Are you a predator (victor) or a scavenger (victim)?

This post is based on research carried out by Ori Hefmekler.  Ori is close to 60 years old now and hovers around 6-8% body fat all year round.  Not only is he an impressive athlete ( a former Israeli special forces officer ) but he is also a noted military historian and political cartoonist as well as a broadcaster, prolific health and fitness writer (Warrior Diet) and entrepreneur (Defense Nutrition).

We are, according to anthropologists and naturalists, a species of predator. We evolved to hunt, kill and eat other animals.  We have eyes mounted in the front of our heads like other predators e.g. bears, lions, wolves etc. whereas prey animals e.g.deer, rabbits, birds etc. have theirs mounted on the side of their heads to aid a wider field of vision with smaller blind spots.  That being said when homo sapien is compared to other predators, like those listed above for instance, our arsenal of sensory/physiological weapons is woefully lacking (see below).

Weapons                                       Rating
Vision                                            Limited, particularly in low light situations
Hearing                                         Very limited
Smell                                             Very limited
Touch                                            Limited
Taste                                             Sophisticated
Muscular strength                          Limited, even when compared to other closely related
                                                     primates                                                  
Muscular endurance                      Quite impressive
Intelligence                                    Unlimited
Learning ability                              Unlimited

One of the main reasons we are comparable (or even superior?) to bigger stronger predators is our intellectual learning ability.  To gain knowledge from our experiences and improve on our previous actions is the key to hunting/survival success and avoidance of being predated ourselves.  At the deepest levels of our psyche and physiology we are goal driven predators (victorious in the hunt, victorious in survival).

The polar opposite of this survival paragon  is the scavenger (who plays the victims role in this primeval tale).  The victim is reactive rather than proactive.  The scavenger allows the world to shape their destiny while the predator strives to shape their own destiny.

Take away points :  Next time you are doing your shopping, rather than scavenging in the supermarket aisles, fill your trolley with FOOD ! Food, you ask?  Yes I mean real foods i.e. food that will nourish your body rather than poison it.  'Hunt' and gather whole foods like meat, fish, eggs, nuts and seeds and fruits and vegetables. Purchase foods with as few ingredients in them as possible.  Avoid 'scavenging' for non foods (anything that will rob your body of it's reserves rather than nourish it).  Non foods include : alcohol, biscuits, doughnuts, sugar, bread, rice, pasta, chocolate, ice cream, muffins etc.

The average supermarket is crammed full of around 40,000 different products, all but a handful of them will make you into a fat, grazing scavenger victim. Isn't it time you reclaimed your hunter/gatherer instincts and became the goal driven, successful victor of your own story?

Your comments and views are always welcome.