On Wed, 11 Feb 2004 15:56:48 EST, Jerry Stegenga <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

>The hunter >gathering society ate what was
>available at the time. They had no means of
>preserving most foods for any length of time.
>Seasons also dictated what was available
>to eat. I would think that the protein foods
>would have been available most
>of the time. Fruits and vegetables during
>the summer and fall. JerrySteg

(Sorry for the late post - still catching up)

The term 'balanced diet' is one of the worst of the so-called 'weasel
words'.  Not only is the nutritional concept wrong, but it is

(a)  a meaningless term - does it mean equal weights icecream and pretzels?

(b) an emotional appeal to the listener - after all, who could be
against 'balance' in an open democracy?

(c) used to hide the ignorance of those who use it - the term sounds so
reasonable, but you will note that, when it is used, it is rarely followed
by an example of what the speaker means by 'balance'.  When it is followed
by an example, it is generally when it is used by a paid apologist of the
junk-food industry to counter demands for some control on their products.
Stripped down it is the equivalent of "Yes, I promote Coco-Pops [or
whatever], but I don't expect anyone would live on Coco-Pops alone.  If
there is some other food in there, it's 'balanced' - by definition - so
the Coco-Pops eaters should feel comfortable about their level of Coco-
Pops consumption, whatever it is".

When you hear 'balanced diet' get your BS-detector out and look for the
ignorance, emotional appeal and the hidden agenda.  And feel comfortable
with the Paleo imbalance - if that is what is implied by the advocate of
balance.

Keith