home Audience 8 The theory of adequate nutrition. Ugolev A.M. "The theory of adequate nutrition and trophology" download the book for free. The role of dietary fiber

The theory of adequate nutrition. Ugolev A.M. "The theory of adequate nutrition and trophology" download the book for free. The role of dietary fiber

Now it is difficult for the reader to imagine that at first, in prehistoric man, the essential amino acids necessary for his body were produced in sufficient quantities by the microflora of his large intestine. The evolutionary shift to eating animal proteins made the production of amino acids by microorganisms in the large intestine unnecessary, and it was discontinued. This evolutionary transition is believed to have played an important role in human development. A more important transition, which ultimately ensured the development of the brain and the transformation of prehistoric man into Homo sapiens, was the transition to the extraction of a sufficient amount of more high-calorie plant foods.

However, the cessation of the production of essential amino acids by microorganisms in the large intestine was not carried out by evolution forever. As a backup option, for cases of interruptions in the intake of animal proteins into the body, evolution has retained the possibility of a short-term (emergency) return to the system of production of essential amino acids of prehistoric man in modern man. Vegetarians call us to such a diet without animal proteins, not realizing that this is not the main essence of vegetarianism. It lies in the fact that, having significantly reduced the total caloric content of their diet for life, they drastically reduce the nutrition of the brain. In the very distant future, if all people became vegetarians, it would threaten humanity with the reverse development of Homo sapiens into prehistoric man. But the development of nature does not know such reverse moves. Hence the conclusion: vegetarianism must disappear from the historical arena. In the meantime, the author counts on the understanding of the reader, since it will be necessary to quote long enough quotations from vegetarian theorists to maintain the accuracy of their statements. We will always remember that without studying the delusions of vegetarians, for a very long time we would not have been able to come to an understanding of some of the most serious issues of biology and, most importantly, the mechanism of brain development: from increasing the total calorie content of carbohydrates in the diet - through increasing the nutrition of the brain with blood - to brain of a rational person.

The reader will pay attention to the triumphant tone of the declarations of vegetarians who do not yet know that their triumph is not supported by a scientific basis. However, we will devote the next chapter to the true triumph of vegetarians.

Now it's time to give G.S. Shatalova to express her point of view:

“For a long time, scientists could not understand what role it (the large intestine - M.Zh.) plays in our body. ... Only modern studies of academician A.M. Ugolev helped not only to rehabilitate the colon, but also to evaluate its inconspicuous work. Moreover, it is she who is destined to deliver a knockout blow to the calorie theory, which the quirky human mind has constructed solely in order to whitewash its gluttony in its own eyes.

... Supporters of the caloric theory have argued and continue to argue that there are amino acids that are not produced in the human body, but without which it cannot exist. So they began to call them - irreplaceable. It was also proved that these amino acids are found only in animal protein, that is, in meat, so a person is simply obliged to use it so as not to die. Academician A.M. Ugolev and his colleagues, using a series of experiments, established that the organ that produces essential amino acids in our body is the large intestine. More precisely, not the intestine itself, but the lodgers living in it - microorganisms. It is they who, consuming part of the nutrients that enter the large intestine with plant foods, convert them in the course of their vital activity into the amino acids and vitamins we need. ... The coexistence of our body and the microflora of the large intestine is a classic example of the phenomenon of the so-called symbiosis, widespread in wildlife.

... The work of Ugolev and his collaborators made it possible to restore historical justice ... in assessing the role of the large intestine, and at the same time, as they say, "clarify the question" why the part of humanity that made a choice in favor of plant foods and refused to eat meat does not die out and fish. This is the same “backfilling question” that supporters of the caloric theory have always avoided.

... Well, the answer to the question why millions of vegetarians live without meat and feel great is, in my opinion, now clear to you.

The challenge has been thrown by vegetarians, you must respond immediately!

The large intestine has been chosen by evolution as the organ that not only helps to protect the human body from dehydration, providing the absorption of water from its contents, but also as a place for the settlement of our roommates - saprophytic microorganisms. Microorganisms that produce essential amino acids and vitamin C settled in prehistoric humans and modern vegetarians in the large intestine. A prerequisite for the production of essential amino acids by the microflora of the large intestine, presumably, is the absence of animal proteins in food. Modern non-vegetarians receive animal proteins with food, and the production of essential amino acids by the microflora of the large intestine is absent as unnecessary. But the production of vitamin C remains.

The gross mistake of vegetarians (and academician A.M. Ugolev) is that they did not see the most important phenomenon: the intake of animal proteins from the outside into the human body is a favorite topic for loud conversations of vegetarians, a screen behind which they themselves could not see what it is. far from the main issue in vegetarianism. They did not understand that the rejection of animal proteins in food pushes them to commit the main mistake of vegetarians - to reduce the total volume and total caloric content of the diet for life. They do not understand, finally, that a return to the production of essential amino acids by the microflora of the large intestine, although possible (and that is why vegetarians do not die out!), But should never be allowed for a long time, since it was left by evolution as an emergency option (with a shortage of animal proteins in food). A long return to the production of essential amino acids puts a person in front of a dangerous dependence on the microflora of the large intestine, which is easily destroyed not only by many drugs, but also by a number of nutrients (garlic, onion, etc.).

A gross mistake of modern medicine and especially physiology (this can be seen from the materials of chapter 1 of this book) is that there is a statement that without the supply of essential amino acids with animal food, the human body cannot exist. Without animal proteins coming from outside, the human body can exist maybe, but shouldn't!

The question of the extent to which vegetarians feel excellent, we will leave without discussion for the time being. But already now we note that not only did the knockout blow on the calorie theory fail, but the work of Academician A.M. Ugolev and G.S. Shatalova is literally being forced to conduct research that deals a knockout blow to vegetarianism. Sam A.M. Ugolev did not foresee such a turn of events and mistakenly believed that he was "helping out" vegetarians. We, dear reader, will follow the path of conscientious scientific research and draw conclusions that are disappointing for vegetarians, but very useful for ordinary people.

Now it is advisable to get acquainted with the opinion of G. Shatalova:

“However, not everything is so clear with those who still cannot imagine their life without meat. Think for yourself, is it possible to turn off with impunity a whole organ, prudently built by nature into the integral system of our body? Neither for him nor for you it does not pass without a trace. Today, your large intestine does not work even to a small fraction of its capabilities, by consuming foreign proteins, concentrated substances, you inhibit the microflora of the large intestine, bring disharmony into the coordinated work of your body, interfere with its ability to self-regulate, self-heal.

Firstly, do not confuse the work of the organ (large intestine) and the microorganisms inhabiting it. It's elementary. With the full preservation of the work of the organ itself, it is advisable to turn off the excessive production of essential amino acids by microorganisms in this organ, which is what happens in ordinary people.

Secondly, we have before us Shatalova's remarkable recognition of the weakness of her own position: there are too many substances that are constantly present in our lives and enter the body, but oppress the microflora of the large intestine. These are, for example, onions, garlic, garlic oil, beloved by Shatalova, sulfonamides, antibiotics, etc. In these numerous and often extremely necessary cases, there is simply no one to produce essential amino acids in the large intestine. Vegetarians find themselves in an extremely complex and dangerous dependence on the state of the microflora of the large intestine! However, there is no way to strictly control this state.

Let's continue our very instructive acquaintance with the opinion of the vegetarian G. Shatalova:

“I understand that the feeling of satiety, associated in our minds with the consumption of meat in the first place, keeps a person stronger than any rope in captivity of the usual way of life and nutrition. Many fear that, having abandoned the traditional diet, they will constantly feel hungry.

