Re comment:- "You are implying that the "shoreline theory" is flawed because paleos could 
> not tolerate such a lean diet. In fact, paleos typically lived near the shoreline 
> so that they had access to the widest possible range of foods. Here is a 
> description from Wikipedia of the Karankawa tribe in TX (note the low-carb 
> diet):"

 

I don't personally think it's valid to compare more modern hunter-gatherer tribes with Palaeo tribes. Granted, there must have been some similiarities, re low-carb or whatever, but there must also have been wide differences. For example, bows and arrows and traps weren't invented until very late into the Palaeolithic era(c.60,000 years ago).

 

As regards the shoreline argument, like I said before, there are also plenty of palaeo sites which are far inland, well away from the sea, so while I think it rather unlikely that palaeo men near shorelines avoided all shellfish, it doesn't seem at all likely that a shoreline diet was a universal phenomenon.

 

Here's a standard webpage debunking the shoreline-based notion, covering some of the points I made re coldwater fish, and more:-

 


http://www.aquaticape.org/omega3.html

 

 

Re comment:- "Paleos preferred fat. They would eat the organs, brains, marrow, and render 
> the fat around the organs. Read Lewis and Clark or Man's Rise to Civilation by 
> Peter Farb."

 

Well, Cordain's interpretation is that they prized fat, such as found in the organ-meats, precisely because of its relative scarcity. And organ-meats, from what I've heard, only comprise something like 10% of total edible bodyweight.


 

Geoff








 
> Date: Mon, 29 Jun 2009 10:36:02 -0400
> From: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: Paleo Diet offers the net-base balance needed
> To: [log in to unmask]
> 
> On Mon, 29 Jun 2009 10:42:30 +0100, Geoffrey Purcell 
> <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> 
> >Last I checked, seafood is generally viewed as very lean. The only exception 
> are deepwater fish but those presumably wouldn't have been caught in palaeo 
> times, given the lack of ships, until recent times.
> 
> > "The indigenous peoples that lived along the Texas Coast from Galveston 
> Island to a location southward far past Corpus Christi, Texas endured much 
> hardship from the elements. The bays, back bays, lagoons and bayous along 
> the Texas Coast, were the tribal hunting and harvesting grounds. The shallow 
> waters in the bays allowed them to wade out into the deep pools with lances 
> or bows and arrows, to spear fish as the older men, women and children 
> harvested the waters for blue and stone crabs, oysters, mussels, sea turtles, 
> shellfish, and other edible crustaceans. They also would eat deer and turtles.
> 
> They wintered around the coastal bays, eating oysters, clams, shellfish, black 
> drum, redfish, spotted seatrout and the other abundant species of fish. During 
> the summer months, and hot weather the oysters, clams and other shellfish 
> are not safe to eat, and the fish make their yearly migration out the pass, 
> which in turn would send the tribal bands migrating further inland as well. 
> Summer tropical storms and hurricanes would have an impact on this decision 
> to move further inland as well. There are accounts that Karankawas were 
> seen as far inland as Colorado County at Eagle Lake, close to 100 miles (160 
> km) from the coastline, but no evidence shows they made permanent camps 
> there.
> 
> They would traverse the bays in dugouts and lived in round thatch huts. Some 
> of the campsites show a population of several hundred. The discarded clam 
> and oyster shells would make huge mounds around this camp site. Their most 
> prized hunting tool was the long bow, some well over six foot long and arrow 
> shafts as long as three feet, making it easier to spot and retrieve them from 
> the shallow waters. Their major inland game was the deer and American Bison, 
> as the many discarded remains of these animals has been found at these 
> camp sites. They also harvested local roots, berries and nuts. One such plant, 
> Ilex vomitoria or the Yaupon Holly, was made into a tea, and drank in large 
> quantities, for it's psychoactive effects due to caffeine found in the leaves 
> (Newcomb 79)."
> 
> 
> >Re claims:- The claim that in palaeo times, there were large mammals with 
> higher fat-content which then died out isn't relevant, really. For one thing, 
> wild horses and wild aurochs(the ancestors of modern cattle) were staples of 
> the Palaeolithic diet, at least in Europe, and they are still around today with 
> the same levels of fat(if grassfed).
> 
> Paleos preferred fat. They would eat the organs, brains, marrow, and render 
> the fat around the organs. Read Lewis and Clark or Man's Rise to Civilation by 
> Peter Farb.

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