> My principle has always been- does the food contain paleo substances in
> paleo proportions?  I don't see what difference it makes if meat is
> mashed up and mixed with spices, since all the ingredients are paleo,
> and it will have a sensible protein/fat ratio.

this principle of foods not being mixed , seasonned , processed is a
characteristic of peleo eating that have been bypassed by the paleo eating
authors ( normal because themselves are indulging and can't see the other
side ) .
i think it is of utmost importance for the food to be the  least changed
from its natural state ( as it was presented to paleohunters-gatherers  ) to
allow the hard wired instinctive knowledge of the foods encountered along
evolution being expressed.

every species are regulating their intake with their sensorial perceptions
,only humans have learned to cheat with it by tranforming its food .

even simple cooking without anything added  is not as disturbing for the
instinct that a seasonned raw salad.

to see the difference just do the experience of  eating a sausage and  eat
its constituents in sequence individually while respecting the regulatory
signals ( taste change) and see for yourself .inevitably you could not eat
the same quantities .

jean-claude