Ron, I agree with you on your following points below.  I see paleo as a
starting point for myself, which I modify based on science and my own
personal experience/reactions.  Unfortunately, it seems like adherence to
paleo alone with no modifications based on continuing information has become
almost like a religion for some people.  That said, I try to be rigorously
honest with myself.  Right now, I feel best on a relatively low carbohydrate
"clean" diet of almost no processed foods, no wheat or soy or grains,
minimal sugar, no industrially produced vegetable oils, - while eating fatty
meats, small amounts of fruits and vegetables daily, very few starches, some
organic full fat dairy.  This works very well FOR ME.  I have lupus, and I
am very mindful of keeping inflammation to a minimum. 
Paula H.

-----Original Message-----
From: Paleolithic Eating Support List [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
On Behalf Of Ron Hoggan
[Ron] If someone is inventing a problem, it would have to be me, but I don't
think I am. When we talk about eating foods that were  available and likely
eaten prior to agriculture, we really need to have a sense of what those
foods are, and I see a lot of writings that suggest very narrow
interpretations of what was eaten.  

[Ron] I'm not opposed to paleo eating, but I am opposed to the narrow focus
it sometimes induces. I suspect, for instance, that some folks can eat
non-paleo with relative impugnity.


[Ron] I'm not sure how conservative you are. Do you avoid fruits because
today's fruits are likely more glycemic than pre-agricultural fruits? And
what about vegetables? Do you avoid potatoes because they were not available
to Europeans until about 500 years ago? And what about all the other
vegetables that were not available to Europeans until recently?  And what
about meats?  Do you avoid today's meats because they do not reflect the fat
content of pre-agricultural game?  

I stand by my previous statement: 
My biggest objection to any one-size-fits-all paradigm is that over the last
100,000 years or so, different populations were adapting to different
environments all over the world. While we may be able to make legitimate
claims, such as that arsenic is generally problematic when ingested, I think
that we need to understand ourselves better before leaping into yet another
one-size-fits-all way of seeing human nutrition.
best wishes,
Ron