> Phil > Based on that criterion, tomato, winter squashes, avocado,
> capsicum, and chili peppers would be nonPaleo, since they are New
> World foods.
> 
> Well, they're certainly open to question.  There is a reason many
> people have problems with nightshades.
> 
> Jim

That still leaves squash, which are from the family cucurbitaceae, rather
than nightshade, as well as other New World foods that are generally
considered Paleo, such as...

avocado
guava
papaya
pecan
pineapple
sunflower
turkey

There is some question about squashes, since they apparently were originally
toxic and were selected for less toxicity over time, but I find it a bit
hard to believe that those other foods would have been unhealthy in the
past.

Also, if all New World foods are nonPaleo, that would make explaining the
good health of New World natives such as the Australian aborigines more
difficult with the theory of Paleolithic nutrition, though one might still
be able to do it by saying that New World foods that evolved relatively
recently, biologically speaking, from Old World foods would be OK (like
American bison and huckleberries) and would offset the negative effects of
older New World foods.

Plus, the cacao tree (theobroma cacao) and the African cola (kola) tree
(cola vera, cola acuminata and cola nitida) are both from the family
sterculiaceae, so the cacao tree therefore likely evolved from an African
sterculiaceae tree. So, just as the New World American bison evolved from
Old World European bison and New World huckleberries and blueberries evolved
from Old World bilberries, so did the New World cacao tree evolve from the
Old World cola tree. Do we really want to avoid cacao, bison, blueberries,
avocado, guava, papaya, pecan, pineapple, sunflower seeds and turkey because
they are New World foods?