On Sun, 11 Mar 2012 20:43, Paleo Phil wrote:

>Ray Audette (whose book NeanderThin is a treasure that I will be 
>forever grateful for and a major early influence on me) ...

Thanks to Phil, Ron and Ray for your recent contributions! Your exchange confirmed to me that it was worth staying with this group despite the recent debate.

Phil - thanks for your valuable comment on the panda's physiology.

>RH: While I agree that partial adaptation is one weakness in 
>the Paleofood paradigm, another, much larger weakness is 
>that most of us are sufficiently different in our genetic 
>heritage, and hence our environmental adaptations, that it 
>is impossible to assert a universally optimal human diet - 
>even if it is strictly Paleo. In fact that is the central thesis 
>of my current writing project. The Paleo perspective only 
>gets us so far. 

Ron - The way I read this, you are in danger of setting up a "straw man" here. I don't think I have ever heard or read an informed advocate of a palaeo diet suggest or claim that there in "a universally optimal human diet". So I don't know who you could be arguing against.

Thanks again, fellas, for getting us back on track. Three gems!

Keith