Hi Jim [Swayze],

> we can determine if a particular food, such as peanuts, is paleo by asking
> the following question:  Is it part of a class of foods consumed by our
> forebears where that consumption was both regular enough and long enough
> to allow adaptation?  It's not necessary, for instance, that we consumed
> cows for hundreds of thousands of years for cow meat to be healthy.  Cows
> are a particular in the class of large game and are therefore healthy. (I
> won't get into the grassfed vs. feedlot debate here).

We did not eat cows specifically for very long. Their meat and
milk do have certain differences from that of other species of
large game. Many people have allergic reactions to cow's milk
and meat, even raw, due to the unusual fats and proteins. We
haven't eaten cows as long as buffalo, lamb, or pork.

> So are peanuts paleo?

I think the same argument applies here as with beef. We didn't
eat peanuts (and cashews) specifically, but we ate other nuts
that have certain biochemical similarities. People frequently
have allergies to nuts, even "paleo" types. They are difficult
to chew and the large pieces sometimes pass through undigested.
(Ground nuts or nut butters may cause less trouble.) Some have
argued that nuts and seeds do not digest well, unless we soak
them in water to germinate or sprout.

Regards,
Bruce Kleisner