To reassure them, I will tell you some details about the large intestine. ... Take an anatomy school textbook and see how the colon looks like, how it is located in the abdominal cavity. ... It looks like a long round central heating battery. And it is located in such a way that it is able to heat all the internal organs lying under it and above it. If you are eating animal proteins, then consider your battery dead.

Ask people who follow a healthy diet in accordance with the system of natural healing, and they will tell you that it is worth enjoying healthy food, how the microorganisms that live in the colon respond to the received signal with a powerful release of heat. In a short time, at least 500 kcal is released, and the impression is that you have put a heating pad on your stomach with its gentle warmth. And this, I emphasize, even before the food entered the large intestine. When it gets there, warmth seems to permeate you from the inside, you experience a feeling of light satiety that does not burden the heart, does not cause shortness of breath, which accompanies you until the next meal, creates an even, cheerful mood.

But I repeat, this whole complex of sensations is familiar only to those who steadily observe the requirements of species nutrition, whose cells have acquired a chemical composition that is characteristic of man as a biological species. To enter this state, you will need at least 2-3 months, and you need to be prepared for the fact that at first you will be visited by a feeling of some discomfort. To overcome it, do not exhaust yourself with hunger, eat as many times as the body requires, but taking into account the anatomical and physiological characteristics of the human gastrointestinal tract. Gradually, you can enter the natural state of true health, imperceptibly switch to a one-time meal.

It may be objected to me that with the current standard of living, it is not easy to adhere to the norms of species nutrition. It really is. But if you show as much resourcefulness and ingenuity as now, if you are not too lazy to grow your own vegetables, herbs, fruits on your plot of land, then the problem can be solved. And it will cost you, in the end, much cheaper than eating according to the recommendations of the caloric theory and treating the diseases that followed as a result of this.

This latest statement by G. Shatalova is based on an elementary lie and, unfortunately, on physiological and medical ignorance. Despite this, we will try to derive significant benefit from this statement.

It is a pity that G. Shatalova does not understand that the feeling of satiety in the human body cannot be initiated by the large intestine. Any kind of food causes this feeling, being in the stomach (not in the large intestine!) in an amount sufficient to stretch its walls. The same effect in the experiment gives inflation of rubber cans placed in the stomach. Meat - protein food remains in the stomach for a longer time than vegetable - carbohydrate. Therefore, meat food does not provide a long-term feeling of satiety, but a later onset of hunger associated with the emptying of the stomach.

Further, Shatalova is supposed to know that any local heating in the human body indicates trouble in nearby organs or tissues. The appearance of a heat release of 500 kcal in the colon after eating, but even before it enters the colon, indicates trouble in the colon in the usual sense, which has become the norm for vegetarians. This means that the enzymes for the digestion of animal proteins did not enter the gastrointestinal tract, and the microorganisms of the large intestine, having received a humoral signal about this, intensified their activity in a vegetarian variant with heat release.

Microorganisms in the large intestine produce vitamin C from fiber, which the human body itself does not digest due to the lack of necessary enzymes. But this production of vitamin C, as you know, does not cause heat emissions. The production by microorganisms of the large intestine of vegetarians of the daily norm of essential amino acids, which leaves only 164 kcal, does not occur at a time, but, most likely, evenly throughout the day and cannot produce heat emissions. Consequently, heat emissions in the large intestine of purely vegetarians (in the absence of inflammatory processes in it) can only be associated with the process of gluconeogenesis (glucose production by the body) known in physiology and medicine. Gluconeogenesis in the body of an ordinary person is known mainly in the liver, kidneys, and partly in the large intestine. Now we have reason to assert that vegetarianism leads to a significant increase in gluconeogenesis precisely by microorganisms in the large intestine, and with a significant release of heat. In the liver and kidneys, gluconeogenesis is carried out by the cells of these organs without heat emissions. In vegetarians, apparently, increased gluconeogenesis in the large intestine is not accompanied by a violation of the production of vitamin C and essential amino acids by microorganisms.

The raw material for the production of glucose in the process of gluconeogenesis in the liver and kidneys is lactic acid, delivered by the blood from the muscles. An intensive increase in the processing of lactic acid into glucose and the use of glucose again in the muscles is typical for people with a vegetarian diet. We will consider this issue in detail in the following chapters, but already here it is important to note that the main organ providing gluconeogenesis during vegetarianism becomes the large intestine, and not the liver and kidneys, as is the case in ordinary people. The raw material can be fiber of plant foods.

At the same time, we can draw a serious practical conclusion: patients with diabetes should not exclude animal proteins from their diet, as this leads to increased gluconeogenesis in the large intestine and an increase in blood sugar levels. When a feeling of warmth appears in the area of the large intestine, it is necessary to take measures to cleanse the large intestine from the microorganisms that live in it, with the compensation of vitamin C.

In our case with a little boy with diabetes (his illness, in fact, prompted the author to study vegetarianism), unfortunately, it is difficult to focus on the personal feelings of the patient. Thermal imaging in its current state also cannot provide significant assistance.

It should be noted that the formation of the dominant vegetarianism (we will talk about it below) requires 2–3 months of significantly uncomfortable training for the human body.

It must be emphasized once again that a mixed diet not only allows you to significantly increase the supply of blood to the brain, but also frees ordinary people from the bondage and dangerous dependence that vegetarians fall into - to the microorganisms of the large intestine.

Now regarding the cultivation of their own vegetables, herbs, fruits on their own plot of land, which G. Shatalova strongly recommends. Will it cost less? Certainly not cheaper. My relatives and friends have plots located 120-160 km outside the city, and even many kilometers have to be driven through the city. We need a car, gasoline (all this is not cheap) and a lot of free time, which working people simply do not have. My relative and acquaintances, good specialists in their fields, but knowing practically nothing about growing vegetables, herbs and fruits, taking up this new business for them, spend a lot of time and effort with very poor results. It would be better for them to do what they are well versed in. Growing vegetables and herbs should also be good specialists in their field. In the end, humanity, being engaged in non-specialized labor, degrades. The development of mankind took place precisely along the path of specialization and an increase in labor productivity due to this. These are elementary truths. And suddenly the scientist G.S. Shatalova urges everyone to move away from the specialization of human labor and start growing vegetables and herbs. What is this? Another oddity of thinking caused by many years of vegetarianism.

G.S. pays much attention. Shatalov protein production in the human body using air nitrogen. In the initial part of her book “Choosing a Path”, she devoted quite a lot of space to the works of M.I. Volsky, and in conversations with journalists often refers to the recently discovered ability of the Papuans of New Guinea to synthesize protein using atmospheric nitrogen. The Papuans of New Guinea eat mostly sweet potato, a sweetish potato high in carbohydrates and low in protein, and remain healthy and strong. But we have already emphasized that the exclusion of animal proteins from food is not the main content of vegetarianism, that all the talk about it only interferes with finding the main thing in it.

In the special chapter "Protein Deficiency or Knowledge Deficiency?" G.S. Shatalova, in the tone of a winner, using devastating “meat-eaters” and their theorists of expressions, proves that vegetarians, like the Papuans of New Guinea, produce essential amino acids in the required amount in their own bodies. But no one argues with this. The question is that humanity needs to abandon this method of extracting essential amino acids if it does not want to be in bondage to many substances that can inhibit this process. This method has been left by evolution to man only as an emergency in case of a shortage of animal proteins in food.

