> Date:    Mon, 30 Jul 2001 20:05:00 -0700
> From:    Todd Reed <[log in to unmask]>
> Subject: fat questions
>
> Howdy all,
>
> I've been reading some paleo-oriented nutrition literature called
> "The Origin Diet." The author makes some points about saturated fat
> consumption in the paleolithic compared to today.
>
> As best I understand this, books like Neanderthin are saying animal
> fats are neutral in dietary terms, except that the ratio of Omega 6's
> to 3's have become unbalanced compared to the paleo era's dietary
> pattern. From there, I get the impression that beef fat, pork, and
> other meats are basically considered benign or healthy to eat. In
> other words, there is no penalty for eating fatty meat.
>
> The author of "The Origin Diet" makes the point that paleo-era wild
> animals were so lean that they had little saturated fat on their
> bodies, and she advocates eating a low-saturated fat diet. That means
> cutting out beef, pork, and lamb, all meats with high saturated fat
> content, and eating fish, shellfish, turkey, eggs and white chicken
> meat instead.
>
> I tend to eat a fair amount of bacon, pork sausage and the like.
> Tastes great, less filling....but years of living in the 'new
> age/whole food zone' leave me quite a feeling of cognitive dissonance
> when I begin munching on some juicy steak.
>
> Anyway, what I'm really curious about is the role of saturated fat in
> today's paleo diet that includes range fed beef, pork, lamp or
> whatever versus what hunter-gathers were eating. Any comments
> appreciated.
>
> Todd Reed
>

Hi Todd and list,

    I'm new to the list so let me intro real quick and then get back to Todd's
post.    I have a 296 acre farm on whcih my kids and I raise organic, free range
meat, poultry and produce.  I have a degree in anthro/archeo and my work frame
tends to revolve around ethnomedicine.
    Wild game tends to have a lower fat ratio than domesticated animals mainly
because game free ranges and is grass fed.  Farm livestock, especially factory
farm, is fed a high level of animal protien in a grain based diet. They are given
growth hormone and have very limited movement. A free range grass fed steer has a
much different muscle texture and fat ratio.  Not all game fits the low fat
docket.  Coon and possum have a very high fat content as does any animal that is
killed in the early part of the winter season.  By spring fat reserves have been
burned up and the animal is far leaner.
    Cattle and horses were never designed to eat animal protien.  A hog that is
turned loose in the spring and is allowed to free range for itself without the
benefit of added feeding has a totally different carcass composition than the
usual farm hog.

LA