Mary:

> Also, I am wondering how much fruit our paleo ancestors would have had
> access to in a temperate climate, not much?

There is no precise answer. From the Paleodiet list

http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/CGI/wa.exe?A2=ind9709&L=paleodiet&P=R1577

in appears that

<<If one
throws out the high value for the Inuit (96% animal food) and the low
value for the !Kung (33%), the value would show that 56% of the average
hunter-gatherer diet was derived from animal foods.>>

The plant foods consist of nuts, tubers and fruits. The !Kung Bushmen eat large
amounts of mongongo nuts, but in temperate climates, nuts are available only in
the fall. Tubers are consumed in temperate and tropical climates, but the
cultivated potatoes differ from wild tubers, which are generally less starchy
and more fibrous. Fruits are certainly available at least half of the year, but
in many hunter-gatherer societies, they eat NO fruit several months/year. In
addition, wild fruits are smaller, tougher, more fibrous, contain much less
sugar and are often more sour or astringent than modern fruits.

In my opinion, a very rough estimate would be 10-20% carbohydrates, 20-35%
protein, 50-70% fat, with of course less carbohydrates for the Inuit. IMHO
again, except possibly for the Inuit, there is no evidence that our ancestors
were in a perpetual state of ketosis [can anyone confirm this?]

Best wishes,

Jean-Louis
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