> Humans would never have evolved such a big brain without a huge saturated fat intake. <
Humans ate lots of brains once they figured out how to crack open the skulls (and bones) of other predators' leftover kills. Does the brain and marrow have lots of saturated fat? And, later, when humans developed the skills to hunt for themselves, where did the saturated fat come from? Why does Cordain warn against eating saturated fat, when he is supposedly the "leading expert" on paleo diets? AND, the most important question... could the problem be that GRAIN fed animals' fat is NOT the same as wild animals (unbalanced fatty acid composition/omega 6/9 ratio, reduced CLA, etc)? Could this be the reason for Cordain's warnings, as well as possible health problems associated with "a high (saturated) fat" diet? My personal hunch is that fat is VERY good (and necessary) for people... however, it may really depend on where that fat is coming from - grain fed animals or wild (grass fed) animals. I have been searching for grass fed food, and have found lots of farms near by that raise it (everything from bison, elk, deer, cows, pigs, chickens, lamb, etc). I plan on doing bulk purchases of this meat (and fat) and primarily eating this type of food (versus the grain fed stuff found at the local supermarket). Does anyone have any thoughts on these things?

i agree completely. how did you find the farms near you? i will do the same. did you look on the internet or word of mouth or what? you have the right idea.....

Hi Kay!

I did use the web to find the farms.

here are some links...

http://www.heall.com/resource/food/

http://www.heall.com/resource/food/new_york.htm

http://www.eatwild.com/

http://www.eatwild.com/products/newyork.html

At the bottom of this page, you can click on other states, like New Jersey, etc.

You can also just use a search engine like...

http://www.google.com/

And put in your state (New York) and/or surrounding states, and then put "grass-fed" "farms" "bison", "elk", "deer", etc. I found other farms this way. Like there is a site for MEFA (Missouri Elk Farmers Association) that has a huge list of farms in Missouri. And another for Deer Farms. I just searched on my Street Atlas program for the cities or zip codes to find ones near Kansas City... then I have just been calling & visiting farms. I have already found a place very near to get beef, pork, lamb, chicken, turkey, rabbit... and another place to get bison... and so on...

I have an upright freezer that holds up to 500 lbs of meat, but I don't plan on having anymore than 2-300 lbs around at one time... want to have it as fresh as possible. Plus, I don't want to pay extra for vacuum packing and such. If you get 1/4 of large animals and 1/2 of smaller ones, you usually get a good enough price break versus buying by the cut. I average about $3.00/lb for all the different meats & cuts (which is pretty good for the high quality meat you get - and believe me, when you taste it you will know how good it really is).

Hope this helps.

Good luck.

- Dean

hi paleodeano!

thanks so much. i am moving to columbus, ohio this weekend so will look around that area. how do you feel since you have been eating ths way? i am going to try to start a neandethin/atkins induction this mon. once i am settled in my new place. too hard to start when your life is in flux but i will stay lc till then. did you feel great from the start or did you go thru a transition... weak, tired stage? do you use oils like flax, hemp, olive? i would be curious to see what you eat on a typical day. do you keep a journal? and one more thing...until i can get to the "happy farms" , is buffalo always a safe bet? i get it at whole foods (organic chain) and i think it's always grass fed but i may be way off on that?? do you know? well, stay in touch! and take care, kay

Boy, Kay, you really get around! You just moved to New York City?, and now are moving (back?) to Ohio! Reminds me of that movie "The Out-Of-Towners"!


