At 7:38 +1000 1/10/99, Bruce Sherrod wrote:
>At first I thought I was going to be unique in coming to paleo from
>veganism, but from what I've read so far on this list many of you
>have done the same. If people would like to comment about making that
>transition I'd love to hear it. What worked? What didn't work?
I found that eating the highest quality meat helped a lot. I found the
cheaper cuts to be chewy and unpalatable.
I also found sushi and sashimi to be more palatable than cooked fish or
land-animal meats.
> Paleo literature tends to advocate paleo diets for cancer prevention.
> How is skin cancer from sunlight explained?
Well, the raw-foodists would say that disease can't exist in a truly
healthy body. I'd like to see some longitudinal studies done on that
hypothesis.
My belief is that people with lighter skin originated in the northern
latitudes where the sun is much weaker. People from the tropics evolved
dark skin, which is more resistant to skin cancer.
So, if you have a light skin, stay out of the sun, especially in summer.
> As a long time sufferer of chronic psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis,
> I'm very interested in research -- or even anecdotal accounts --
> of dietary intervention for treatment of psoriasis.
There is an interview with Loren Cordain at in which he talks about
autoimmune diseases at http://www.lifeservices.com/cordain.htm
Anecdotal evidence from psoriasis sufferers on this list suggest possible
cures as being addition of peanuts to the diet, and elimination of oranges,
tomatoes and red meat from the diet.
I have a friend with psoriasis, and he says he's going to try a paleo diet
some time, but I'm not holding my breath.
> A question about fats: I think most sources agree (and recent
> discussion here confirms) that a diet high in saturated fats is
> not healthy (compared to, say, monounsaturated fats).
This still a matter of hot debate. I've not read any evidence that
convinces me either way.
The recent discussions on this list were regarding charred fats, which it
is generally considered are possibly carcinogenic.
If you're worried about a link between saturated fat and heart disease,
look at the increase in CHD over the last 40 years in which time saturated
fat consumption has declined sharply. CHD incidence correlates most
strongly with CHO consumption (which does not necessarily imply cause).
> So, why does the paleo diet encourage eating foods such as suet,
> schmaltz, lard, and coconut oil?
Perhaps because the authors think it's less harmful than trans fatty acids
and neolithic foods?
> A related question: how does one acquire coconut oil? When I open
> a coconut, I see a clear liquid (USDA calls this "coconut water"),
> and a white flesh (USDA calls this "coconut meat, raw"). The flesh
> can be blended,
You can make coconut cream by putting the flesh through a juicer. Yum!
> Is there a better online reference for nutrient information than
> the USDA database? The USDA listings have many shortcomings (e.g.,
> lack of trans fat info, lack of antinutrient info). The NDS is a
> little out of my price range ($8500). I don't know of any other
> nutrient databases.
I found a few DB's with info on sugar content and trans-fatty acid content.
I intend to roll these into my web page that currently uses the USDA
database. I am also keenly interested in finding more databases (preferably
free ones, but I could be convinced to pay $1000 or so for full rights to a
high quality commercial DB).
A demo of the NDS can be downloaded. I did, but couldn't get it to work on
my Mac (using a Windows emulator).
> Another question on the USDA database. Has anyone here successfully
> downloaded the raw USDA data (in text or DBF format) and converted
> it into a usable, searchable database?
Yes. See http://www.juggernaut.com.au/food/
> complex searches than the USDA web site allows (for example, sort the
> data by a nutrient, or determine the nutrition content of a recipe or
> meal plan), so the limited search tools on the web are insufficient.
I intend to extend my page to include these features in the near future.
At present my work commitments are fairly heavy, but I really want to get
this project underway.
I'll keep the list informed of my progress.
> What constitutes a "balanced" variety of meats? What types or cuts
> of meat should be avoided? What should be included?
Hunter gatherer people prefer to eat the organ meats, often leaving the
flesh to rot, or to feed it to the animals. A search on the USDA database
for 'variety meats' indicated why -- organ meats are veritable powerhouses
of nutrients.
> More generally speaking, is it possible to eat a balanced, healthy
> (paleo) diet without taking supplements? It's discouraging to hear
> the Troy Gilchrist say that he takes a dried liver supplement _and_
> a DHA supplement. I would like to get all my nutrition from whole
> natural foods if possible.
So eat liver and sardines (or other wild cold-water fish).
>Whew! That was just the few questions I had on the top of my head.
>I didn't expect this to be quite so long, so I think I'll stop now..
Keep 'em coming!
...Richard.
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