On Mon, 21 Sep 1998, Stan and Cory wrote:

> Todd, in response to your question about what the body does with dietary
> fatty acids in excess of its energy needs, it seems your assumption they
> are excreted is correct.  Dr. Anchell writes, "If too much meat is eaten by
> an individual, his body takes what it needs for building and energy
> purposes and then completely breaks down what is left over into end
> products, which are readily excreted from the kidneys, lungs, sweat glands,
> and intestines.  The body knows its own needs, and when given the proper
> food will maintain itself in a perfect state of equilibrium - neither too
> fat nor too thin."

I'd be interested in knowing what those end products are.  I
guess I should order this book.

> He further states, "For unknown reasons, (Ray has given us a plausible
> one!) man's organs are appropriate for the intake of meat, but not plants.
> The eating of grain and other products grown from the soil satisfies our
> taste buds, but confuses our bodies' chemical laboratories.  They simply do
> not know how to completely utilize these other foods, i.e., grains,
> vegetables, fruits, sugars, and other carbohydrates.  The human body
> utilizes these plant foods as best it can, but is unable to entirely digest
> and use them.  Consequently, more of these foods must be eaten to supply
> the energy that an equivalent amount of meat would provide.  Carbohydrates
> are broken down into simple and complex sugars and, as such, supply energy.

These are very strange things to say.  If the claim is simply
that plant foods cannot be as *completely* utilized as meats, due
to indigestible fiber, then that is true but not especially
significant.  Otherwise, the body uses the sugars from
carbohydrates quite effectively.  Indeed, it prefers them and
exits ketosis the moment carbs become available.

>  But if too much carbohydrate is eaten, the only thing the body can do with
> it is to store it as fat - excess fat, unneeded fat, the kind of fat that
> is a slow cancer.  A person can eat as much or as little protein and fat
> from animal products as he wants without becoming overweight, providing the
> use of carbohydrate (sugar) foods is precisely controlled."

The same is true of excess dietary fat, except that it seems that
the amount that counts as excess is greater.  Furthermore, it is
simply not true that ketosis causes normalization of weight
regardless of calories eaten.  If it were so, plateaus would not
be such a common theme among people on the Atkins diet.

> I wonder what a large handful of macademia nuts , about once a week, would
> do to this regimen?!  They are my weakness!

Why should they do anything?  They have almost no carbs.

> I do not know chemistry and the relevant difference between pyruvate and
> pyruvic acid to engage in discussion on this issue.

There is no difference.

> I personally know that my musculature and energy have increased in the two
> months that I've been on Paleo....and after several years of Iyengar yoga,
> all at once I've become much more adept at accomplishing the postures!
> What benefits have you other Paleos observed?

Is that two months of paleo or two months of ketosis?  They don't
necessarily (or even usually) coincide.  I have experienced
relief from allergies and psoriasis, and this has been a great
benefit.

Todd Moody
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