Oops.  Please excuse the last empty message that got sent when I
hit the wrong key.

Anyway, the following abstract is sure to be controversial,
although it is consistent with the Eaton/Cordain view of paleo,
as far as I can tell.  Both have argued that fat would have been
plentiful only seasonally, mainly in the fall.

Todd Moody
[log in to unmask]

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J Am Diet Assoc 1997 Jul;97(7 Suppl):S54-S57

From the Miocene to olestra: a historical perspective on fat
consumption.

Garn SM

Center for Human Growth and Development, University of Michigan,
Ann Arbor 48109-0406, USA.

Given the extraordinary dietary and geographic diversity of
Pleistocene hominids, there is no single "Paleolithic diet" or
average pre-Holocene fat intake. Even the Neanderthals initially
were scavengers, possibly becoming seasonal hunters of large game
at a later period. Fat intakes of greater than 20 g/day (11% of
total caloric intake) developed after the domestication of
mammals and then by selective breeding of genetically fatter
animals in suitably temperate climates. By the late 1940s, the
percent of fat in the diet rose to more than 40% in many Western
countries (including France), decreasing somewhat to about 35% by
the late 1980s in the United States, following reduced
consumption of whole milk, fried meats, and other high-fat foods.
Overall, fat reductions to less than 30% may be facilitated by
no-fat or low-fat substitutes or texturizers or (perhaps more
effectively) by increased intakes of fiber and calcium and
greater reliance on fats that are poorly absorbed because of
their stearate content.

UI: 97359653