The greatest achievement of evolution is that it led prehistoric man to the path of eating animal meat and fish, thereby freeing people from a dangerous uncontrolled protein addiction. Our task is not to admire the activity of microorganisms in the large intestine in the production of essential amino acids, but to stop this activity in all cases when it is not absolutely necessary, in the simplest and most ingenious, evolutionarily proven way - by introducing a minimum of animal proteins into the diet. (164 kcal), used mainly not for energy, but for the plastic needs of the body.

G. Shatalova writes that in her experiments, participants in desert hikes, ultra-marathon runners, mountain tourists and climbers, whom she has already talked about more than once, enduring heavy and prolonged physical exertion, received no more than 10–25 g of protein per day. These are, indeed, very spectacular and very important experiments that G. Shatalova conducted without understanding their true meaning. Therefore, she came to a conclusion, strikingly incorrect in the first part, but very correct in the second part, which applies to herself:

“It is clear to any sane person that in fact there is no protein deficiency, there is only a lack of knowledge about the processes occurring in the depths of our body.”

G. Shatalova begins her reasoning about nitrogen with the experiments of I.M. Sechenov on the content of nitrogen in the arterial (there is more of it) and venous (where it is noticeably less) blood and focuses on the book by M.I. Volsky "Nitrogen fixation by complex plants and animals", published in 1970 in Gorky. It is extremely difficult to get the book itself now, but people of the older generation remember the huge article about nitrogen that made a sensation about 40 years ago in one of the central newspapers. The article was called (from memory) “Nitrogen? No, zot! ”, Which should be understood as“ Lifeless? No, life! After this article, careful research was carried out, refutations were printed. Having visited Volsky, G. Shatalova immediately drew attention to the fact that Volsky was largely studying what had already been discovered and proven decades ago (experimental data that vegetarians reduce the release of nitrogen in exhaled air, and ordinary people increase it presumably due to digestion of food proteins, etc.).

Behind all these discussions about nitrogen, the main idea is lost, that the point is not at all whether the microorganisms that live in the large intestine are capable of synthesizing essential amino acids for the human body. Everyone says in unison: “Yes, they are capable, this was proved by A.M. Ugolev, proved the Papuans of New Guinea. The question is different: benefit or harm from this person? Harm begins when the production of essential amino acids by the microorganisms of the large intestine becomes systematic, becomes part of vegetarianism. We should take all measures to ensure that this discovery of A.M. Ugolev never worked for a long time. To do this, it is necessary to eat animal proteins in the minimum required amount (in terms of energy, only 164 kcal / day). And never switch to a vegetarian diet for a long time!

As a consideration directed against mixed nutrition (“meat-eating”), G. Shatalova cites her third refutation:

“Thirdly, the high calorific value of meat proteins turned out to be not a boon, but a misfortune for the human race due to their low efficiency.

Studies have shown that in order to perform the same work, animal proteins must “burn” in the body more than carbohydrates, by 32%. It was noted that where the need for the life process is determined by 100 units of energy, 140.2 units are consumed from the energy of meat protein. Thus, 40.2 units are unused and must be removed from the body by the thermoregulatory system in the form of excess heat. This means that all organs and systems associated with it must perform absolutely aimless, useless work, “pump” an additional flow of energy through the tissues of the body. Take a look at these facts from the standpoint of the principle of energy expediency and the life expectancy formula and draw your own conclusions.”

Let's see, dear reader, what is neither more nor less "misfortune of the human race" is hidden in meat proteins? Indeed, more energy is expended on the synthesis of ATP from protein than on the synthesis of ATP from carbohydrates. We talked about this earlier in Chapter 1. In the same place, we correspondingly increased the daily amount of protein in food necessary for a person. Of less than 7% of animal protein in the kilocalories of the daily diet, this increase left only 2.1% in this 7%. However, not a single supporter of mixed nutrition fell into hysterics and shouted that these 2.1% of the daily diet are "the misfortune of the human race." One can only wonder why G. Shatalova does not panic about vegetable proteins, which are at least 1.5 times more in the daily diet. There, the efficiency is very poor, the amino acids in the set are not very suitable for a person.

We will leave the conversation about the life expectancy formula, to which G. Shatalova refers, to a later time. However, let's say that this formula is so absurd that it promises a person an almost indefinite life with a complete cessation of nutrition.

Proponents of mixed nutrition resolutely do not want to take the path "back to the ancestors" and recommend that all vegetarians do the same.

Three refutations of “meat-eating” by G. Shatalova seemed not enough, and she made one more, additional one:

“What has been said far from exhausts the harm brought to the body by the consumption of meat. Worst of all, an excess diet enriched with animal proteins has brought about a phenomenon that most of us have not yet fully appreciated. I mean the so-called prematurely early development of children. Acceleration has acquired the character of an epidemic that has affected all of humanity, and, according to many scientists, it negatively affects the subsequent stages of a person’s life, his spiritual and physical health and longevity, reducing his natural immunity, causing premature puberty and the appearance of offspring, with a complete absence of a sense of responsibility for him.

As a result of acceleration, the limit of energy allotted to a person for life is largely wasted at an early age. All these diathesis, eczema and other childhood ailments, explained by the vague and meaningless formula "metabolic disorders", are nothing but the result of blind parental love, not limited by the rigid framework of common sense. Unnecessarily enriching the child's diet with meat and sweets, they, unwittingly, shorten his life, in other words, slowly kill their own child.

What do you think, dear reader, whom is G. Shatalova so diligently and annihilatingly stigmatizing? All supporters of eating plant foods, carbohydrates! If she had previously looked into the holy calendar, and only then thumped into the bells, she would have changed the tone of her moralizing or would have abandoned them altogether. Indeed, the ability of G. Shatalova to distort facts, scientific positions, to untruth exceeds all conceivable boundaries.

Let us turn to the well-known book of Professor V.M. Dilman "Large biological clock". Chapter 15 of the book is specifically devoted to acceleration: "Age norm and acceleration of development." V.M. Dilman writes about the cause of acceleration, the so-called "diabetes of pregnant women": "Consequently, the process of acceleration begins already in the womb."

We are talking, first of all, about an increase in the level of glucose in the blood after a meal in the mother during pregnancy and before this period too.

In this case, the cause of acceleration should first of all be attributed to carbohydrates. And G. Shatalova should not have told a lie about acceleration, as about "harm brought to the body by the consumption of meat."

V.M. Dilman writes: “A large fetus is essentially an “older” fetus, since the weight of the fetus corresponds to its biological, and not chronological, age. As noted by the Polish gynecologist-endocrinologist R. Klimek, the “fat” fetus begins to age rapidly, not yet born.”

And what is the connection between diathesis, eczema and other childhood ailments and acceleration? G. Shatalova writes that all these ailments are the result of blind parental love, and connects it with excess meat and even sweets. Instead of blaming parents who are addicted to plant-based foods for acceleration, she rushes to attack supporters of the theory of a balanced diet. False after false! To indecent! This is what vegetarianism can bring a person to! But that's not all, dear reader. Further, as they say, more. Having “defeated” acceleration, G. Shatalova proceeds to accuse the supporters of the theory of balanced nutrition of the poor quality of the meat used for food, of using bad meat in the manufacture of sausages. But do the theorists of a balanced diet engage in raising livestock and growing fodder for them? Or making sausages? But G. Shatalova accuses modern nutritionists of even keeping cows in a stall for a long time and feeding them, pursuing purely quantitative goals, which worsens the quality of milk and meat.

"Add here the nitrates, herbicides and insecticides that enter the animals' bodies with food, and then into ours."

