and help them to dominate me? -Marimba Ani

Sunday, September 2, 2012

Herbivores, Pollen & Complete Protein: Omnivore & Carnivore Behavior Not Required

Food Fight #44

Honeybees Are Herbivores

Honeybees only eat food from plants – nectar and pollen. We readily accept as fact that pollen is a protein source for bees. We don't wonder if pollen from every plant contains protein. We don't wonder if some pollen contains partial proteins and other pollen contains the rest, making it necessary for bees to combine pollen to get complete protein.

Pollen stored in a bee hive is called “bee pollen.” A lot of pollen, before bees touch it, is said to be an allergen to humans; but in the hives of bees, pollen somehow becomes a complete food - a superfood that is like a natural multivitamin for humans. How did nutrient variety get into protein-packed pollen but not into the rest of the plant? Are bees working magic or, are the scientists we listen to? Is pollen really super – far superior to roots, leaves, fruit and seeds or is it super-stition?

What Does This Mean For Human Herbivores?

Pollen contains plant protein sufficient for small bees. Humans also need protein. If tiny bits of pollen has such a variety and range of nutrients, including complete protein, then how much nutrient content is really in other parts of plants humans are supposed to eat? Did the Supreme Being make it easier for honeybees to get proper nutrition than for humans? Could it be other parts of plants, just like pollen, are capable of providing nutrients we need when plants are grown as intended and consumed as intended?

Follow The Feeders

Elephants, giraffes, hippos, rhinos, zebras, moose, deer, buffaloes, camels and horses are some of the biggest herbivores and all grow to be big, strong and muscular eating only plants.

Why do many people believe humans must have animal protein or that animal protein is an all-in-one easy and best way to get protein? How did we come to believe we must know specific combinations of foods and consult charts to eat smart? This is a recent belief and seems incompatible with the ability of humans for tens of thousands of years to survive, grow and develop minds, bodies and babies.

Humans Are Omnivores For Emergency Purposes

Eating insects and animal flesh is not a requirement for humans to thrive. On the other hands eating plants is a requirement. This means, though we have omnivorous capability, only one portion of this ability is absolutely necessary for optimal health. Humans are predominantly herbivores (just like primates) with the ability to eat insects/meat as a survival advantage. Humans are gatherers then hunters, eating mostly what can't move and little of what tries to elude.

All Herbivores Eat Vegetation & Vegetables

All plant material falls into the general category of “vegetation.” Though vegetation is often thought of as the foliage/leaves, every part of every plant is vegetation – from the root to the fruit including plants that grow on, in or under water.

As humans, we've named some of the vegetation we eat, “vegetables.” In essence, humans and any other living organism that eat any part of a plant is not only eating vegetation but also eating vegetables. All types of trees, bushes, shrubs, grasses, “weeds,” fruit and seeds are vegetables.

Bees or insects eating pollen or deer, rabbits and insects eating the plants we cultivate, are simply eating vegetables they are supposed to eat. They are seeking and finding all the nutrients they need including complete proteins in plants. They are modeling the instinctive behavior we'd be wise to re-tune to – filling our stomachs with more just-picked vegetation and less flesh.

Related: Living Instinctively, Pollination, Nectar, Pollen
Carbohydrates: Treat Yourself Right To Plants, Food Fight #36
Food | About Eating Plants For Life, Food Fight #53