-----Original Message-----
From: Ron Hoggan, Ed. D. <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask]
Sent: Sun, Jun 28, 2009 7:55 pm
Subject: Re: Paleo Diet offers the net-base balance needed


>>While dramatic population growth accompanied cereal grain cultivation, it
may not have been the only factor. It may not even have been the driving
force behind this enormous population growth. <<

The real difference that
grain crops (broadly defined) and domesticated herd animals made was in allowing armies
to bring their food supply with them, which in turn allowed societies
with armies to conquer and displace peoples getting their food some
other way.? Fortresses and other signs of organized militarism begin to
turn up in the archaeological record as soon as people begin grain
farming.? The story of any ancient farming society generally ends with
the society overworking its soil, crashing its ecosystem, and moving on
to fresh conquests.? The soils of many of these areas, Iraq for instance, 
haven't recovered yet.

With premodern technology, armies were limited to grains and herds.?
Nowadays any food can be made into MREs.? It would be an interesting
experiment to feed a unit of Marines a paleo diet and see how they do
compared with other units performing the same assignments. 

>>Further, if you look at the enormous tracts of land currently used to
cultivate grains, there are many other foods that could be grown instead of
grains in most of these areas. More intensive farming could produce
enormously greater quality and quantities of vegetables and fruits. It would
take an enormous paradigm shift to do so, but to take the position that
there just isn't any alternative is, I think, incorrect.  <<


I keep hearing this same thing: that we need to keep growing grains and 
feeding people mainly grains or there's going to be mass starvation.  I'd like 
to be able to refer to some research that's been done on the subject. Do you
know of any such work, demonstrating at least in theory that as many people could be as well nourished 
on the same amount of land used for fruits, veggies and meat as for grains?  

~ Joan Howe