Dear CR Folks,

I've been on your list for not quite one week and I've known about CR
for about five years.  Many of you may already be familiar with the
paleo diet.  For those who are not, y'all should look into it*.
paleofood.com* is a good place to start.  Several years ago, I adopted
the paleo diet, aka caveman or a traditional hunter-gather,
pre-agriculture diet.  Without thinking about it, I've also come to
practice CR to some extent.  I am a 5'5-1/2 " male, 44, and 122 lb - a
BMI of 20.   Prior to adopting this diet, and as a former vegetarian for
most of my adult life, I weighed about 130 lb.

The paleo diet relies on fats to obtain calories -- as opposed to sugars
(ie: grains, dairy & legumes and all products derived therewith).  This
is the only diet that allows the brain and the body to feel satified
enough to self-limit.  Recent research suggest that leptin is the key
hormone that is responsible for the feelings of satiety and hunger, the
functions of which are impeded in typical sugar-burning diets.  This was
my experience also.  It is important to note that we're talking about
mono- and poly- unsaturated fats: fatty fish, avocado, certain nuts and
seeds, coconut and (some say) olive oils; and, substantial amounts of
saturated fats: beef, game, fowl, eggs, marine mammals.

As humans, we are on the top of the food chain, and for this and many
other evidentiary reasons, these are the animals we are meant to eat.
Also, aside from marine mammals which not too many people eat these
days, these foods are ruminant species (cows, buffalo, deer, elk, moose,
rabbit, chicken, duck, goose, etc.) which means they are all
grass-feeders; thus, grass-fed, or pasture-fed sources -- as opposed to
typical grain-fed -- should be obtained wherever possible.  Grass-fed
meat has a much healthier nutritional profile in terms of CLAs, Omega
3:6 ratios and other indicators.  Most farmers who raise grass-fed
animals are using organic principles though they may not be officially
certified as such.

How is this different from fad protein diets?  Because  it stresses fat
("living off the fat of the land"):  Protein consumption should not
exceed 55-60 grams/day for most adults (1 g per kg of body weight). This
is equivalent, in food volume, to roughly 3 decks of cards per day.
More than that means you are converting excess protein into
carbohydrates -- and you don't want to do that -- it's not healthy.  So
load up on fat to feel ful!  Its tastes good, the right kinds are
healthy, they feed your brain, your muscles, and every function in your
body.  Best of all you'll become a fat-burner and enjoy the side benefit
of living much longer.

For more information on evolution and the human diet, see the book
_Neanderthin_ by Ray Audette.
For more information on traditional diets vs vegetarian/raw food/macro,
see the site *www.beyondveg.com*
For more information on human metabolism (fat-burning vs sugar-burning),
see the book _The Rosedale Diet_, by Dr. Ron Rosedale, MD
For recipies, see www.*paleodiet.com

*It might also be worth noting here that pemmican is the only food that
is known to be able to sustain a working man for an indefinite period of
time.  It is a muffin-like food made from rendered fat and sun-dried,
ground-up meat, often with a few dried berries added.  It comes to us
from native american cookery, and today you can make it yourself with a
dehydrator.  With an indefinite shelf life, pemmican was for sustenance
during extended hunts which could last weeks or months depending, of
course, on various environmental factors.  A similar food must surely
have been used in our evolutionary, hunter-gatherer past.

About me:  I've been interested in diet and nutrition for almost 30
years. I have no degrees in the field and am not an authority in any way.
I hope many of you find this posting to contain useful information.

Regards,
Eliot Martin Glick
Cumberland, Vancouver Island, BC