Don Wiss wrote:

>>I believe that nuts and eggs could be gathered at the same time as fruits, no?

>Well maybe. Eggs would have only been available for a few weeks in the
>spring. Fruits may not have been available that early in the season. Then
>nuts come in the fall. Some fruit would still be available, but later in
>the fall it would have only been nuts. I would expect that nuts were stored
>and eaten for a while after being harvested from the tree.

Does it apply for tropical countries as well, i.e. are a whole category of foods
(like fruits, or nuts, eggs) available only seasonally?

Other naive question: how come we can (nowadays) obtain hen eggs all year round?

Stefan:
> That's exactly what I doubt. Mixed meals require more energy to digest
> IMHO. Are they really more efficient?

If the body uses its own muscle tissues for protein, or protein from food to
produce glucose, there is a loss; on the other hand, when you don't mix your
foods, digestion is more efficient. So, unless we find a way to measure each
effect, we won't obtain any precise answer to your question...

More important perhaps is the hormonal balance. Mixed meals put less stress on
insulin production [for instance, the Zone diet consists of 40% carbs, 30%
protein and 30% fat *at each meal*, which is impossible to obtain if you have
fruit-only meals]. Our ancestors certainly didn't have to worry about insulin,
since most of their foods were low carb and/or low glycemic index.

Best wishes,

Jean-Louis
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