On Sun, 11 Jan 2009 14:57:58 -0800, Ron Hoggan <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

>While I absolutely agree that the Inuit are not representative of
>hunter-gatherers, there are several good reasons that I often refer to them:
>
>1. They were one of the HG groups that were well studied prior to extensive
>contact with Europeans;
>2. They provide an excellent example of robust people eating a moderate
>protein, very high fat diet, which runs contrary to current popular beliefs
>about healthy eating;
>3. They provide solid support for my belief that while fats and proteins are
>essential nutrients, carbohydrates are clearly an optional macronutrient;
>4. I have had a small amount of experience with some of the extreme
>conditions in which they lived and thrived and I can attest to the
>consumption of animal fats as a superior dietary strategy for staying warm.
>
>Best Wishes,
>Ron Hoggan

Quite right. They are also a good example to use when refuting the extreme
claims of most vegetarians and vegans.

After my last post I also remembered another reason why I think Audette used
the Inuit example: back in the early Stone Age, big game was more plentiful
in most places, so there was less need to eat other foods. For example, the
mammoth hunter diet would probably have been nearly exclusively meat and
organs. So while the Inuit diet is not representative of modern
hunter-gatherers, it may not be that far off from the average of the early
Stone Agers. Unfortunately, there is less data about the latter, but enough
to know that the Inuit are a useful example.