Dori Zook wrote:

>>The fat content of a food, like the sugar content, adds nothing to its
>>nutrient content.
>
>Ah, but fat in and of itself is required to sustain human life.  No one
>wants to hear or admit that, but it's true.  Even the feds admmit, via
the
>pyramid, you should get 30% of your calories from fat.  Fat is a
high-octane
>fuel.

That's true, but our bodies have the ability to make fat from glucose,
just as they have the ability to make glucose from amino acids.  So,
with the exception of the EFAs, which we need a few grams of each day,
we don't need to eat fat to have it available for fuel, just as we
don't need to eat glucose to have it available for the tissues that
need it.

However, our ability to make glucose from amino acids is more limited
than our ability to make fat from glucose, because of the limits of
gluconeogenesis, the buildup of ammonia, etc.  I'm not arguing for a
low-fat diet, but from a CRON standpoint the goal is to maximize the
intake of nutrients (vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients, etc.) while
minimizing the intake of calories.  To do this, you have to restrict,
as much as possible caloric sources that don't have nutrients: fat and
sugar.  Obviously, you can't completely restrict them, because even on
CRON you need energy, and you can't get it all from protein.  But you
have to choose your energy sources carefully to be an nutrient-dense as
possible.  I think that would mean lean meats, berries, nuts, and
possibly legumes (CRON is not about paleo).  But since I've never tried
this, I'm not sure.  And of course, CRON is not about feeling good
either; it's about being here a long time.

>>It's interesting to consider whether a CRON diet involving fasting
>>every other day, with normal eating on the other days, would be less
>>psychologically oppressive than constant hunger.  The quotation that
>>Amadeus posted from the benbest web site indicated that this way of
>>doing CRON actually worked better with lab animals.
>
>Which makes perfect sense; clearly, there are times in the wild you
have to
>go without for a while.  I could easily fast every other day if I ate
plenty
>of fat, enough protein and a few good carbs.

Ever tried it?  I haven't, but I'm tempted to make the experiment.  It
seems that it would be easier, psychologically, than simply eating half
rations all the time, because at least you'd know that every other day
you wouldn't be hungry.  On half rations, you're always hungry.  On the
other hand, the general effects of severe caloric restriction would
still set in: reduced body temperature, muscle loss, diminished sex
drive.  At least, I think they would.  I tend to think that CRON is a
Faustian bargain.

Todd Moody
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