On Tue, 2 Jul 2002, Phosphor wrote:

> But even then, the deer *meat* remains
> > lean.  The added fat is deposited elsewhere on the body.
>
> well yes, we should be eating depot fat. that's the fat around the steak
> which cordain tells us to cut off.

No it isn't.  That's muscle fat.  Depot fat is stored in places
like around kidneys and organs, fatty humps on some animals, and
subcutaneous fat pockets.  The fat that Cordain tells us to cut
off is not present on game meats such as venison.

> The only issue is whether there is too much omega 6 in the intrmuscular fat.
> i doubt there is too much to make a huge difference, not in comparison to
> cereals. tallow is about 3% omega 6 from what i can remember.

Too much omega 6 is not the only issue.  Too little omega 3, in
absolute terms, is a separate issue.

> > Liver is not a good fat source.  Omega 3s in fish are mainly in
> > cold water fish, which paleo man didn't eat until the mesolithic
> > period.
>
> well it is actually. since the liver in most fish is comparatively larger
> than in land animals as it helps with buoyancy, as does the oil. salmon, sea
> trout, etc are all good source of oil and omega 3s. no need to pretend that
> paleo's didnt eat fish, not even Amadeus would believe you on that one.

Consumption of fish in significant amounts is one of the defining
characteristics of the mesolithic age.  I agree that they are
good sources of omega 3 oil, but the kind of fish you are talking
about could not have been an important part of the diet of
paleolithic people.  Nets and fishhooks weren't invented until
about 40,000 years ago.

> suggesting olive and flax as suitable paleo fat substitutes is just not
> logical.

Cordain, you will recall, also recommends fish.  There isn't just
one way to do this.  The fat in fatty meat is virtually devoid of
omega-3.  We were discussing why Cordain recommends avoidance of
fatty meat, a recommendation that you regarded as ludicrous.  The
reason is that the fat in most fatty meat has a poor fatty acid
composition.  Now we are talking about alternative fat sources.
You are Cordain agree that cold water fish are an excellent
choice.  The remaining point of disagreement, then, is whether
olive and flax oil have a place as alternative fat sources.  I
agree that they could not have been an important part of the
actual paleolithic diet, but then neither could cold water fish.

Todd Moody
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