On Wed, 19 May 1999, Bernard Lischer wrote:

> Ken Stuart wrote:
>
> >Flax seeds are even smaller than grains - why would it even occur to a
> >hunterer-gatherer to eat them?
>
> I agree.  The probability that tiny herb-seeds like flax and sesame have
> contributed significantly to the energy intake of pre-agricultural diets is,
> IMO, not much greater than that of grain.

It depends on how you think about these things.  If Ray's
"foreign protein" idea is correct, the percentage of energy
intake is irrelevant, since even small quantities of flax would
provide sufficient protein to affect the immune system and thus
create selection pressure.

There is a passage in the New Testament where Jesus and the
apostles are "busted" for breaking the Sabbath by picking whole
wheat kernels and rubbing in them in their hands to remove the
husks, in order to eat them.  I presume that paleolithic people
could do the same.  Granted, this would be a seasonal thing as it
is with fruit and nut consumption.  Nevertheless, if the argument
is valid that seasonal consumption of fruit and nuts is
sufficient to allow us to adapt to them, then I suppose it should
work for those grains that we had access to as well.

Ray has emphasized that we should recognize the intelligence of
hunter-gatherers, and to me this implies that they were shrewd
opportunists, discovering and exploiting every nutritional nook
and cranny of their environment.

Todd Moody
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