Dear Dr. Ben:

   Since confession is good for the soul, I'll come out of the closet,
too, Dr. Ben.  I am a high carb paleo eater.  Whew,  I feel better
already.  I've been Paleo since August, 99 following 14 years of strict
to not so strict macrobiotic eating, which is high carb, low fat  (whole
grains, beans, seaweed, veggies, some fish, pickles).  The first 3
months of  Paleo, I seemed to need more dried fruit  like those yummie
coconut covered dates  smothered in globs of almond butter on a daily
basis ( o.k., only 3) Additionally, I ate some starchy  veggie  like
carrots, yams or rutabaga  once per; day.  However, with the help of
some of the contributors to this list (Thank you  Dr. James who is not
an M.D. and Michael), I've found since upping my fats, (nuts, avocado,
olive oil, mayo)  I can even reduce some protein, avoid the dried  fruit
and  now  only eat some yams maybe 3x per week rather than every day.  I
also find I don't crave as much regular fruit, either.  But that may be
seasonal, as it is now  11 degrees below zero.  I'll have to see how
that goes once we break into spring.   I agree, that extremes in either
direction are not beneficial.  Plus, the body needs time to adapt,
especially if coming from a high carb background.  Since we are on the
subject of  adaptation,  I'll segue into my own question  to you, since
I'll assume you are an M.D.  Can the stomach of a mostly vegetarian
always  adapt enzymatically to the Paleo diet?  How about HCL content.?
How long does this take, or is it different for everyone.  I have two
kids, both reared macro until the last few years.  One can't stand  the
fat  on meat. The other   hates the meat but gobbles  the fat off his
brother's  plate.  Sort of like that nursery rhyme "Jack Sprat could eat
no fat, his wife could eat no lean; but between the two of them they
licked their plate clean . . .."  I'm wondering if the one child  (age
8) can't digest his fat due to some digestive deficiency and therefore
is naturally repulsed.  The younger one (age 4) has been known to eat a
stick of butter when no one is watching.   I'm only concerned because
the fat hater is skinny as a rail and could use the extra "marbling." He
hates nuts, too.  My sense is he isn't absorbing what he eats.

Thanks for any feedback you can throw my way.

Judy G., cavemama