My personal experience: I was vegan off and on for several years and also eating low fat for most of that time.? At some point I lost the ability to digest both animal protein and fat.? The meat problem was solved by a week or two of eating a little raw papaya (fresh or dried - the kind from the natural food store that has never been heated) at the beginning of every meal that contained animal protein.? Papaya contains an enzyme called papain that either is or strongly resembles one of the major protein-digesting stomach enzymes.? Eventually the enzyme-producing capability of my own digestive system got back in gear and I could leave the dried papaya in the cupboard.? (I ended up giving it away to another recovering vegan.)

The fat was a tougher nut to crack.? I became fat-deficient, so I was having insane cravings, being drawn like a magnet to fatty foods, even ones I didn't like.? (Hawaiian style potato chips, awful, but my hand would go to them of its own accord if I got within reaching distance.)? Then the fat would go right through me because, although I needed it, I couldn't digest it.? I finally found a nutritional counselor who had me on some special-order supplements for a couple of months.? (I'll put a complete list in the p.s.)? They were not cheap but I must say they did the job.? She said when they started to upset my stomach instead of calming it, then it was time to quit taking them.? That took about nine weeks.? Fat has not been a problem since.

I also want to say a little about quality.? Factory farming is just as evil as the vegan activists say it is, not just for the animals and the environment but also for your health when you eat it.? If you're eating from supermarkets, restaurants and delis, the only flesh foods that aren't factory farmed are lamb and wild-caught fish.? (Duck from these places, when you can get it, is iffy; not confined, but probably fed grain that's been sprayed with toxins.? Ditto with purchased venison; it tastes like beef because farmed deer get fed commercial cattle fodder.)? If you want beef, pork, chicken, turkey and eggs that aren't laced with pollutants, you can either shell out for pasture-raised at Whole Wallet Foods or you can buy directly from one of the farmers in the directory at http://eatwild.com/.? These farmers are also probably your only source for rarities like bison and goat, which are sometimes cited as more paleo because they are closer to their wild ancestors than the more intensively farmed species.? They also may have organ meats, which traditionally paleo peoples all love and the overcivilized turn up their noses at, so they're often very affordable.

Or you can get to know a hunter.? I have just gotten familiar with wild game over this past year and I've developed a real taste for it, especially raccoon.? Wild game lives its natural life in complete freedom until the day it dies, so in my opinion it's the most ethical flesh.? If you really want to stick with the non-harming ethic, you can limit yourself to road kill.? There are several books out there telling you how to handle and prepare it safely.

Happy eating,

~ Joan


 
p.s. The supplements were: from Biotics
Research, Beta Plus (ox bile salts to stand in for the bile I wasn't
producing and an enzyme called pancrealipase), Beta TCP (more
pancrealipase with taurine and Vitamin C) and black currant seed oil
for the GLA; from Thorne Research, BioGest (more ox bile and enzymes
plus a little betaine hydrochloride to encourage stomach acid
generally) and krill oil for the EFAs; and, from Enzymetica, Lypo
(mixed lipases especially for fat digestion). 

-----Original Message-----
From: Ron Hoggan, Ed. D. <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask]
Sent: Thu, Aug 6, 2009 7:06 pm
Subject: Re: for David: do paleo dieters cheat?










Hi David, 
Please read Cholesterol Myths by Uffe Ravnskoff and Good Calories Bad
Calories by Gary Taubes. That should answer your question about cholesterol
and meat consumption. 

Only some Paleo dieters advocate lean meat. Vilhjalmur Stefansson
recommended 70-80% fat and 20-30% protein. That is exactly the ratio that
Johns Hopkins has found ideal for controlling seizures in people who did not
respond to medications. 

Perhaps you have lost your ability to produce intrinsic factor. That would
be worth checking with your physician on, and is one of the unfortunate but
common side effects of a strict vegetarian lifestyle. 

You seem to have bought into the faulty notion that fats are unhealthy. Try
eating meats with a lot of fat on them to see how you respond to that.
Saturated fats are just fine. But don't load up on just protein or you will
make yourself sick. It would make anyone sick. 

Good luck, 
Ron


-----Original Message-----
From: Paleolithic Eating Support List [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
On Behalf Of Scalise, David G SrA USAF ANG 146 SFS/SP
Sent: Thursday, August 06, 2009 4:57 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: for David: do paleo dieters cheat?

Yeah but another dumb question, keep in mind you are hearing this question
from a former vegetarian.  Shouldn't we be concerned with eating so much
meat considering it is higher in cholesterol.  I know the Paelo way of life
calls for LEAN meats but are ribeyes and porterhouse steaks really all that
good for you?  I am not doubting you, I have somehow lost all the enzymes to
digest meat, some days are better than others with digestion.  Yesterday I
had 8 ounces of lean turkey (ground) with 6 egg whites and I was sick as a
dog.

Last question, can we really be sure about the animal meat we are ingesting?
Are we digesting all the negative potential cancer cells an animal might
have in its body too.  Maybe I am stupid, but humans only have 4 canine
teeth, the rest are shaped flat with ridges - does this mean that humans
have evolved into more of a vegetarian...?

Thanks for your help, I am dealing with mental issues as well.  I have lost
allot of weight naturally and for some reason I associate meat eating with
weight gain when I know its all portion control and exercise in combination
that extend life.  I for some reason seem to think that meat eating is bad
and the cruelty to animals is beyond my control.  We as Americans have such
a lack of respect for the game we so conveniently have afforded to us.  I
wonder if we'd be into eating meat as much if we had to hunt it and gather
it on our own...

I appreciate your response... I hope to learn more about Paleo way of life,
I am seeing benefits but am still avoiding red meats like the plague.
There's only so much chicken and turkey I can eat.  

-----Original Message-----
From: Paleolithic Eating Support List [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
On Behalf Of Lisa Wiedeman
Sent: Thursday, August 06, 2009 4:47 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: for David: do paleo dieters cheat?

I eat zero carb.  I only eat ribeyes or Porterhouse steaks once or twice a
day, whenever I am hungry.  I only drink water.  I have been doing this for
5 months now and have never felt better in my life.  I have not cheated
because I feel so great eating this way.  
I have to hope William is reading this because it was the link he had in one
of his posts that has dramatically changed my life forever and I want to
thank him.
Here is the website that he had in his post....maybe it will change someone
else's life too!

www.zerocarbforlife.com

Lisa