Instinctonutrition and the Environment

We have entered an era where we must consider every action we take in terms of environmental preservation.

This question is particularly relevant to our diet, even if this factor is generally overlooked: to what extent are our eating habits responsible for the degradation of the natural environment? What are the ecological consequences of the development of culinary arts, the massive consumption of grains, dairy products, and animal meat? Isn’t there a way of eating that guarantees both the health of consumers and the preservation of the environment?

All living species have always fed themselves at the expense of the environment. Predation is part of the very laws of life, and humanity cannot be blamed for living at the expense of the natural environment. However, primitive ecological balances developed over millions of years in accordance with natural laws. These laws are numerous and complex, and we certainly only know a small part of them. The establishment of an ecological balance between an intelligent species and the natural world is unprecedented in the planet’s history. Unfortunately, our understanding does not allow us to foresee all the consequences.

Thanks to its intelligence, humankind has been able to invent all sorts of devices that have allowed it to survive and gain dominance over other species. The pride we derive from this could well mask ecological damage of unprecedented scale. The most glaring examples are industrial and automotive pollution. However, we cannot ignore the consequences of our dietary habits: these have repercussions, in particular, on agricultural practices and the waste returned to the environment.

The various food processing methods each have their specific consequences, the current situation being the continuation, repetition, or exacerbation of environmental degradation whose origins date back several millennia. Here are the main ones:

Cooking and seasoning allow for the consumption of much larger quantities of grains, tubers, meat, fish, and many other foods that are only marginal in the natural diet, endangering numerous animal and plant species.
Grain cultivation disrupts the environment through the clearing of forests and the plowing of vast areas.
The consumption of meat, animal milk, and dairy products requires the multiplication of livestock.
The expansion of livestock farming contributes to the desertification of deforested regions and now generates massive grain consumption.
The wood used for cooking in less industrialized regions maintains or worsens desertification. Smoke from fireplaces, combined with that from slash-and-burn agriculture, pollutes the atmosphere, now compounded by smoke from factory chimneys.
Molecular denaturation due to cooking generates a wide range of new chemical species that return to the natural environment and insidiously pollute water and soil.
The stimulating effects of denatured foods increase the frequency of sexual activity and the risk of unintended pregnancies, impacting population growth and the overall level of predation and pollution.
The indirect consequences of culinary arts on psychological functioning and structuring give rise to false needs that are a driving force behind industrial development and pollution.
The population explosion justifies the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, the effects of which on the land and groundwater are only very slowly reversible. 10. Overconsumption of fish and other seafood, due to processing and cooking, depletes the oceans of their resources.

On the other hand, one might wonder what the ecological balance between humans and nature would be like if our diet had remained similar to that of our pre-culinary ancestors. As can be observed in chimpanzees in their natural habitat, the natural diet of primates consists roughly of 60% fruit, 30% leaves or roots, and 10% plant and animal proteins. Seeds are only consumed occasionally. Measurements taken over long periods within the framework of instinctonutrition have shown precisely the same averages for humans.

If humanity were ever to revert to a primitive diet, the countryside would see the disappearance of almost all cereal and other grain crops. Ploughed fields would be replaced by orchards and fruit hedges, slowing wind and runoff. Market gardens would occupy roughly the same area as today, but would be advantageously cultivated under some of the fruit trees, with the main area covered by natural meadows where poultry and livestock could roam freely.

Such a crop distribution would be much better suited to organic or biodynamic farming, would prevent erosion and the need for pesticides, would promote biodiversity, and would ensure a better hydrological balance thanks to widespread tree cover.

The normalization of sexual arousal would curb the population explosion, the normalization of psychological structures would restore aggression to its natural level, and the rediscovered love of fruit in its original gustatory splendor would re-establish respect for nature…

We are swimming in pure utopia here. However, this extrapolation has some merit: it suggests that questioning culinary art could be an important, if not the main, pillar in the fight to save the planet…

Practical Problems

The awareness that naturally results from a healthy diet is undoubtedly the best ecological motivation that exists. A love of fruit leads to respect for nature, trees, and forests; sensitivity to artificial flavors leads to the rejection of agrochemicals and the chemical industry; and the restored physiological and psychological well-being frees us from all sorts of false needs induced by the consumption of processed foods.

The only environmental drawback currently associated with the practice of instinctotherapy is the transportation of exotic products. These represent only a small portion of the average product range and are essential only from a hedonic or therapeutic perspective, but the environmental impact of air or sea freight, depending on the product, is regrettable. The overall pollution remains very low, however, because the majority of products come from nearby regions, are grown without chemicals, and are not altered by cooking. Furthermore, the improved physical condition eliminates the need for most medications.

The pollution attributable to transportation is not inherently linked to distance. It stems from the propulsion methods of airplanes and ships. The development of imports of exotic products, and the growing environmental awareness fostered by instinctotherapy, could, on the contrary, accelerate the development of non-polluting transportation. This will be possible as soon as hydrogen replaces diesel for ships, or even kerosene for airplanes. There is nothing preventing cargo ship engines from being powered by hydrogen in the very near future, as the thermally insulated tanks will find ample space and protection. It is primarily a matter of industrial will, and we can hope that diesel will be phased out within a reasonable timeframe, with the added advantage of eliminating all pollution from illegal dumping or oil spills.

The problem is more complex for airplanes, but a solution must be found to address the depletion of oil resources. It should also be noted that a massive increase in imports by ship would encourage the development of rapid distribution networks, thus avoiding air transport. Ideally, large oil tankers could be converted into fruit transport vessels. This would provide a solution to the problem of oil spills…