Wouldn't cultures who drank lots of fermented drinks been eating a high grain
based diet?  Wouldn't kvass, kefir, amasake, etc. help the digestion of
cooked grains?

I'm not against the others, I just wonder if Fallon & Enig are not seeing the
wider picture - that those cultered and fermented drinks came from mostly
grain based societies.  THey also served a purpose in using surplus grains &
dairy, especially in the abscence of refrigeration.  When my neighbor first
got her Jersey cow, she was up to her armpits in extra milk - and she had a
family of 6.  It was interesting to observe how over time, she began making
lots of cheese, butter and yogurt.  All ways to deal with the enormous
quantity this one grass fed cow was producing (she also supplied several
families with milk as well).

As you've pointed out before, Charles, man is very smart at adapting to all
sorts of environmental stimuli.  But I think the simple question is, what did
man do before he herded sheep, cows, goats or raised crops.  I don't think
aborialists would want to bother with too many vats of fermenting gruels or
milks.  Perhaps the occasional herb or bark concotions would have provided
medicinal or stimulatory relief.

I think water and tea are the best drinks for paleo eaters.  For extra
enzymes, I stick with unpasteurized kim chee or sauerkraut.

That's my two cents worth...

Cheers,

Judy Genova