Maddy,

I think the objection to vinegar from a paleolithic point of view is that
it's processed.  Cordain also says it's bad for you.  I've heard from other
nutritionists that it's good for you (if it's raw and unfiltered), so
apparently that's debatable.

<<So, the vinegar ban would mean no mayonnaise, (except homemade, using lemon
juice instead of vinegar) no mustard, no pickles or sauerkraut. Once I saw
sauerkraut and pickles in the HFS made with only salt and no vinegar. I'll
have to give them a try, for when I get a "sour" food craving.>>

True lacto-fermented vegetables (pickles, sauerkraut) do not have vinegar.
The lactic acid from the fermentation does the preserving.  If you use whey
as an innoculate, then you don't have to use as much salt.  But whey comes
from draining yogurt--i.e. it's a milk product.  There are other problems
with fermentation from a paleo perspective: fermented foods are processed,
and they are also salty.  Paleolithic people did not eat them.  Making your
own pickles is very tricky--I've tried it.  I doubt that cavemen did it.  And
then there's the salt-to-potassium issue.  We eat way too much salt.
Paleolithic people ate more potassium than salt; for us, it's the reverse.

<<Sheryl, the link you provided about lectins is very intersting. It lists
numerous seemingly divergent diseases as being responsive to a lectin free
diet, particularly those of an autoimmune nature. It mentions vinegar too,
but doesn't go into detail about it.>>

I don't remember the vinegar mention.  I'll have to go back and look again.

     - Sheryl