But this applies to a greater extent to vegetarians who eat all these poisons without intermediaries - animals, but directly.

“Those who have had the opportunity to compare, for example, the meat of a wild boar, eating natural, species food, and the meat of a domestic pig, will tell you that they differ like heaven from earth.”

By the way, the author had occasion to compare wild elk meat with beef. The comparison turned out to be far from in favor of the moose. The same impression after comparing the meat of wild and domestic duck. Not in favor of the wild duck. But why did the vegetarian Shatalova need this agitation in favor of wild animal meat? Her conclusion is shocking:

“It is necessary to completely abandon their (domestic animals - M.Zh.) breeding and eating. And not only for moral and ethical reasons, which guide many vegetarians who refuse to eat the corpses of animals.

So, neither vegetarians, nor supporters of mixed nutrition eat animal corpses. Shatalova probably knows this. But he's telling the truth again! She writes about the cruelty of people who eat meat from domestic animals, but campaigns in favor of wild animal meat, which can only be obtained through cruelty. The very same that is inevitable in surgery, only this is cruelty against rational beings, that is, cruelty of a higher order.

G. Shatalova scares readers with the fact that in the body of a person who eats meat, decay products are formed from the digestion and combustion of proteins - such as urea, uric acid, etc. And here is a lie addressed to "meat-eaters": in the body of a vegetarian, exactly the same decay products from the digestion and combustion of proteins (urea, uric acid, etc.), only these proteins enter the body partly with plant foods and are partly produced by microorganisms in the large intestine.

One can give more examples of the untruth used by the vegetarian apologist G.S. Shatalova with the sole purpose of discrediting the caloric theory of a balanced diet by any means and one of the two main "enemies" of vegetarianism in this theory - eating animal proteins.

G. Shatalova's appeal to G. Shelton's theory of separate nutrition with a threat to the body of “potatoes with meat or chicken with vermicelli” we will not refute here, since we paid enough attention to this in our work “Overweight. New Dietetics" (1998).

As a result of our research on the first of the two main differences between vegetarians and ordinary people - eating animal proteins in the framework of the caloric theory of a balanced diet - we, with the help of G.S. Shatalova received exhaustive evidence of the complete failure of vegetarianism in this matter. It would seem that we can already conclude that humanity has no reason to embark on the path of vegetarianism based on the rejection of "meat-eating".

But such a conclusion should still be considered premature. So far, we have only explored the direct, immediate impact of eating animal proteins within the theory of balanced nutrition. In the following chapters, we will explore the indirect, indirect impact of "meat-eating" on the human body.

So far, we have not come close to understanding the main question that forced the author to study vegetarianism - what is the relationship between the purely vegetarian diet of a diabetic baby and an increase in blood glucose levels.

It remains to be hoped that all questions of interest to us will be clarified in the study of the second main difference between vegetarians and ordinary people - a decrease in the total caloric content of the daily diet.

In conclusion of this chapter, we will quote from the book by G.S. Shatalova "Choice of the path":

“The anatomical and physiological structure of the human body has changed little since those prehistoric times when it wandered (as Shatalova - M.Zh.) through virgin forests in search of plant food. In the process of evolution, it was mainly his brain, his consciousness, thinking that developed, and it was this that turned out to be the decisive factor in the survival of man as a biological species. And only today we begin to understand it. I am a scientist and I am used to trusting more facts than the most authoritative opinions, if they are not confirmed by experience and practice.

First, the scientist is supposed to pay attention to the fact that in the evolution of man, the development of his brain was preceded by the consumption of animal products. Secondly, the majority of scientists understood all this not only today, but much earlier. And, thirdly, the author of this book, like the scientist G. Shatalova, took the path of distrust of the opinions of vegetarian authorities and their ideologist G. Shatalova, if these opinions are not confirmed by experience. And, of course, I was not mistaken.

But there is one very important mistake, which has long and deeply rooted in modern natural science and goes far beyond the theory of vegetarianism. This mistake is repeated literally by the whole teaching. Repeats it and G.S. Shatalova:

“I am often reminded of the idea expressed by Engels that man became a man only after he began to hunt and eat the meat of animals he had killed. Indeed, meat is a high-calorie product, and human consumption of it has made it possible to drastically reduce the time for searching for edible fruits, cereals and roots. It opened up an opportunity for self-improvement.”

The error here is that the consumption of animal meat did not affect the development of the brain of prehistoric man in itself, and not due to a sharp reduction in the time for searching for plant foods. The extraction of animal meat is also not a quick matter for prehistoric man. Here we state for the first time that the reason for the development of the brain of prehistoric man to the brain of a rational person lies not so much in the use of animal meat and not in the saving of time associated with this, but in the fact that man has learned to get a large amount of more concentrated plant foods, most likely, cereals, and this made it possible to increase the nutrition of the brain with blood several times!

This statement of ours, of course, requires proof. The reader will find them in later chapters of this book. At the time of Engels, there was no such evidence. It must be said that this evidence could appear only after the experiments of G.S. Shatalova.

Agriculture contributed more to the development of the human brain than animal husbandry.

Academician Alexander Mikhailovich Ugolev was an outstanding specialist in the field of physiology, and did a lot for science. For which he was nominated for the Nobel Prize, and in 1990 he was awarded the Order of the Red Banner of Labor, Friendship of Peoples, a gold medal named after. Mechnikov and the Hippocrates medal. Let's take a closer look at Ugolev's theory and the results of his research.

In 1958 academician Ugolev discovered previously unknown membrane digestion - a universal mechanism for the breakdown of nutrients into elements suitable for absorption. After the works of I.P. Pavlov (Nobel Prize in 1904) and the works of I.I. Mechnikov (Nobel Prize in 1908), the discovery of A.M. Ugolev is considered the largest contribution to the study of digestive problems.

A.M. Ugolev was the first to develop the theory of specific or adequate nutrition, and also fundamentally studied the physiology of digestion, which, with his participation, was transformed into a new science - gastroenterology. Based on the physiological characteristics of the digestive system of the human body, A. M. Ugolev established that a person is neither a herbivore nor a carnivore: he is a FRUIT-EVERY, that is, the species food for a person is fruits: berries, fruits, vegetables, seeds, roots, herbs, nuts and grains.

The theory of adequate nutrition was a new step in the theory of nutrition, significantly supplementing the classical theory of "balanced" nutrition, taking into account the ecological and evolutionary features of the functioning of the digestive system.

According to the theory of adequate nutrition, fats, proteins, carbohydrates, and the total calorie content of food are not the main indicators of its value. The real value of food is its ability to self-digest (autolysis) in the human stomach and at the same time be food for those microorganisms that inhabit the intestines and supply our body with the necessary substances.

The essence of autolysis discovered by academician Ugolev is that the process of digestion of food is determined by 50% by the enzymes contained in the product itself. Gastric juice only "turns on" the mechanism of self-digestion of food. The scientist compared the digestion by various organisms of tissues that have retained their natural properties and tissues that have undergone heat treatment. In the first case, the tissues were completely split, while in the second case, their structures were partially preserved, which made it difficult to digest food and created conditions for slagging of the body. Moreover, the principle of "raw food" turned out to be equally applicable not only to humans, but also to the digestive system of predators: when raw and boiled frogs were placed in the gastric juice of a predator, the raw frog was completely dissolved, and the boiled one was only slightly deformed superficially, because the enzymes necessary for its autolysis were dead.

