Ken Stuart wrote:
> On Mon, 8 May 2006 10:01:10 -0600, Don Hogan <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>
>   
>> susan barry wrote:
>>     
>>> Hi.
>>> I just started eating paleo about a month ago (aside from a few lapses 
>>> into
>>> grains, which, predictably enough, started an addictive spiral of 
>>> sugar and
>>> grain eating until I had to cut myself off again....).
>>>
>>> Whenever I try to explain to people what I am doing, they either 
>>> dismiss it
>>> as "dangerous nonsense," or say that there is absolutely no research 
>>> to back
>>> it up. They also point out that primitive man had a life expectancy of 
>>> 30,
>>> blah, blah, blah, but I have this one covered by mentioning the living in
>>> cold and damp caves, being gored by mammoths, etc...
>>>
>>> My question is this: Are there any good, reputable, but basic scientific
>>> articles that support the paleo principles? I know of some that support
>>> high-fat-low-carb eating, but not of any that are specifically
>>> paleo-oriented.
>>>
>>> Does anyone?
>>>
>>> Thanks,
>>> susan
>>>
>>>
>>>       
>> Friends and strangers are frequently commenting how healthy I am 
>> looking. I find that most people are OK when I state that my secret is 
>> my diet of all the meat, fish, poultry, vegetables and fruit I want, 
>> just no GBP or D. They nod knowingly when I tell them I try to get a 
>> good balance of Omega 3 and Omega 6 fats. However when I tell them that 
>> I also eat lots of saturated fat from items like bacon and coconut 
>> etc.,  it stops them in their tracks. Then they walk away with that look 
>> that says that can't be true! I bet he takes growth hormones.....
>> Don
>>     
>
> You have intelligent friends, who understand the principle that one data point
> proves nothing.
>
> I have a close friend, who always looks healthy and slender.  She eats anything
> she wants, including sugary desserts and the usual grains, dairy, etc.   She
> also runs and bikes miles every day, and participates in triathalons.
>   
<snip>

I imagine that, even in Paleo times, there were beautiful people who
continued to be vexingly beautiful no matter what they did or ate, and
ugly people who were similarly unaffected. Since the quality of physical
appearance is primarily subjective it is not a good measure of health.
Changes in appearance over time may be slightly more useful, but even
they can be deceiving.