On Wed, 14 Feb 2001 12:45:03 -0500, Mark Labbee <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
.. He has adopted a grain free
>vegetarian diet with eggs, cheese, and nuts as the primary foods. He has
>done well on this diet and his doctors are astounded by his improvement. I
>have done well on a meat centered diet with some veggies, fruit, and nuts.
>The list has been discussing grasses and grains and my input is that
>nothing
>makes me sicker faster than wheat and/or corn. ..
>Since grains have been implicated in so many diseases of an inflammatory
>nature (Crohn's, Anklyosing Spondylitis, Ulcerative Colitis, Rheumatoid
>Arthritis),

There are some diseases, Like Crohns that seem very hard to live with as a
vegetarian. Also if you head for paleo-style nutrition or if you pay
attention to blood-group-nutrition for 0's.
It's interesting and encouraging to hear from your brother.
I am concerned too as I have a vegetarian mother (blood group 0) who suffers
from Colitis ulcerosa. Gluten avoidance and some weeks of zero-diet
(intravenous drips) couldn't help her.

>I find it hard to believe they constituted an appreciable
>amount
>of any hominid's diet or there would have been evidence of Rheumatoid
>arthritis in human bones long before 10,000 years ago.

How appreciable the amount was is left to speculation. It was available,
nutritious and there. And available after developement of the appropiate
detoxification techniques.

Today the neolithic conversion (to early agriculture) is mostly seen as the
process of understanding the seed/harvesting cycle.
Maybe it's more correct to see it as the developement of techniques to
detoxicate the grass seeds, and legumes sufficiently to make it the 95%
staple.
We have very many skeletons over 10,000 years of grain nutrition and
Rheumatoid Arthritis seems not particularly frequent. More linked to cold
environment, like in a mine.
It looks like these people just knew the right way how to eat grains.

But today even people with a very small part of grains in the diet get a
sensibility.
It appears to me that today there's something (in the common nutrition
habits) that permits some undigested food molekules to pass into the blood,
wherefrom all the problems start. More aggressive food items more frequent
(like cereals are) and non-self-defendig food items like meat less.

Today new vegetarian people, many nutritionists, "muesli" people mostly
beleave that just switching to "grains" would be the remedy - for much.
Scientific nutrition analyses and studies are very promising.
But I think these willing people are in danger to run into a trap because of
not understanding dangerousness of toxins in the grains and the importance
of the traditional cooking methods.
Also the tradiotional (and paleolithic possible) food mixes play an
important role, I think.
Not to much mixing...

>Mark enjoying the sunshine today

One of the best paleo-items, such a sunshine day. :-)
Looks sunny here too, and I could see the line of mountains in the south.

Amadeus