According to Ugolev's research, not only the enzymes of gastric juice, but also the entire intestinal microflora is intended for the assimilation of a strictly defined type of food, and it is simply unacceptable to underestimate the importance of microflora. Here are just some of its functions: stimulation of immunity, suppression of foreign bacteria; improved absorption of iron, calcium, vitamin D; improvement of peristalsis and synthesis of vitamins, including cyanocobalamin (vitamin B12); activation of thyroid functions, 100% provision of the body with biotin, thiamine and folic acid. Healthy microflora assimilates nitrogen directly from the air, thanks to which it synthesizes the entire spectrum of essential amino acids and a number of proteins. In addition, it promotes the formation of leukocytes and enhanced cell renewal of the intestinal mucosa; synthesizes or converts cholesterol into components (stercobilin, coprosterol, deoxycholic and lithocholic acids), depending on the needs of the body; enhances the absorption of water by the intestines.

All this suggests that we should be more attentive to the needs of microflora. Its weight is 2.5 - 3 kg. Academician Ugolev proposed to consider the microflora as a separate human organ and emphasized that food should fully meet the needs of the intestinal microflora. So what is food for human microflora?

Food for our microflora is raw plant fiber. The excellent health and well-being of raw foodists, apparently, is explained by this: their food contains the maximum amount of fiber compared to any other food. Those who switch to eating foods that have not been subjected to high-temperature heat treatment immediately begin to sleep less by one and a half to two hours, and during the day they do not feel sleepy at all. Their working capacity increases, their mood rises and a stable, inexhaustible enthusiasm appears. The Gospel of the Essenes mentions that when healing people, Jesus recommended that they continue to eat only those foods that did not touch the fire, and even taught them to bake cakes on stones heated by the midday sun. In the cold season, in order to maintain the intestinal microflora in a healthy state, the human diet, in any case, should at least 50% consist of coarse crude fiber: fresh fruits and vegetables, nuts, greens, root crops.

Doctor of Medical Sciences G. D. Fadeenko, Professor of the Institute of Therapy of the Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine writes: “The symbiosis of macro- and microorganisms consists in the fact that the host “takes care” of the intestinal microflora, providing it with nutrients, and the microflora provides the macroorganism with the metabolites it needs and protects against invasion. pathogenic microbes. The previously existing principle of treatment - to "sanitize" and repopulate the intestines - does not correspond to modern ideas about the pathogenesis of bacterial overgrowth, and should not be applied. Think about these words. You can't take antibiotics! It is pointless. You just need to eliminate the cause of the spread of pathogens. To supply our microflora with raw plant fiber is what it means to “patronize” it. Then the microflora, in turn, will protect us from pathogenic microbes, and will supply us with all the vitamins and essential amino acids in the amount we need.

Now it is necessary to consider the process of digestion of meat products by the human body. Since human gastric juice has ten times less acidity than that of predators, meat in our stomach is digested for 8 hours; in patients, this takes longer. Vegetables take four hours to digest, fruits two hours to digest, and in a highly acidic state carbohydrates such as bread and potatoes are digested within one hour.

When eating meat along with other products, the body tunes in to the most complex program and secretes gastric juice of maximum acidity to digest meat - to the detriment of other, simpler programs. Potatoes and bread eaten with meat are already digested within an hour, and the process of fermentation and gas formation begins in the stomach.

The resulting gases put pressure on the pylorus (the muscle separating the stomach and duodenum 12) and cause its premature opening, as a result of which highly acidic gastric juice enters the small (duodenum 12) intestine along with fermented bread and underdigested meat, thereby neutralizing its slightly alkaline balance. , causing a burn and destroying the intestinal microflora. In addition to the pylorus, the pancreas and the gallbladder duct open into the duodenum, which can function normally only in the weakly alkaline environment of the duodenum. If, “due to” the deviation from the norms of specific nutrition and the grossest violation of the elementary norms of food hygiene in the duodenum, this situation is maintained periodically or permanently, the dysfunction of all valves and intestinal ducts becomes chronic, disrupting the functioning of the internal secretion organs.

The result of such an extremely inefficient and uncontrolled work of the gastrointestinal tract is the rotting of products and the decomposition of the body from the inside, with the release of an unpleasant body odor. At the same time, it is known that the famous queen Cleopatra who lived not so long ago, who did not even eat fish, had a skin fragrant with the smell of roses, and there was a smell of freshness from her mouth.

Another feature of species nutrition is the use of products that have retained their biological and enzymatic properties, in an effort to preserve as much as possible the energy contained in them, inherent in all living things.

If the food is not specific, that is, if the enzymes of the gastric juice do not correspond to the structures of the food entering the body, then the amount of energy spent on digestion may be greater than the body receives from the product itself. In this regard, it is useful to exclude from your diet not only non-vegetarian, but also artificially concentrated foods, as well as sugar, canned food, store-bought flour and products from it (only live, freshly ground flour is acceptable for the body). It should also be taken into account that during long-term storage, products gradually lose their biological energy. Until recently, in Rus', food was prepared mainly by the languishing method: cauldrons with food placed in them were placed in a Russian oven that had been heated in the morning, and by dinner, porridge and vegetables steamed in this way took on the necessary consistency, retaining nutrients and the enzymes necessary for their digestion .

Academician Ugolev established that the gastrointestinal tract is the largest endocrine organ that duplicates many functions of the pituitary and hypothalamus and synthesizes hormones depending on the contact of food with the intestinal walls, as a result of which the hormonal background of the body, and hence the state of our psyche, as well as our mood largely depends on the quality of the food we eat.

The most common "problem" of people who are thinking about switching to a vegetarian diet is providing the body with protein. Many people think that by giving up meat dishes, they will be deficient in protein. Most often, people ask exactly this question: “Where do vegetarians get their protein? After all, protein and many essential amino acids are found only in meat products! Of course, this is an erroneous statement and an unnecessary question. It can be answered simply: "We take them from the same place where they get into the meat of animals - from vegetables and fruits."

Proteins are large molecules built from smaller ones - amino acids. There are 22 amino acids, and it is believed that several of them (8 adults and 9 in children) cannot be synthesized by the body and must be obtained from food or supplied by the intestinal microflora, which is why they are called "essential". A "complete" protein is one that contains all 22 essential amino acids. It should be emphasized that it is important not how much "complete protein" can be obtained from one single product, but the total amount of amino acids consumed by a person.

Our body does not need proteins themselves, but amino acids, which are not “vegetable” or “animal”. Therefore, the statement about the need for animal protein for humans has no basis. Complete proteins with a full range of amino acids are found in all leafy vegetables containing chlorophyll, in all types of nuts, in some fruits (pears, persimmons, apricots), as well as in sprouted grains of wheat and other cereals.

Let us recall once again and especially emphasize that amino acids are called “essential” not because they are only in meat and therefore meat is “indispensable”, but because these amino acids most often cannot be synthesized by the body itself and must be synthesized either by the intestinal microflora human, or obtained from outside with food.

More details about the theory and research of A.M. Ugolev can be read in his writings.

Hello Andrei! I believe you are aware that Alexey Voevoda is a raw foodist, that is, he does not eat meat, dairy products, but only raw vegetables and fruits. What do you think about it? I would love to hear a detailed answer from you. I read an article that a raw food diet is good, but then the question arises, why is it not so common? Thanks in advance.

Source: Pro Status #2, 51; #3, 56.

I have been receiving letters like this regularly for the past two years. When I first received such a letter, I began to prepare an answer to the question, but it turned out to be so large that it gradually grew into a voluminous article, and I thought that this topic might be of interest to many readers. Then, for a number of reasons, the writing of the article stalled somewhat, and now I finally have the opportunity to take up this topic again.

