Re: Paleo diet criticisms

From: Charles Hixson (charleshixsn@earthlink.net)
Date: Wed May 07 2003 - 15:02:33 MDT

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    I William Wiser wrote:

    > ...
    >
    >So the type of fat an animal is feed affects the composition
    >of it's own fat? If that's true I find it interesting. I don't suppose
    >you have any references handy. I can search but if you have any
    >names or keywords...
    >
    I can't really say whether it's diet or other environmental features,
    but chickens that I buy at the store not only have more fat, but have
    fat which is a much brighter yellow than the chickens that we raised
    when I lived on a farm. The chicken fat that I remember was a pale
    yellow, not a bright almost orange. What the significance is? It could
    be just that the chickens don't have a chance to exercise, or it could
    be diet, but *something* has changed them within the past 30 years. (We
    kept the chickens mainly for eggs, so it could also just be age.)
    Whatever the cause, modern chickens are different from 30 years ago,
    much less paleolithic (there's been genetic selection for more eggs
    during that period, too).

    And the modern cow isn't an aurochs, much less a gazelle or antelope.
    If you don't know what you're selecting for, it can be quite difficult
    to head for it. So what you need is some independant way of measuring
    your distance from your goal. If you are in favor of the "paleolithic"
    diet because it's healthy, then measure health as you alter your diet in
    theoretically reasonable ways... but just altering your diet on the
    basis of theory is of dubious value. There are too many variables.

    -- 
    -- Charles Hixson
    Gnu software that is free,
    The best is yet to be.
    


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