I did grow up in a rather natural environment and we did eat just about everything in nature at least once as kids. I don't have celiac disease and therefore didn't experience any sort of negative reaction to eating these things. It was rather common for us, in fact, to take a handful of wheat from the granery and throw it in our mouth and chew... and chew... and chew.... and chew - we called it chewing gum (as in - want some gum? sure - get a handful of grain)! But unlike bubble gum, we swallowed it.
In high school I did a science project on eating earth worms. Put into peat moss for 48 hours, the worms empty. They are then boiled and frozen. After freezing they can be ground into a type of "flour" and made into cookies or other things. They are 65% protein and have essentially no taste at all. I'm not sure why someone hasn't marketed the worm nutrition bar yet. Combined with dried fruits, they could make the perfect "paleo" bar. Maybe I should go into business and sell these to all the paleos on the list - any takers?
I am not trying to suggest that grain, grass seeds, or even the stalks of grass (a favorite afternoon munch for us as kids) comprised any real portion of paleo man's diet. I just find it an interesting conceit - to suggest that humans could not or would not have eaten something that would have been available.
I wonder if fish should comprise more of our diets. As someone who is driven to eat meat (beef, bison, deer etc. my favorites - I'm ok with pork, but not fond - poultry I eat if served, but rarely choose to eat), fish is not my first choice. But it seems that so many of the regional diets that produce some measurable form of "healthy" individuals have fish as at least one of the central proteins - the traditional scandinavian diet centred around fish and dairy - the japanese and island asian diets we here so much about centred around fish and rice - even the mediteranean diet that is cited so often as proof of the importance of certain plant oils like olive oil feature fish prominently.
What role did fish play in the paleo diet?
By the way, I think I was spoiled as a kid from a diet perspective and everything now pales in comparison. Looking back, and in part because we were relatively poor, rural people - we ate so damn well - with a huge garden - pasture-fed beef, free-range chicken and eggs- and (probably the reason I find commercial fish so lacking) fresh walleye (pickeral). Oh for the good old days.
gale
----- Original Message ----
From: Ron Hoggan <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask]
Sent: Thursday, May 15, 2008 12:41:03 AM
Subject: Re: Stone-age diet may lower risk of heart disease
> Wednesday, May 14, 2008 7:08 PM Gale wrote, in part:
>
> When I wrote even grain, I did really mean naturally occurring
> grasses with seeds. Again, it seems reasonable to me that if
> a human saw an animal eat something, that the human would try
> to eat it too. And if it didn't immediately repulse or later
> sicken the human, it would be added to the "list" so to say.
> gale
Hi Gale,
Have you ever eaten grass seed? Even a little bit of it? I tried it when I
was a kid. (Contrary to my mom's convictions, I wasn't very bright.) I still
remember that it tasted awful! It was dry, and I had a tough time getting it
chewed and mixed with enough saliva that I could choke it down. It hurt the
inside of my mouth. Grains are much easier to eat.
Today, more than 50 years later, I could watch a cow eat grass seed all day
long and never be moved to try it again. :-) Even if others found the taste
and texture of grass seed tolerable, I think they would be unlikely to eat
it again if it made them as sick as it made me. Even chewing grains made me
throw up. To put this in perspective, I remember eating worms and bugs just
to gross out other kids, and none of those made me sick.
Maybe my reactions to grass and grains are because I have celiac disease.
The other kids who tried chewing grains with me did not throw up, but they
certainly didn't like the taste. It takes a lot of technology to make
significant quantities of grains edible. Without milling and cooking, or
fermenting, or some other form of processing, I don't think that unprocessed
grains or grass seed would be eaten except in times of dire food shortage.
Somehow, grains got added to the "list," but I don't think it came from
watching animals graze, then sampling grass seed without processing.
Best Wishes,
Ron Hoggan, Ed. D.
co-author Dangerous Grains ISBN: 978158333-129-3 www.dangerousgrains.com
author: Get the Iron Edge: a complete guide for meeting your iron needs
ISBN: 978-0-9736284-4-9 www.ironedge.info
author Smarten Up! ISBN: 978-0-9736284-3-2 www.smartenup.info
editor: Scott-Free Newsletter www.celiac.com
"Objectivity is the prerogative of objects."
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