Yes, I was present at the press conference of the A1 tournament, where Alexey Voevoda spoke about his concept of nutrition. He also talked about her during his master class.

Alexey Voevoda- an outstanding athlete, two-time Olympic champion in bobsleigh and three-time world champion in arm wrestling according to WAF. Now Alexey is a truly media personality, he is extremely popular, and even people who have nothing to do with sports know him. Therefore, a huge number of people listen to his dietary recommendations. And there was already a whole army of followers.

My attitude to such a diet ambiguous. I'll explain why. In the late 80s and early 90s of the last century, I was very seriously involved in nutrition and fasting. He studied the works of Paul Bragg, Herbert Shelton, Inna Litvina, Galina Shatalova. He carried out long fasts, at most 40 days, of which the first 5 days were dry, without drinking water. For two years I was a vegetarian, more precisely, a lacto-vegetarian. This direction allows the intake of dairy products, unlike vegans of a strict school, which recognizes only plant products.

But we will talk about the classification of areas of vegetarianism in more detail. So I don't know much about this topic. As you understand, there are many schools and trends in vegetarianism. Someone promotes such a diet for religious reasons, someone - for ethical reasons, protesting against the killing of animals, but there are also vegetarians, supporters of a healthy lifestyle. A lot of heterogeneous literature has been written, very emotional and often contradictory. Since I run the “Science” column in our online journal, we will approach this issue from a scientific point of view and consider only the works of scientists.

Alexey Voevoda, and many other adherents of vegetarianism, constantly refer to the works Academician A. M. Ugolev. Let's try to figure out how legitimate this is.

Alexander Mikhailovich Ugolev (1936-1991) was undoubtedly an outstanding Soviet scientist. Academician of the USSR Academy of Sciences in the Department of Physiology (1984), Doctor of Medical Sciences (1958). In 1958, A. M. Ugolev discovered a previously unknown membrane digestion - a universal mechanism for the breakdown of nutrients into elements suitable for absorption. His work “Membranous (contact) digestion” was recognized as a scientific discovery and entered in the State Register of Discoveries of the USSR under No. 15 with priority from December 1958.

After the works of I. P. Pavlov (Nobel Prize in 1904) and the works of I. I. Mechnikov (Nobel Prize in 1908), the discovery of A. M. Ugolsva is considered the largest contribution to the study of digestive problems.

By the way, Ugolev was also nominated for the Nobel Prize.

What is the essence of the famous discovery of the academician?

In the fact that in higher animals, along with digestion in the cavity of the alimentary canal, there is digestion on the outer surface of the intestinal cells under the influence of the enzymes fixed here, adsorbed from the chyme, and the own enzymes of the intestinal epithelium. This type of digestion is called parietal, or contact, membrane.

Unlike cavity digestion, which occurs in the cavity of the gastrointestinal tract under the influence of digestive juices, parietal digestion begins when nutrients come into contact with the surface of the intestinal epithelium in the pores of the brush border. Thanks to parietal digestion, the final stages of the breakdown of nutrients are carried out, favorable conditions are created for a continuous transition from digestion to absorption. In addition to parietal digestion, Alexander Mikhailovich made several more important discoveries, on which he subsequently built his famous theory of adequate nutrition.

Induced autolysis

Autolysis- this is the self-digestion of food due to the enzymes contained in the product itself. So, for example, it happens if a boa constrictor swallows a rabbit. Until recently, it was not clear how a swallowed whole victim is digested by a boa constrictor. Indeed, the contact surface of the prey with the enzymes of the gastric juice of the predator is relatively small, since the food object is not fragmented. It turned out, however, that before the enzymes of the predator hydrolyze the structures of the prey, starting from its surface, the body of this prey will be digested due to induced autolysis.

Here is what the academician himself writes in his book The Theory of Adequate Nutrition and Trophology (1991, the last book of the academician):

“Induced autolysis was investigated by us in model experiments called “Small artificial boa constrictor”. A “raw” frog and a frog after a short heat treatment were placed in a transparent chamber filled with human, horse, or dog gastric juice.
In the first few hours, the hydrolysis of the tendons of the heat-treated frog was faster than that of the "raw" frog, which served as a confirmation of conventional wisdom. However, in the next 2–3 days, the “raw” frog was completely dissolved, while the structures of the thermally treated frog were largely preserved. Thus, in these experiments, along with proving the existence of induced autolysis, it was demonstrated that native proteins are hydrolyzed faster than denatured ones.
Subsequently, we studied in detail the mechanism of digestion of native tissues by gastric juice. It turned out that the essence of this mechanism is as follows. The acidic gastric juice of the predator induces self-digestion of the prey by its own enzymes. Under the action of this juice, lysosomes are destroyed and numerous lysosomal hydrolases enter the cell, destroying all cell structures at pH 3.5-5.5.
Apparently, induced autolysis exists not only in carnivores, but also in herbivores. For example, when herbivores use fresh food, the breakdown of food is partly due to enzymes found in plant cells.”

The role of dietary fiber

The next discovery of the academician, which was very important for us, was the most important role dietary fiber.

In the orthodox concept of nutrition, the role of dietary fiber is reduced mainly to strengthening intestinal motility, adsorption of toxic substances and their removal from the body.

Ugolev proved that raw vegetable fiber is food for our friendly intestinal microflora, which produces a number of vitamins and synthesizes ALL ESSENTIAL AMINO ACIDS. In addition to amino acids, as a result of symbiotic digestion, that is, digestion due to microorganisms of the gastrointestinal tract, the human body receives vitamins, necessary organic substances and hormones.

The gastrointestinal tract as an endocrine organ

Speaking of hormones. Academician Ugolev established that the gastrointestinal tract is the largest endocrine organ that duplicates many functions of the endocrine glands, especially the pituitary and hypothalamus, and synthesizes hormones depending on the contact of food with the intestinal walls, as a result of which the hormonal background of the body, and hence the state our psyche, as well as our mood, largely depend on the quality of the food that we eat. That is, adhering to adequate nutrition, we normalize and improve the hormonal background of the body. Moreover, the gastrointestinal tract produces almost the entire spectrum of hormones, including steroid ones.

As I already wrote, his theory of adequate nutrition was based on these discoveries. But at the same time, the academician did not deny the theory of a balanced diet.

On the contrary, he wrote that she

“one of the most beautiful creations of the human mind, one of its greatest achievements in practical and humanistic consequences. Therefore, although this theory, like any other, must ultimately be criticized, it never ceases to amaze us.”

And he considered it part of his theory of adequate nutrition. With some fixes, of course.

And now the most interesting:

1. Ugolev didn't try change the ratio of proteins, fats, carbohydrates in the direction of reducing proteins. Moreover, in his last book he wrote:

“Thus, under stress, a negative nitrogen balance is caused not only by destruction, but also by insufficient intake of amino acids into the internal environment of the body. Therefore, under various types of stress, there is an effective way to correct protein metabolism by introducing amino acid mixtures that mimic these proteins into the diet instead of proteins that are not digested. The use of such mixtures is also advisable in emergency situations, during excessive physical exertion (for example, during expeditions), during sports competitions, during surgical interventions, etc.

