Fredrik Murman wrote:

 > ..Perhaps you've already read about me and seeds,

Hi Frederik,
yes I read what you wrote about seeds - you see them as a general problem.
Well they have some very good properties.
Nutritionally, if you ate *only* seeds, it would be hard to create a
composition witch wasn't sound. What plants give their seeds is the best
start for a new life. Compact, in small space you find more
protein,vitamins, minerals than you'd need with the same amount as
energy is included.

In contrast to other food items like just green plant material or fruit
you have to eat much less, in volume.

No doubt we belong to the primates and no doubt at some time, some
millions of years ago "we" lived from a fruit dominated diet.
With a some seeds included, probable insects, possibly small animals.

What changed in the million years of humanogenesis was a size increase,
relative gut length reduction, teeth size reduction, brain enlargement.
And the environment from rainforest to savannah.
That speaks for a denser food source.
Best candidates are, IMO, tubers and seeds (Both are more abundant in
the savannah). Animal prey is a candidate. But it lacks energy and isn't
very dense.

So far, seeds are perfect human food.

 > but here's a summary with
 > some new information: When I stopped eating cereal grains and other seeds,
 > including nuts and legumes, my health improved markedly. Reintroduction of
 > wheat in the form of porridge made of crushed whole seeds, and later raw
 > peanuts, both ended with decline in my mental and physical health....
  > All this doesn't of course mean
 > that ALL seeds are bad for me. Perhaps some of the seeds I once ate were
 > too processed, or they were not prepared in right way.

Then, there's the bad side of the medal.
Seeds are protected. I don't see this as a general problem for a
primate. Even a fruit-only-primate would have eaten many of the various
seeds. Every animal has mechanisms to digest and "detoxify" the food it
is to rely on. But this might be partial or to a limited extent.
For example if you leave goats on a meadow, they first eat only the very
best herbs of the whole area. Later, they can eat all. But it seems,
there are less desired items. Probably such, which protect themselfes
better with some chemicals (against goat).

Reading about these antinutrients in the gral of "health food people",
in cereal grains, shocked me a little. Most "health food people" are not
aware of that.

Now, it looks just like that:
10k years ago humans discovered a new food resource to live on in
*quantity*, which would have eaten before in small quantities.
Cereal grains (grass seeds) plus legumes.
This was possible due to heating, which destroys nearly all of the
(otherwise strong) chemical defense of the plant (exception phytin).
Also only possible because the vitamin content of the grass seeds is so
high, that the *loss*  in heating can be tolerated.
This resource was available in "endless" quantities - fields.

Now while I can't see a general problem to eat seeds also grass seeds
(it was very successfull) I see a contemporary problem.
Today few people ever eat the seeds as they were eaten more than 200
years ago. Properly prepared.
And our digestive tract seems to be much more under attack than before
(why?).

You report of problems with cereals, then also nuts.
Reading this, I thought - annother one with severe intolerance against
gluten or wheat protein. Plus nuts (most allergies are against nuts).
I think it's widespread. Many more are so and too many do not pay the
proper attention to it.
I don't know any other way to get rid of it as to just avoid them.
This is the way Ray Audette came to the idea - so it looks to me.
He has two of the most common allergies (wheat and milk) and found a
reasoning in his view of "stone age".
Any diet skipping his allergens would have helped.
And this would have been much harder as a vegetarian, btw..

 > If I'm not mistaken you still are a vegetarian. What kind of seeds are you
 > eating? How do you prepare them?

Yes. No animal bodies of any kind.
My primary change was to nearly leave out wheat products
(I didn't eat processed cereals anyway and didn't like sweet items).
I have broadened my seed palette, as well as my fruit palette and
generally tubers and edible items.
I consider each species seperately and don't lump all cereals together
with "wheat". This "wheat" is IMO a dangerous product of our times and
very different from stone age "wheat".
Some cereals I like, that is rye (but I can stand it only in the form of
proper grown sourdough of one bakery) and oats and rice.
Other seeds I eat frequently are pumpkin seeds, sesame(tahin), quinoa,
macadamia nuts.
Sometimes millet walnuts sunflowers.
Some favourites for me are chickpeas (1ce per week), chestnuts,
and some tasty varieties of lentils.

I eat unusual huge amounts of vegetables and salads.
Some special local turnip-like plants I eat a lot.
Tubers, I eat white potatoes, sweet potatoes.
I never drink milk, but I like white cheese, mostly goat and sheep.
6 weeks a year I go vegan.

Fat, I eat  olive oil, red palm oil, flaxseed oil, coconut oil,  hemp
oil, ghee, butter, walnut oil.
I never eat pre-mixed food (mixtures with ingredient lists).

Supplements: I eat an acerola preparation for vit. C occasionally. And
still inject B12, occasionally. Nothing else.
I'm allergic against hazelnut, soy, capsicum (green pepper) and one type
of meat. I do well on cereals and legumes. Maybe not-so-well with milk.


So, you see it's different from what most think of as the paleo diet.
I use my own head to think of a food item, if it *appeals* me or not.
If I think this is whole or not.
If I think the preparation is acceptable or not.

time to close sometime

regards

Amadeus
now going to enjoy the fireplace -memories of millions of years
outside it's all white and there was a beautiful sun today