----- > False.  As I mentioned before, his primary source was Wrangham.
> See, for example,
> http://www.newswise.com/articles/1999/8/TUBER.UMN.html

i see no suggestion here that early man lived entirely on plant foods, which
is what Amadeus consistently proposes as feasible.


> We also discussed Melissa Darby's research on the wapato.  See
> http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/CGI/wa.exe?A2=ind9710&L=paleodiet&P=R1550

Neither here.

> So, whatever you may think of it, Amadeus didn't make it up out
> of this air.

Indeeed he has. he has no anthropogical or ethnological support for a purely
vegetarian diet. he is just telling pathetic lies. if he wishes to propose
this de nuovo, its not enough to look at macroelements, the whole box and
dice has to be taken into consideration.

>
> > I, OTOH, have provided a concret example of the folly of a tuber based
diet.
>
> Yes.

Well? Anything more you would like to say? i have just provided a counter
example which disproves Amadeus' thesis. As Amadeus himself seems unable to
carry on a debate perhaps you would like to admit defeat on his behalf.

> >  [Further, any diet high in carbs - that is, high relative to your
biochemical
> >  tolerance - promotes insulin resistance...]

> While I'd like to agree, the research doesn't entirely support
> this.  The Kitavan diet, for example is rather high in carbs and
> low in fat (though not at Ornish/Pritikin levels of low fat), but
> they seem to do rather well with it.  I am increasingly inclined
> to think that there may simply be more variation in biochemical
> tolerance than we think.

yes agreed.  I see the Kitavan diet has 10% fish and 20% coconut, rich in
saturated fats.  Not remotely the diet Amadeus is proposing.   Whether this
diet is suitable for people of Caucasian, and particularly northern European
heritage, is another matter.  Why don't you try it?


I've mentioned
> before that I have a running debate with a colleague about diet.
> He has been on the McDougall diet for a couple of years now, and
> seems to be doing very well on it.  He has lost quite a lot of
> weight, and indeed in that respect he is the "winner" of the
> debate, since he has become leaner than me

of more relevance than weight loss per se is a diet that promotes overall
health [including better weight].  This includes insulin balance, health of
the heart muscle, balance of neurotransmitters, and any number of other
things.  personally i am quite sure there is now substantial variation in
biochemical balance. As i said before Roman soldiers subsisted well on
millet and lentils, at least in terms of extraordinary physical fitness, i
don't know about longevity.

One of the big figures in naturopathic doctrine in the 60s and 70s was Paavo
Airola, Finnish-born who wrote the classic naturopathic text 'How To get
Well.'  His was a high grain, fruit and veegtable diet with seeds and nuts,
ans small amounts of eggs and yoghurt. He died of a stroke in his early 60s.

Maybe Lorenzo has  some comments on this, if he has finished with making
juvenile remarks.

Andrew