I am a retired neurophysiologist and would like to contribute some
thoughts on the need for more fat in our diets based on human
physiology. Plant based diets are lacking in sufficient fat for
optimal
functioning and are lacking in some cofactors such as B-12. A problem
with SAD diets has been the increased toxins in cooked foods,
especially
the carcinogenic effects of COOKED fat, animal and vegetable. We all
know cooking converts nutrients into non-nutrients. Raw animal fat is
an
excellent source of fat.

Energy is stored more efficiently as fat than as glycogen from
carobohydrates. Animals may get enough fat from veggies if they are
herbivores--they are less active and need less efficient energy. We
are
omnivores. Carnivores and omnivores are more active than herbivores,
and
need this more efficient way of storing energy. Also humans have more
need for fat in the skin since we don't have hair to keep us warm and
for increased brain function because of our higher intelligence. The
synaptic connections in the brain are mostly fat and cannot function
well in low fat diets. There are many published studies by David
Horrobin and others on the improvement of emotional balance and brain
function with diets that incorporate more fat.  Check out any Medline
if
you are interested. The body is so beautifully constructed that it can
survive on diets that are not well balanced, but for optimal mental
and
physical health it works best physiologically to have a balance, and
natural taste can determine what is needed. The gut even tries to
absorb
preferentially what it needs. Too much of anything leads to toxicosis.
And if there is too little then metabolism is disrupted, abnormal
quantites of metabolites accumulate, and toxicosis also results. So
deficiences can also lead to cancer. I lost more than one long term
vegetarian friend to cancer.

Aajonus Vonderplanitz' results with remission from cancer using high
raw
animal fat diets are statistically valid. He did not make this up. The
reason many of his clients eventually died is that they were unable to
stay with the diet because of their food addictions, especially
addiction to processed and cooked carbohydrates.  I don't think raw
carbohydrates are addicting, but it's certainly possible to eat too
many
and not enough fat. Of course it is too soon for statistics with
Instinctive eaters who eat raw animal fat--there are not that many of
us--but the evidence is beginning to mount. Also since I did the
emotional detox to clear out my brain and nervous system as described
in
my article, The Biology of Emotions, (based on my scientific article
below) my sympathetic nervous system can do its daily job of detoxing
and I seldom get sick. My previously abnormal blood tests are now
normal.  I tried eating a dozen raw egg yolks and then had my
cholesterol checked. It was normal. The nervous system controls just
about every function of the body including digestion. And because the
toxicosis in my hypothalamus is gone, the pituitary gland can regulate
the various hormonal balances. My hypothyroidism was also neurogenic,
that is, when the nervous system is revved up during detox crises (ie
symptoms)-- emotional or physical or a mix-- excess adrenaline is
released and increases the metabolic rate. The thyroid compensates by
putting out less thyroid hormone. Most people go to a doctor when they
are having symptoms, i.e. detox crises, and may be diagnosed with
hypothyroidism when there is nothing wrong with the thyroid gland.
When
there is toxicosis in the hypothalamus, there is periodic over and
understimulation of the anterior pituitary, and consequently of many
other hormonally controlled organs. Psychosomatic illness is better
termed neurogenic, and while toxicois in the periphery also
contributes
to disease, a toxic nervous system is disease causing in itself. Best
of
all, my food addiction to processed and cooked carbohydrates is gone.

Here is support from human phsyiology that the body prefers to store
energy as fat.
>From Guyton, Textbook of Medical Physiology 5th ed. p. 922. "Almost all
cells, with the notable exception of brain tissue, can use fatty acids
almost interchangeably with glucose for energy. Fat synthesis from
carbohydrates is especially important for two reasons: 1) The ability
of
the different cells of the body to store carbohydrates in the form of
glycogen is generally slight: only a few hundred grams of glycogen are
stored in the liver, the skeletal muscles, and all other tissues of
the
body put together. Therefore, fat synthesis provides a means by which
the energy of excess ingested carbohydrates (and proteins, too) can be
stored for later use. Indeed, the average person has about 200 times
as
much energy stored in the form of fat as stored in the form of
carbohydrate. Each gram of fat contains approximately 2-1/2 as many
calories of energy as each gram of glycogen. Therefore, for a given
weight gain a person can store more energy in the form of fat than in
the form of carbohydrate."

The point here is that while we of course need carbohydrates, energy
is
more efficiently stored as fat, and we need to incorporate more fat in
our diet than can be obtained on plant based diets. Pastured beef is
an
excellent source and have low bacterial counts. Bacteria feed on junk,
not on healthy tissues. I believe the theory that bacteria are
symbiotic
and help clean us out.  If someone dies during a severe bacterial
infection it might well be from the underlying toxicosis and not from
the bacteria. But if one is switching to an all raw diet including
animal flesh, it would be wise to do this gradually.

The priciple of toxicosis (as it relates to mental illness) as a
source
of disease is now published in my article in a medical journal
Hopefully, this will eventually bring some harmony between alternative
approaches and the traditional medical viewpoint. Here is the
abstract.

The toxic mind: the biology of mental illness and violence E. Van
Winkle, retired, Millhauser Laboratories of the Department of
Psychiatry
New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY. Mailing address:
Murray Hill Station. P.O. Box 893, New York, NY 10156

Abstract -- The continual suppression of emotions during fight or
flight
reactions results in atrophy and endogenous toxicosis in noradrenergic
neurons. Diminished synaptic levels of norepinephrine are associated
with depression. During periodic detoxification crises excess
norepinephrine and other metabolites flood synapses. The
norepinephrine
overexcites postsynaptic neurons and causes symptoms ranging from mild
anxiety to violent behavior. Some of the other metabolites, which may
include dopamine, epinephrine, serotonin, gamma-aminobutyric acid,
peptides, amino acids, and various metabolic waste products, are bound
by noradrenergic receptors and alter neurotransmission. When they
prevent norepinephrine from exciting postsynaptic neurons, depression
returns. A mechanism is proposed for the binding of norepinephrine and
for the effects of the other metabolites, many of which have been
thought to be neurotransmitters. The diverse receptor proteins
presumed
to be specific for false neurotransmitters may instead encode specific
memories. The shift in depressive and excitatory behavior is
characteristic of nearly all nervous and mental disorders, including
addictions, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and
psychosomatic
disorders. When toxins accumulate in regions of the brain that control
specific activities, the symptoms observed will be related to those
activities, giving rise to supposedly distinct disorders that
represent
the same detoxification process. Recovery can be facilitated by
therapy
and self-help measures that involve the releasing and redirecting of
repressed emotions. Medical Hypotheses 2000; 54(1): 146-156.

You can read the full article if you are interested and the self help
measures for recovery on:

http://pages.nyu.edu/~er26

Please read the Endoresements. Eliminating the toxicosis in the
nervous
system will have a profound effect on the ability of the peripheral
organs to function, and this will lead to better health.
Ellie