“Certain prospects for optimizing nutrition are opened by improving the amino acid composition of food by introducing appropriate peptides instead of amino acids into it. As is known, in the 1970s and 1980s nutritional mixtures based on short peptides and free amino acids were developed. Foreign companies have released a number of peptide diets. It has been demonstrated that a diet containing short peptides is utilized more efficiently than a mixture of free amino acids. We and a number of other researchers (reviews: Carryner, 1984, 1988, and others) have shown the high value of protein hydrolysates containing short peptides. It should also be noted that, in contrast to the unpleasant taste of amino acid mixtures, dietary protein hydrolysates (including mixtures consisting of short peptides) in many cases have a rather pleasant taste. Peptide hydrolysates can be recommended for nutrition of weakened organisms, for short-term diets, for heavy physical exertion, etc.”

That is, even in those years, the academician perfectly understood the need for an increased amount of protein consumed by athletes and was even interested in the latest sports nutrition, peptide hydrolysates, recommending them to be taken during significant physical exertion. And this was at a time when only Enpit Protein was on our sports nutrition market!

2. Ugolev did not write anything about called specific human nutrition, about its fruitfulness. Moreover, he pointed out that:

“A rational diet based on the theory of balanced nutrition and suitable for Europeans cannot always be used for the nutrition of northern peoples, whose diet consists mainly of meat, fat and fish. However, this diet does not cause any harmful effects. Even more surprising is the predominantly plant-based diet of most Indians and many Negro tribes. In the diet of the latter, the total amount of protein does not exceed 5-8%. Equally striking are the differences in the consumption of minerals by different peoples. Particularly noteworthy is the nutrition of the Eskimos, who traditionally use food extremely rich in fats.
From Table. Figure 1 shows that the relative energy intake in the form of fat in the Eskimo reaches 47%, while in the Kikuyu it is only 10% (review: Harrison et al., 1979). Unlike the Eskimos, Europeans and Americans, like the Kikuyu, consume significantly less fat.”

Table 1. Average daily intake of fats, carbohydrates and proteins in different populations (according to: Harrison et al., 1979)

food component	Food and energy intake
food component	UK residents		Kikuyu		eskimos		the inhabitants of Barbados
	Quantity (g)	Energy (kJ)	Quantity (g)	Energy (kJ)	Quantity (g)	Energy (kJ)	Quantity (g)	Energy (kJ)
fats (38 kJ/g)	110	4150	22	832	162	6120	63	2380
carbohydrates (17 kJ/g)	400	5730	330	6500	59	990	416	7000
squirrels (17 kJ/g)	100	1680	100	1680	377	5870	45	755
Total	-	2 990	-	2158	-	3102	-	3411

3. Ugolev nothing didn't write about the benefits of raw food and vegetarianism. And he was neither a raw foodist nor a vegetarian.

4. Vegetarians and raw foodists have adopted only two discoveries of the academician, namely induced autolysis and the ability to produce essential amino acids as a result of symbiotic digestion. But autolysis occurs only during the digestion of raw animal food.

And Ugolev's experience with the self-dissolution of a frog in hydrochloric gastric acid cannot be transferred to plants. Self-digestion of plants in hydrochloric acid does not occur due to their dense acid-resistant cell wall, which was subsequently confirmed experimentally.

Ugolev himself in the quoted passage wrote:

"Apparently (!), induced autolysis exists not only in carnivores, but also in herbivores."

As for the production of essential amino acids by the intestinal microflora, the academician believed that all the necessary nutrients should be supplied in sufficient quantities with food, and in no case did he rely on bacteria alone.

Where did these references to Ugolev come from?

From Galina Sergeevna Shatalova, Candidate of Medical Sciences, Laureate of the Prize. Burdenko, the largest promoter of a healthy lifestyle, a convinced raw foodist and vegetarian. And those adherents of vegetarianism who attribute these views to A. M. Ugolev, in fact, never read his works, but read Shatalov. Believe me, I know what I'm talking about, I studied three of Ugolev's works out of eight published by him.

G. S. Shatalova developed a system of healthy nutrition and natural healing of the body based on the theory of adequate nutrition by A. M. Ugolev, whose student she called herself. Shatalova called her theory species nutrition theory. This theory, as the name implies, is based on the fact that each biological species has its own, unique nutrition, which fully satisfies all its needs. The camel receives all the nutrients it needs, builds up meat and accumulates fat in the humps, eating camel thorn. The lion prefers fresh meat, the hyena prefers rotten. Under no circumstances will a lion eat a camel's thorn, rather die of hunger, just as a camel is unlikely to eat meat. Adherents of a balanced diet consider a person to be an omnivore, citing the following argument.

The length of the human gastrointestinal tract is longer than that of carnivores, but shorter than that of herbivores.

In the stomach, there are no such specialized departments as in herbivores, where food is processed by bacteria. At the same time, the human stomach is not as round as that of predators. Based on the physiological characteristics of the digestive system of the human body, G.S. Shatalova came to the conclusion that a person does not belong to either herbivores or carnivores. And concluded that he FRUGIVOROUS, that is, the species food for humans are fruits: berries, fruits, vegetables, seeds, roots, nuts and cereals, that is, those parts of plants where the concentration of nutrients is immeasurably higher than in their green part. Only this explains the difference in the structure and physiological functions of the gastrointestinal tract of humans and herbivores.

The reaction in the human mouth is alkaline, as in herbivores, and not acidic, as in predators.

Noteworthy is the different tension of hydrogen ions in the blood. Research conducted by Shatalova at the Pskov Zoo showed that predators have a pH of 7.2; in herbivores - 7.6 7.8; in humans -7.4. As for meat, a person consumes it only after appropriate thermal and culinary treatment. A piece of raw meat for a person is hardly attractive in terms of taste.

Widely promoting her theory, Shatalova also worked with athletes, not limiting herself to theory, but conducting experiments with them. The results of the experiments were documented by specialists from the Research Institute of Physical Culture and Sports. Unfortunately, the study did not focus on strength athletes, but to the best of my knowledge, these were the only studies in the world with raw vegetarians that were conducted with high-level athletes.

One of the first was an experiment with ultramarathon runners. It was decided to include in the list of participants in the next mass run in 1983, dedicated to the Day of Cosmonautics, a group of athletes who switched to species nutrition. Their table was distinguished by an abundance of freshly prepared salads, porridges from whole grains and decoctions of medicinal herbs with honey. The control group was actually the entire race, but four athletes were selected for the protocol, who, in terms of their level of training, corresponded to the members of the experimental group.

The diet of athletes in the control group was compiled according to the standards developed by the Institute of Nutrition, and amounted to 180 g of protein, 200 g of fat and 900 g of carbohydrates, which corresponded to 6000 kcal.

Composition of products corresponded to scientific ideas: meat, fish, vermicelli, pasta, bread, tea, cocoa, chocolate, canned food, etc. The calorie content of the experimental group's diet during the preparation for the run was 800 kcal, on days of heavy loads - 1200 kcal. For seven days, the athletes had to overcome about 500 km. The skepticism of the commission members disappeared after the second day of the experiment. The participants of the experimental group came to the finish line of the next stage vigorous and fresh, in contrast to the control group. The objective results of the survey showed that the athletes of the experimental group were more enduring and not only did not lose, but also gained weight.

The results of the experiment stunned the sports committee, and Shatalova was given the right to select the best athletes in the country for its continuation. She managed to interest Raisa Smekhnova, master of sports of international class in marathon, and Anna Kharitonova, master of sports in long-distance running, with the system of natural healing.

Already in the next run in 1984, at a distance of 450 km, Kharitonova took sixth place out of 40 participants, of which she was the only woman.

And Smekhnova, three months after switching to species nutrition, takes third place in international competitions in Helsinki at the age of 32. This was followed by a brilliant series of experiments with climbers and mountain tourists, multi-day crossings through the Central Asian deserts, in which Shatalova herself took part, despite her age.