Looks like there are plenty of farms in Ohio... you should have no problem at all!

http://www.heall.com/resource/food/ohio.htm

http://www.eatwild.com/products/ohio.html

Bison (it's not really buffalo) is a good bet... however, there are some farms that are not too hip to the health issues, and are more concerned with making sure the meat is tender (marbled, shall we say!) and do finish the animals off on grains! Sort of defeats the purpose of eating them! So, it is best to check out who is raising the animals. If you find out from the store, you can then check out the farm on the web, perhaps, or call them or something. There are enough bison farms around Kansas that I find out if ANY grain is used, and if so, I don't deal with them, since there are so many others that never use any grains. They have them grazing on native grass, and during the harshest times of the winter, they will feed them hay (from those grasses). If you get a younger animal (like around 24 months) and you cook the meat correctly (very important) then the meat is very tender and very rich tasting... and of course, extremely healthy for you! Make sure the processor does not discard any of the fat (have them put it in the burger).

http://www.greatplainsbison.com/all_about_buffalo.html

I feel great when I eat LC. My energy and moods are more level. I have much more stamina for exercise, etc. Of course, when first starting, and doing very low carb, I felt tired and sluggish. I did not exercise at all for a week. But, then, the energy level kicks in, and your metabolism changes over and you start feeling great!

I do use flax oil (for the omega 3). If all I ever ate was wild animals and fish, I would probably feel I did not need it. But, wild salmon is so very expensive! (Wish I lived in Alaska!). I only take 1 tblsp/day of flax oil.

I don't keep a journal, but typically I eat 4 farm fresh jumbo eggs from free range chickens fried in about 1/8 lb of butter (the only non-paleo food I eat) with bacon (no nitrates) or sausage (natural) or burger... or pork chop or steak... every morning. Good way to start the day (with plenty of good animal fat!). I eat a mid-morning snack of nuts (almonds/pecans/walnuts) and low-carb fruit. Lunch is either a salad with eggs and chicken/turkey meat... or shrimp (with low carb/high fat dressing, like Caesar or ranch - there might be a small amount of dairy here as well), or a piece of meat and vegetable (or vegetable dish, like cucumber salad). Then a mid-afternoon snack of nuts and fruit (or guacamole and celery and deviled eggs)... then dinner of meat and veggies with loads of butter (or veggie dish) or meat/veggie dish (like stir fry, or lamb stew with loads of butter, or no bean venison "chili"). I keep carbs low (probably under 30 grams/day) and fat as high as possible! Steak sauce is probably the highest carb food I do... or certain fruit (although I eat as low-carb fruit as I can). I eat only natural food (nothing processed), and try to get the largest variety of foods I can in my diet... this includes many different types of animals (and cuts - and organ meats), and different fruits and veggies.

So, are you really wanting to do a complete neanderthin diet (no dairy or grains/legumes, etc)? I once did strict neanderthin (just like Ray details in his book) for several months. My cholesterol (complete lipo profile) was the best it had ever been! And, I lost weight and body fat effortlessly. Although, I have really upped the fat and lowered the carbs since those days... hence the use of butter in my diet. My weight and body fat really have taken a dive since doing this.

Good luck on your transition...
Watch the carbs, but don't start "counting" till you are settled...

Take care, Kay

- Dean

Dean,
it gets even better...as soon as my move to ohio is complete, i will be moving to kansas city! in with you! you know too much...i would never have to read another book, look up another article or cook another meal because you would do it all for me! just dreaming! i am moving BACK to ohio because my health is weird and scaring me. i have been a lean and beyond energetic girl all my life. this 20 pound gain happened overnight....but more importantly, i feel awful. so i am going to do nothing but get myself balanced and well. it's such a cliche but you really do have nothing if you dont have your health...so. one more Q for you: when you upped the fat, did you gain more fat? where did you learn all this? i'm impressed....i've learned a lot too but its because of my own health issues...not for fun, recreational, hobby reasons like i would prefer. i eat this way to keep myself from falling over (small exagerration)...some days i feel great, others, are frightening. i see the doc on wed. to get results on a test he did. not looking forward to it.....i hope you stick around. i have a feeling i'll have a few more Qs for you once i start this on mon. (ps dont be offended by my improper use of grammar etc...i am schooled... but it's makes for faster typing...that's all

you take care, kay

ps
thank you so much for your responses. especially the web sites and the peak into your daily menus! have a good one!