Butter and even cream seem to be ok for most but cheese, yogurt, milk not so much because of too much lactose and casein.

You will have to find that ratio for yourself but the 80/20 ratio seems to be pretty popular. If you really can't get suet, hide-fat or bone marrow, then maybe include butter. Raw or heated, whichever you deem is more healthy. Your call!

I agree that heating changes food but ultimately, the question is whether cooked foods have any effect on the human body and lead to certain health problems. And by cooked foods, I mean animal fat and meat. Nothing else. Is a person eating a few fruits, here and there (like Tyler) and meat all raw, better off in the long run than say someone like me who eats no fruits at all and eats their meat and fat slightly cooked? We just don't know. We make assumptions. We assume that because food is modified through eating that it must have some negative consequences on the body but where is the proof?? There's none. I'm not saying that cooked meat is without health consequences but I'm not saying the opposite either. I don't know but I have my UNFOUNDED suspicions.

 

I would just like to add to the above and say that the error I made was eating too much protein and not enough fat. If you ever decide to go ZC, be sure to include lots and I mean LOTS of fat. This is the key to success.

I cannot emphasize this enough. Eat a little protein and plenty of fat! 80% and more fat, in terms of calories. If this gives you nausea, then slightly reduce fat.

If one eats well, supplements are a waste of money.

Used to often eat canned sardines or salmon and thought it was so healthy. I was eating "dead" food all along!

I'd like to share my story as a reminder that too much of a good thing can prove to be harmful. I went all-raw during the summer of 2007 and mostly ate organ meats. I also stopped eating any carbs. I would eat large amounts of heart, kidney, tongue and liver, usually twice daily. I began to experience fatigue, especially after meals and certain symptoms I hoped would go away on this diet actually worsened like hives. This lasted about 2 months after which I decided to change things around. I tried including more fruits, less meat, more muscle-meat, more fat, etc. Always raw. If anything, things got a little worse. I would often feel bloated, my weight went up, my moods were unstable, my skin was very dry, hives persisted. Post-meal fatigue would sometimes get so intense that I would fall asleep almost immediately after my meals and sleep for hours. Gained weight, felt anxious, abdomen was hurting and was distended.

At the moment, I mostly eat muscle-meat, rarely organ meats and only slightly cooked, raw on the inside.

Until recently, I didn't quite understand why I was feeling so lousy on a diet that is supposedly the healthiest for "man". But then, I remembered something Tyler once said, that if he ate too frequently (i.e twice daily), he felt tired. He surmised it was the excess nutrients and strain on the digestive system. Bingo!

I would often eat despite lack of hunger, just because it was "time" to eat or because I was bored. But, if I listened to hunger, I would usually only eat every 24-36 hours. And everytime, I did, I felt a little better. Suddenly, my energy levels would rise.

So, in our quest to regain health and reap the most benefits out of such a diet, we should not forget to also get in touch with our body's signals. This is a nutrient-dense diet and as such, we don't need much. Eat ONLY when hungry and things will be fine. Let your acculturation and emotions dominate your actions and you will pay the price. I certainly did.

I have those same reactions when I eat too much fat. But scallops are almost 100% protein so I guess it must have been an allergic reaction. Glad it's over with, I know the feeling.

The brain can and does run on ketones, more efficiently, might I add. It cannot run on fatty acids because they are unable to cross the blood-brain barrier.

I'm not so sure about the fat percentage. I also thought that less was better but since my digestion and overall health has improved, I do well on higher fat like probably around 70-80%. That's why i asked about garlic...since taking some and dropping my hormones, things have really improved!

Best of luck, Yuri. My heart goes out to you...kinda been there.

Glad to have you on this forum, Mav.