Hello,
I am new to the list. My kids and I have been eating *mostly* paleo since
January; I have lost ten pounds of post-pregnancy weight in that time and
suspect that the diet is at least in part what put an end to my symptoms of
post-partum depression.  (I stopped taking medication for it at that time;
could be that my hormones had just gotten back online anyway, but I know
that diet really affects hormonal levels, especially during and after
pregnancy.)  My stepmom (an RN)has been preaching fat and animal protein for
years now; my dad uses the Atkins diet to manage his diabetes (no insulin),
but this is a big dietary change for me, as I've always had vegetarian
tendencies.  I stumbled on the diet while searching for the cause of my dd's
(age 2 1/2) symptoms of intestinal distress.  (Initial testing suggests both
my kids have celiac, but we don't want to subject them to a biopsy right now
because they are so little.) Evolutionary rationale doesn't hold much water
with me for religious reasons, but cultural anthropology has always been an
area of personal interest and study.  I have a few questions to throw out to
the group on a couple of topics so here goes.

1.  I was reading in the archives a chain titled "pain in childbirth?" that
interested me because of my experience with PPD (not known to be present in
tribal cultures or most "traditional" cultures)and because I have had 2
C-sections (intended to have a natural birth both times).  Is Ray Audette's
wife an isolated example of paleodiet eaters who give birth quickly and w/o
complications?  Anyone else out there?  Anyone with experience to the
contrary? Is there any research on this available?
2.  I have corresponded some with Stacie Tolen on this subject, but if there
is anyone out there who has raised a toddler on this diet, I would
appreciate your input.  How do you keep enough calcium in the diet?  (Both
my kids still bf; maybe it's not a concern.)  What foods do you prepare that
your kids like/can eat?
3.  What the heck do you pack in a cooler for a road trip!?
4.  I cannot afford to buy grass-fed beef, uncured ham and bacon, or
free-range eggs (as much as I would like to).  Are your really eating paleo
if you use supermarket meats and eggs?  This BADLY screws up the
omega-6/omega-3 ratio, and the cured porks have TONS of sodium.  If you eat
paleo-levels of supermarket meat & eggs, are you doing more harm than good?
5.  Seems paleopeople eschew potatoes in favor of other tubers like
parsnips, turnips (are these tubers? maybe not), yams, and arrowroot,
because potatoes cannot be eaten raw. Yet acorns are (apparently -- they
appear on the paleofood recipe page) acceptable, even though they must be
leached to be edible.  Many hunter-gatherers eat starchy foods (wild yams,
sago palm pudding, cassava, plantains) in abundance; they also eat cashews.
Are acorns okay because you can actually go out and gather them, which is
really cool?
That's all the questions I can think of for now!
Rebecca

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