Hi, I have a few questions about paleo diets. I've read Ray Audette's book and have read some web pages, but am far from an expert. I've been low carbing for awhile now, but found the paleo ideas compelling so am transitioning to that eating plan. Cutting out the Carb Countdown and Low carb tortillas was the easy part. Now for the harder decisions:

1. Are artificial sweeteners really a problem? The Audette book says that some sweeteners can cause cancer. I'm guessing he means saccharin (not really shown to cause problems in humans though). But what about splenda, which is basically tweaked sugar so you only use tiny amounts of it? Are there theoretic problems? Have people done studies (or reasonably anecdotal evidence) of problems with splenda?

2. Where does chocolate fit in? I realize sugar isn't a good thing, but I've been using Lindt 85% select. A 3.5 oz bar has 12.5g of sugar. I melt the chocolate and add some splenda and pistachios. Yummy, but again, any problems in the paleo world view?

3. How is black tea? I realize that green tea is not fermented, and is supposed to be better, but black tea works much better (in my mind) for iced tea; it's also much easier to find decaf black tea. Is using black tea really a problem?

4. Generally how are fermented products? Tea is one instance, and I like worcestire sauce on meats. I could give up worcestire sauce, but tea would be trickier.

Thanks in advance for any help.

joe