Well put, and a really important point.

I never cease recommending Death by Food Pyramid. This is a well-reasoned and -researched book which explains how our ancestors developed geographically distinct enzyme patterns to digest their local foods. Just as a human's melanin skin content would vary with the environment; darkening to protect humans from too much sunlight, and lightening to promote the production of vitamin D, so people have variation in the enzymes their bodies can produce for digestion.

The book explained why my months-long experiment with vegetarianism went so badly wrong (gained weight, got weak and sick.) Because I don't have the enzymes to get much protein out of plant sources. It explains why I get along so well with fish and dairy. My aunt researched our gene pool, and on the paternal side we have lots of Northern European characteristics. They were too far north for extensive agriculture, so instead they fished and kept herd animals. I've always been told I "take after" that side of the family.

This also explains how a subset of our current population eats the Standard American Diet without suffering too much in the way of health consequences; they are more adapted to this highly unnatural eating method than the rest of us are.

For everyone on this board or seeking out information on low carb; the SAD is a disaster no amount of calorie cutting or exercise can fix.

Still, while being fat and sick on the SAD is something we all have in common, we also have our different flavors of how we should approach our own diets. I'm very sensitive to Omega 3 fats but get along with low carb fruit eaten with a meal. For someone else, this approach won't yield nearly the benefits I'm getting from it.

I started this thread to share the incredible improvement in my very serious, stress-related, health crisis. It took me years to figure out what was going on: turns out, I'm one of those folks who had to diagnose themselves with the Internet!

So I don't have any qualms about treating myself, either. Turns out I have a rare genetic condition that can't be fixed, only managed; so I'm managing it to the best of my ability.

Modern medicine can't do a thing for me.