> peanuts have a lot of other advantages...

> Other New
> World paleo foods include tomatoes, sunflower seeds,
> vanilla, squashes, peppers, and pineapple.   If you are going to
> reject peanuts for *this* reason, you'd better reject all these
> foods as well.


This is no doubt true. But an observation:  I think that far more people are
allergic to peanuts than to the true nuts.

Also, there is an addictive quality to peanuts and peanut butter for many
people, I have observed. Something strange about that. I believe that foods
that are somewhat addictive are very questionable. Many of us have been or
are somehow addicted to foods that are especially bad for us.

Does the fact that lots of people are allergic mean the food is
questionable? Yes, I think it does. Doesn't mean nobody should eat peanuts
(or peppers or tomatoes), but you should be aware that they do cause
noticable problems for many people. Perhaps they cause unnoticable problems
in most people, long term problems of the sort we believe wheat causes.

This is something that I wonder about: if a food causes low grade problems
in many people, is it somehow harming those who don't notice any problems,
even low grade ones?

--Richard