When walking 30-35 km a day on loose sands, the experimental group consumed only 600 kcal per day and no more than 1 liter of water, which is 10 times less than the recommended 10 liters.

In the period from 1983 to 1990, a truly unique series of experiments was carried out, which took place under the control and with the financial support of the Research Institute of Physical Culture and Sports, which showed the undeniable advantage of using specific nutrition in endurance sports and ultra-long transitions, including in difficult conditions: mountains , desert. Galina Shatalova considered the protein intake recommended in a balanced diet to be extremely high, pointing out that animal proteins require the consumption of 42 g of water per 1 g of protein.

Shatalova herself wrote that to maintain body weight for an adult weighing 60-70 kg, it is enough to consume 15-18 g of protein.

That is, 0.25 g of protein per 1 kg of weight.

We all know that carbohydrates and fats are composed of carbon, oxygen and hydrogen, and protein molecules, in addition to the above three elements, also contain nitrogen and sulfur.

Therefore, glucose, when it is in excess, can be converted into fatty acids, in turn, fatty acids and amino acids can be broken down to glucose, but carbohydrates and fats cannot be converted into amino acids, since they do not have nitrogen and sulfur atoms in the structure of their molecule.

So, a number of scientists suggest the possibility of direct conversion of air nitrogen into proteins. The great physiologist worked seriously on this problem. M. Sechenov, who paid attention to the content of nitrogen in arterial and venous blood. According to him, arterial blood contains much more of it than venous blood that has passed through the tissues of the body.

The studies of I. M. Sechenov were successfully continued by M. I. Volkov, who discovered two ways of converting gaseous nitrogen into proteins of the human body: first, with the help of nitrogen-assimilating bacteria located in the human upper respiratory tract, as well as in the large intestine; secondly, the assimilation of air nitrogen both by living matter and by the cells of a living organism, in particular by the enzymatic elements of the blood. According to the calculations of M. I. Volkov, if arterial blood contains 1.6% nitrogen per 100 volumes, and 1.34% nitrogen in venous blood, then it can be assumed that during the day the human body in the process of breathing through the blood can take 14.5 l, or 18 g of nitrogen. And this amount is enough to produce 112 g of protein in the body.

By the way, academician Gulyi also paid attention to the assimilation of atmospheric nitrogen by the organism of animals.

So, I cited all of the above from the book of Galina Sergeevna "Healing Nutrition". Let's try to analyze how fair her theory is.

To begin with, let us consider whether it is possible to speak of the specific nutrition of a person as a separate biological species.

I have already cited data from the book by A. M. Ugolev "Theory of Adequate Nutrition and Trophology" (St. Petersburg, Nauka, 1991) about the huge difference in the diet of different peoples.

Eskimos consume an average of 377 g of protein, 59 g of carbohydrates and 162 g of fat per day, and the inhabitants of Fr. Barbados - 45 g protein, 416 g carbohydrates and 45 g fat. Both of them feel great on their diet. Northern peoples have practically no plant foods in their diet. Here is what domestic researchers who studied the culture of the Evens write about this.

By the end of XIX - beginning of XX centuries. The basis of the Evens' diet was products obtained and produced on their own farm: meat, fish, reindeer milk, wild edible plants. And this traditional way of life support retained its decisive importance for a very long time, including the Soviet period.

“The collection was only ancillary. The Evens were not particularly eager to stock up berries, nuts, and edible roots for the winter. Everything collected was consumed fresh.

For example, the Berezovsky Evens until the end of the 1960s almost did not eat bread, did not stock up on flour. Properly chosen nutrition contributes to the adaptation of the human body to harsh environmental conditions.

“In the extreme conditions of the North,” write well-known researchers N. A. Agadzhanyan and P. G. Petrova, “all types of metabolism are involved in a long adaptation process: protein, carbohydrate, fat, microelement, vitamin, etc., while it is important an increase in the role of fat-lipids in the energy supply of the body, as well as the active use of proteins as an energy material. The Asian North forms a polar metabolic type. It is characterized by a decrease in the energy role of carbohydrates, an increase in the energy role of fats and, to a lesser extent, proteins ”[Agadzhanyan N.A., Petrova P.G. Man in the conditions of the North. - M.: Kruk, 1996, p. 48]. History and culture of the Evens. Historical and ethnographic essays. - SPb., 1997].

The nutrition of representatives of other northern peoples has its own national differences, but all of them almost always lack carbohydrates. Currently, scientists are concerned about the fact that the northern peoples are dying out. One of the main reasons is that they changed their habitual way of eating, the mass fraction of carbohydrates in the diet increased significantly. Genetically, their body is not able to digest them in such quantities. This leads to disruption of the established metabolism and, as a result, to the appearance of diseases unusual for the inhabitants of the Far North: coronary heart disease, arterial hypertension, etc. This is especially noticeable in children. When they get to boarding schools, where the entire food system is built according to the European type, they begin to get sick.

I think everyone knows the fact how quickly the representatives of the northern peoples get drunk. Enzyme acetaldehyde degrogenase(AlDG), which is designed to neutralize random doses of alcohol that have entered the bloodstream, is produced very successfully and in large quantities by all southern peoples who have been eating grapes and other sweet fruits for thousands of years. They eat them, they wander in their gastrointestinal tract, forming alcohol, and, accordingly, an enzyme is produced that neutralizes this alcohol. In the northern peoples, ALDH is not produced practically at all.

By the way, not only northern peoples are so susceptible to alcohol.

In the early 1970s, residents of Southeast Asian countries were described symptom complex, called the flash reaction (Wolff 1972. 1973). The oxidation of alcohol in the liver occurs in two stages. In the first step, alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) converts ethanol to acetaldehyde. This substance is much more toxic than ethanol, and it is its accumulation that leads to unpleasant sensations. At the second stage, under the action of AlDH, acetaldehyde is oxidized to form harmless products that are excreted from the body.

The indigenous population of Southeast Asia is characterized by a combination of fast ADH with slow ADH. As a result of alcohol intake, ethanol is quickly converted into toxic acetaldehyde, and its further removal is slow, and its concentration in the blood is 10-30 times higher than in Europeans at similar doses (Luu et al. 1995. Enomoto et al 1991) . From time immemorial, Southeast Asia was inhabited by nomadic tribes who did not have agriculture, and they provided themselves with food by cattle breeding and hunting. That is, their diet also consisted of proteins and fats with a minimum of carbohydrates. Based on the foregoing, it can be assumed that Shatalova's species nutrition, frugality, raw food and vegetarianism would bring very dubious benefits to the inhabitants of the Far North and the inhabitants of Southeast Asia.

Representatives of different ethnic groups differ strikingly in the features of the structure of the digestive organs (for example, in blacks, the length of the small intestine is one meter shorter than that of a European, so there is some advantage in bodybuilding - the waist is thinner), in the chemical composition of saliva, blood, digestive juices, in the microflora of the oral cavity and large intestine. And these features do not depend much on the place of residence and nutrition, but are transmitted genetically. Therefore, it is impossible to talk about the specific nutrition of a person as a whole, but only about the specific nutrition of a particular race.

Next, we will consider the criticism of G. S. Shatalova by the doctor and publicist M. Ya. Zholondz, we will tell the point of view of Professor V. I. Seluyanov on the results of her experiments and move on to the topic of vegetarianism directly in power sports.

More details about the theory and research of A.M. Ugolev can be read in his writings.