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Subject:
From:
Jim Swayze <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Paleolithic Eating Support List <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Thu, 5 May 2005 14:32:31 -0500
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While agreeing much, Rosedale and Cordain also differ in several significant areas, particularly with respect to macronutrient ratios.  Rosedale generally recommends between 60-100 grams of protein a day, which works out to about 400 calories on a 2500 calorie a day diet or 15-20% of daily energy.  He recommends close to zero carbohydrates, particularly for diabetics, those trying to lose weight, those with unhappy lipid profiles, and those who have a hard time keeping weight off.  So that leaves the remainder of energy (80-85%)coming from fat.  Like Cordain, he doesn't like saturated fat and recommends that you limit but not eliminate it.

Where Rosedale is at 15-20%, Cordain says that between 20-35% of daily energy should come from protein.  He bases this ratio on whole carcass analyses of Rocky Mountain elk.  Now I believe elk is a good representative for what paleo man consumed.  Problem is we were selective in the parts of the animal we ate and, like Ray Audette says, we threw the majority of the muscle meats to the dogs when sufficient fat was available.  As Cordain said on this very list about eight years ago: "Given modern man's preference for fat, it is no less likely that our ancestors did not seek out fat and fatty animals as well."  

So Cordain overdoes his protein recommendations.  I've been taking the difference between Rosedale and Cordain and sticking with the 20% figure for protein.  It's worked well for me.  As Rosedale says -- and Cordain seems to be unaware of -- you get much higher than that and you're simply converting that excess protein to glucose and storing it as fat.

Cordain says that our ancestors got about 30% of their total energy from carbohydrates.  I believe this is overstated significantly.  Similar to his claim that saturated fat was only consumed in quantity seasonally, which I believe to be correct, carbs were a seasonal item too.  At least for those of us from northern climes.  There are at least a whole lot of us who thrive on no carbs at all.
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