Duck Digestion

Wild Ducks

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Sometimes the animal kingdom can give us insights into diet wisdom.  Take the common duck for example, here is some duck digestion wisdom.  A duck is a natural grain eater.  It’s digestive tract is perfectly developed for digesting grains.  When a duck eats grain, it collects in the crop, although a ducks crop is really just an enlarged part of the esophagus.  The grain can spend up to 16 hours there where it is kept moist and warm and these conditions are perfect for fermentation.  Sometimes it even begins to sprout. 

After this treatment it moves on down to the gizzard where it is ground between two hard muscular plates that are usually supplemented with small pieces of stone which the duck has eaten for this purpose.  In essence the grain is stone ground, before passing on down into the stomach where it is digested in exactly the same way as a human.

Humans don’t have the digestive mechanism to treat grains this way, but over thousands of years we developed external ways to do the very same thing.  For example a traditional way to prepare oats is to soak them overnight before cooking them for breakfast.  A traditional way to prepare corn is using a nixtamalization process where the corn is soaked in a warm wood ash liquid (alkaline) or in lime overnight, which releases the grains niacin content (vitamin B3) for humans to digest.  Without this step the niacin remains locked up and unavailable.

Here is the fascinating thing.  When ducks are fed standard bread which is basically the same content as the grains the ducks eat naturally, it causes them to suffer from a condition called “Angel Wing”.    In this state the birds wings can stick out unnaturally, preventing them from flying, and in the wild, this can be fatal.  So where grains are not soaked, fermented and then ground as whole grains, the duck gets sick. 

As humans have focused on convenience and profit, we have forgotten about traditional food preparation, and steps taken to externally prepare grains before eating them.  The ducks provide evidence that we might be advised to take another look at traditional preparation approaches to grains. 

Surprisingly grains can be dangerous for human consumption.  Grains contain oxalates which many people do not tolerate well and can contribute to calcium oxalate which is the content of kidney stones.  Grains also contain lectins which research has linked to autoimmune diseases such as arthritis, MS, type-1 diabetes, Hashimoto’s, Lupus, and Celiac disease.  Grains contain phytic acid which can damage teeth and bind up critical nutrients such as iron and zinc making them inaccessible to the body.

Traditional methods of grain preparation, refined over thousands of years can drastically reduce the level of these anti-nutrients reducing inflammation and releasing vital minerals and vitamins.

Seek professional medical advice before dietary changes, particularly if on medication.  George Elder, Health Coach, Author, Diploma in Nutrition.  The best thing you can do for your health is eat better.