On Sun, 26 Nov 2006 16:55:57 -0800, ginny wilken <[log in to unmask]> 
wrote:

>On Nov 26, 2006, at 8:36 AM, Philip wrote:
>
>> Even though flaxseed oil is
>> considered Paleo, it's not Paleo when it's used in cooking. Confused
>> yet? :)
>>
>
>
>Man, I don't consider it Paleo! Where were we gonna get all those
>seeds to squeeze? Wild flax orchards? And I prefer to get my Omegas
>in more directly bioavailable form, with no plant lectins, from fish
>oil. Fish are easier to squeeze:)
>
>The bodies of prey animals are the best way to get plant nutrients in
>usable forms; that's what being carnivorous, or mostly so, is all about.
>
>ginny
>=========================================================================

Interesting, I don't recall ever seeing negative comments about flaxseed 
oil in this forum before and it's pretty rare in general, though I think 
the Weston A. Price folks are critical of it. Olive oil and raw butter 
were not consumed in Paleolithic times, as far as I know, yet I believe 
you use those, yes? Do you view olive oil or dairy butter as Paleo?

I realize now I was being a bit purist when referring to cooking with 
flaxseed oil as not Paleo, because many Paleo dieters cook with olive oil 
or coconut oil, which were not used in Paleolithic times either, as far as 
I know. However, pounded flaxseed meal and flaxseed infusions/teas would 
likely have been consumed, my guess is mainly for medicinal purposes, but 
also sometimes as a nutritive food. In this way flaxseed oil was consumed, 
albeit in a less processed way.

I assume you're joking about the orchards. Paleolithic peoples in Eurasia 
and Africa would have found species of wild flax, which are flowering 
herbs, in fields. Wild flax can develop into a bush up to 3 feet tall. 
Today in North America, irrigated fields of wild blue flax can produce 
seed yields of 300 to 350 pounds per acre. (BLUE FLAX, LEWIS FLAX - Linum 
perenne L., Linum lewisii Pursh, USDA, NRCS, Idaho State Office & National 
Plant Data Center, plants.usda.gov/plantguide/doc/pg_lile3.doc)

An article from the Montana Native Plant Society (Lewis's Blue Flax (Linum 
lewisii), by Kathy Lloyd, Montana Native Plant Society, 
http://fwp.mt.gov/parks/lewisclark/plants/flax.html) reports that Joseph 
Whitehouse of the Lewis and Clark expedition noted in his diary on August 
13, 1805: "considerable of flax in these praries. Some of the men Save 
Some of the Seed." 

Still today, "You can find Lewis's blue flax on well drained to dry soils 
in the grasslands and prairies, in forest openings, and on open, rocky, 
wooded hillsides, all the way to alpine ridges. It is distributed 
throughout western North America and the Great Plains from Alaska to 
California and Mexico and is rare in Ontario, West Virginia and Kansas."

Captain Lewis reported in his journal, "I have observed for several days a 
species of flax growing in the river bottoms the leaf stem and pericarp of 
which resembles the common flax cultivated in the U' States. the stem 
rises to the hight of about 2½ or 3 feet high; as many as 8 or ten of 
which proceede from the same root. the root appears to be perennial. the 
bark of the stem is thick strong and appears as if it would make excellent 
flax. the seed are not yet ripe but I hope to have an opportunity of 
collecting some of them after they are so if it should on experiment prove 
to yeald good flax and at the same time admit of being cut without 
injuring the perennial root it will be a most valuable plant...."

The article reports that "various native peoples" used blue flax for 
medicinal purposes, including ingesting an infusion for gastrointestinal 
distress and that "Several native tribes of the upper Missouri River 
region used flax seed as food because of its nutritive value and flavor." 
Lewis's blue flax was introduced to North America from Eurasia. 

The article further states: "Today, the seeds of a close relative of 
Lewis's blue flax, Linum usitatissimum , are used to make flax oil, rich 
in omega-3 fatty acids and lignans with a variety of reported health 
benefits. And Lewis's blue flax, our native Montana species, makes an 
excellent addition to garden and landscape plantings. It is attractive, 
drought-tolerant, and very easy to grow. In fact, it self-seeds so readily 
that you may have to keep it from spreading too far."

Not everyone can eat wild prey animal meat every day, so we compromise by 
eating things like commercial meats (with some people eating only pasture-
fed meats and some including standard grain-fed meats) and flax seeds and 
oil.

The common view of the Paleo diet is that it includes meats, vegetables, 
fruits, nuts and seeds, teas, herbs and spices. So you shouldn't be 
surprised if you see someone here mention a food from any of these 
categories. Less processing is generally preferred, but Paleo dieters tend 
to be less purist about the processing of these Paleo food categories than 
people who follow the traditional diets advocated by people such as the 
Weston A. Price Foundation.