On Mon, 21 Jun 1999, bb wrote:

> I propose that nearly all seed kernels contain small amounts of toxins to
> protect the interests of the plant. I wonder if there is wisdom in avoiding
> all seed kernels including nuts (as well as the obvious one of grains and
> cereals). . This is what I see as one of the major advantages of the
> paleolithic diet. I wonder what the gurus think of that??

The trouble with your argument is that it ignores the empirical
reality that hunter-gatherers eat nuts and seeds, and there is
no reason to doubt that they have done so for a very long time.
Therefore, a paleolithic diet almost certainly included these
foods in abundance.

> So, what can one do for psoriasis. Hmmm. One should look up food
> compositions at  http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/cgi-bin/nut_search.pl and try
> to find foods with similar fatty acid composition to Evening Primrose Oil

I have tried EPO supplementation, without success.  The "active
ingredient" in EPO is gamma-linoleic acid (GLA), which is
produced in the body's cells from w-6 fats.  It is just about
impossible to ingest significant amounts of GLA from natural
dietary sources.  Other than EPO and borage oil (and these plants
would have to be consumed in heroic amounts to get much GLA), I
think there is a small amount of GLA in chicken fat.

My psoriasis has cleared up despite, or perhaps because of,
large-scale consumption of nuts.

Todd Moody
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