At Darwin’s Table

Thoughts

I have noticed while reading a lot of blogs, on eating in a paleolithic format, that saturated fats are completely acceptable. In contrast, Dr Loren Cordain, states very clearly that extra saturated fats should not be eaten, and this means trimming the fat off meat and not eating butter or lard. I think the common argument against this approach is one given by Sally Fallon.

If this sounds absurd (the paleo diet by Dr Loren Cordain), it’s because absurd things happen when a professor of exercise tries to write a diet book that captures the current interest in the so-called caveman diet and adheres to political correctness at the same time. This book is as pc as pc can be–and totally ignorant of what we know about hunter-gatherer diets. Everyone who has described the diets of primitive peoples–Stefansson, Samuel Hearne, Cabeza de Vaca, Weston Price–has detailed the great emphasis these groups put on animal fat. Animal foods rich in fat were the basis of these diets. Animals were hunted selectively to procure those richest in fat. In good times, only the fattest parts were eaten, the lean meat was thrown away. In fact, the one thing Paleolithic Peter would never have eaten was a skinless chicken breast. He wanted the fat, the entrails, the bones, the contents of the stomach. . . the lean meat went to his dogs.

However, it seems that Sally Fallon, who lacks any scientific qualifications (she started it), failed to read any of his papers and had a personal issue to grind. This is Loren Cordain’s reply.

I do not know Sally Fallon, but I suspect that she has “an axe to grind” because of a debate I had with her co-author, Mary Enig, on whether or not dietary saturated fats were healthful or harmful. 

It is natural and healthy for scientists to disagree on scientific and medical issues as this is the process called “peer review” which ultimately moves science forward. Unfortunately, the internet is not a peer reviewed forum, and literally anyone can say anything they care to say. As far as I am aware, Sally Fallon is not a scientist, nor has she ever submitted any of her ideas to the peer review process in scientific journals. Does this mean that Sally Fallon’s ideas have no merit?  No, they simply have not been adequately tested using the scientific method. All of the information I present in my book is substantiated by peer reviewed scientific articles that I have published, along with my research group or by other scientists from diverse fields.

There is no doubt that hunter-gatherers ate the entire edible carcass of animals that were hunted and killed, and the fatty portions of the carcass were relished more than the lean muscle tissue. We have pointed this information out in many of our scientific papers. However, there are two key points that Fallon fails to mention.

The first is the total fat content of wild animal carcasses varies seasonally throughout the year in a cyclic waxing and waning manner. Studies of caribou over a 12-month period show that the total carcass (organs and all) fat by weight for 7 months of the year average less than 5 %; for 9 months of the year it average less than 10 %. For 3 months of the year total carcass fat falls between 11-17 %. In contrast 99 % of the beef in the U.S. is produced under fed lot conditions in which the animal is always slaughtered at the peak or highest body fat % which typically exceeds 30 % by weight. An animal that has a body fat of 5% by weight equals 34 % fat by energy, whereas an animal that has a body fat of 30 % by weight equals 85 % fat by energy. Hence the total fat content of feed-lot produced domesticated animals is not even remotely close to that of wild animals.

The second point of deception in Fallon’s review revolves around the types of fats available in the total edible carcass of wild animals over a 12 month period. From our recent paper analyzing the fat content in the tissues of wild animals, we have been able to show that the dominant fats (> 50 % energy) in organs are polyunsaturated (PUFA) + monounsaturated (MUFA) fatty acids, whereas the dominant (>50% energy) fat in adipose tissue is saturated fat. Further, by employing allometric regressions that scale organ mass to tissue mass and then by analyzing the fat content and fatty acid composition of each organ, it is possible to calculate the total edible carcass fatty acid composition as it varies throughout the year. Our results (in press) show that for 9 months or more of the year, it would have been impossible to obtain >10 % of the total carcass energy as saturated fats.

It’s not that hunter-gatherers didn’t want to eat fatty meats; it’s just that a year round source did not exist. Hence, my recommendation to eat lean meats trimmed of visible fat along with healthful oils provides a diet with approximately 10 % or less of total energy from saturated fats – a value that mimics values in hunter-gatherer diets. From our paper, you can examine in more detail the fat profile of modern diets based upon Stone Age food groups.

I think this brings up some interesting points. Im sure hunter gatherers would also have savoured and sought honey (high in carbohydrates), but the quantity available was limited so they didn’t consume much. Just because it was favoured does not mean we should overindulge, that is what we have been doing for the last 30 years. Our genes are made to attract us to highly sugary or fatty foods and this is half the problem. It does not mean we should eat it because thats what hunter gatherers preferred. Of course they preferred it, no one is arguing that, but we should eat based on what they mostly consumed! 

Also, the argument some may make is that saturated fats are not bad for you and are safe to eat. Maybe this is the main point Sally Fallon, and many other blogs, want to get across, and this is fine! Saturated fats may not be bad for you as many suggest. But that does not change the fact that current scientific research shows that hunter gatherers ate diets low in saturated fat. If you want to mimic a hunter gatherer diet then eating a high amount of saturated fats is not an option. If you are worried about the health consequences of not getting enough saturated fats from eating the paleo diet then start eating organs. This will adequately supply the saturated fat needed by your body, it was good enough for our paleolithic ancestors after all. The way I see it is like this – saturated fats may not be bad for you. Even if this is true we know that monounsaturated fats and Omega 3 fats (both high in the Paleo Diet as promoted by Dr Loren Cordain) are extremely healthy for you, stopping inflammation and increasing HDL. Now you typically only eat a certain amount of fats a day – wouldn’t you prefer to eat fats that are known to be good for you than replace these with fats that are, at best, neutral?

What do you think? Does anyone else have any ideas or thoughts on this matter?

Food

In the morning I had an omelette with coriander (cilantro), garlic and chilli. I really am using eggs a lot lately and it is mainly because their cheap. But I am trying to find alternative cheap sources of protein that I can use. In addition, I had my fish oil capsules. 

Omelette

For lunch I had a salad that consisted of baby spinach leaves, almonds, chicken, olive oil, flaxseed oil, capsicum (pepper), olives and onion. However, stupid me, I forgot to take a picture, I did however have an avocado and three apples straight afterwards and so I took a picture to make up for it. Avocados are so cheap right now, and in season, so I am an avocado fiend at the moment.

Apple and Avocado

I was really hungry. Probably the result of dropping 2kg in a day. So at about 4pm I was hungry again. So the next thing I did was go and get some shopping. I was going to try and find that cheap substitute for eggs. I did, I found canned herring (1g of Omega 3 per 100g serve) and so I had this with a can of tomatoes, some onion, peppercorns, coriander (cilantro) and oregano. It was so good, yet I should have added chilli. I bought in bulk so probably try this again tomorrow. 

Herring in a Tomato Sauce

I was still hungry about an hour after eating this but I suspected as much. So in the late evening, I cooked the left overs of the beef in a spicy lime marinade, and added to this some cooked spinach. I had an avocado afterwards. 

Beef in a Spicy Lime Marinade

Nutrition                           grams                  % calories

Carbohydrates                      69                           13

Protein                                 132                          26

Fat                                        141                          61

saturated fat (25g – 18% of fat intake)

TOTAL CALORIES – 2010

No exercise.

A higher calorie day than usual lately, but it was expected since I have been losing weight so quickly over the last couple of days.