hi lisa,
irregardless of what topic we could be debating, i could come up with studies showing that both sides are true. through life experience, i have come to realize that most "studies" would be better classified as "advertising". so i do not intend to quote any studies to you. you surely must be aware that there are many in the nutrition field who are vigorously opposed to low-carb diets.

i think you missed the main point about glycemic index. if you are eating good natural foods, you do not need to worry about it, because you will get a mix. it is only when people started eating twinkies and such, that sugar became a problem. if you eat a variety of vegetables, you do not need to worry about the glycemic index. just make sure you are eating plenty of fresh produce.

i have read tons and tons of nutritional articles in my life. but "my opinions" come from putting that into practice, both with myself, and with others whom i help. most of these doctors and researchers have never done this.

there is only one person in the nutritional field that i truly respect. he is truly a pioneer. but to my knowledge, he has never written any books about it. he simply tows boats across the harbor on his 70th or 80th birthday.

a big part of optimal health is consistent exercise. some of that should be vigorous cardiovascular exercise, to stimulate your body, help it delete toxins, etc. you will never get out of 2nd gear on a low-carb diet. if you want to shift to 3rd, 4th, and overdrive, you had better darn well have trained your muscles to store a lot of glycogen, be eating plenty of carbs.

i know on days when i don't have my full pepp, i benefit more by eating a lot of carbs that evening, moreso than i need rest.

if i recall correctly, the brain pretty much runs on sugar, and vigorous exercise demands it.

you asked how i determined the amount of fat - there is no magical formula. i at least doubled the average amount of essential fats that most books were suggesting. the one big nutritional mistake that i made was going non-fat for over a decade. and i still eat no other fat. so i want to get lots of my essential fats. i never felt any ill effects from non-fat during that period. it was only when it started to affect my sleep, that i knew something needed fixing. but i never put any toxics or other crap in me. i never smoked, etc., so my body was probably able to cope with deficient essential fats much better because of it.

you asked about animal fat. all other fats are totally unneeded. most fats carry very little nutrients with them. while natural carbohydrate foods (produce) carry tons and tons of phytonutrients that we will never be able to totally classify.

it may surprise you that there are many people whom i tell that their diets are too weighed down with carbs. there is a large group of people who basically eat very well, in terms of toxics. this is because they are eating lots of natural foods. i was one of these people. many females and many older people fall into this group. the carbs that we are consuming is not the problem. it is the LACK OF PROPER PROTEIN AND ESSENTIAL FATS. the fix is easy. one needs to get the proper protein and essential fats, and the rest fixes itself.

we can not really go to supermarkets and get real food