Ward says,

>Hmmm, no comment about B-12 here, which I also mentioned. Remember
>that B-12 too has its ultimate origin in the animal kingdom, and that it is

Not true.  So far as I know, bacteria (plants --- oops! I see Martha
agrees but says bacteria are no longer plants nor animals either) are the
only organisms capable of manufacturing B-12.  Animals (including human
animals) store B-12 in their tissues, primarily the liver, but plants are
the ultimate originators of B-12.

>I would like to see some kind of peer-reviewed studies documenting the
>above claim about the supposed difficult digestion of meat. I believe

Me too.

> It is very frustrating never to
>see any bona-fide scientific evidence about this one way or the other.

True.

>The above statements seem to assume that one should eat only the most
>easily digestible, least-acid-forming, least decayed,
least-waste-forming foods.

This may indeed be true.  It is not clear at all to me that historical
diets were ever optimal diets either for us or for our ancestors, so
emulating a paleolithic diet is not tops on my priority list.  It is very
clear to me that modern man does not live on an optimal diet for himself.
 Maybe it was always thus for our species.

>(Most evolutionary biologists now believe the larger brain size would
not have been possible without the increase in animal food.)

An interesting point to ponder.  My own brain power seems to relate most
to raw grains, but I'm still not so sure how suitable they are as foods
long-term.

>If you don't agree to this basic axiom of evolution (that species
>adapt to persistent behavior), then you are basically saying you don't
>believe in the mechanism which is the engine of the evolutionary process itself.

I would *never* do that, Ward! (:-;).  However I am reminded of the Law
of Life that states that the organism adapts to poisons that are
persistent and cannot be eliminated.  This adaptation mechanism is vital
for survival, but it doesn't mean that the organism would not be better
off if it were not confronted with the poison at all.
The ideal environment for an organism is one in which no adaptation is
required.

>It would be helpful to see some positive statements about what you
>*do* stand for on these points rather than just criticisms about what
>you  do not, so we could see on what basis you are reasoning from.

When I get it figured out, I'll let you know.

Bob Avery ([log in to unmask])