From Apr/May '99
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HEALTH AUTHORITIES RALLY FOR VEGETABLES
Even though you have felt and looked better than all those "doubting Thomas’s" surrounding you, your faith may have been shaken lately by the popularity of high protein diets, like the Zone, Protein Power, and the Atkins’ diet. This may have caused some of you or your friends and family to have had doubts about the high-carbohydrate, plant-based diet that I have encouraged you to follow over the past 22 years. Don’t lose faith yet. Respected health organizations are now coming out of the closet and telling us the truth about the right diet, and are taking a solid stand against the dangerous low-carbohydrate, high-protein plans. Allow me to share with you two very important examples.
Supporting the Good Guys
On February 23, 1999 a coalition of more than 20 groups, including the American Heart Association, The American Cancer Society, The Produce for Better Health Foundation (PBH), the American Institute for Cancer Research, the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, the American Diabetes Association and the American Association of Retired Persons urged the government to make fruits and vegetables the center of the American diet. This message was primarily directed to the members of the Dietary Guidelines Committee, who are making up the nutritional guidelines to be revised for the year 2000.
The Dietary Guidelines Committee includes officials from the US Department of Agriculture, the Department of Health and Human Services, and top nutritionists from various universities. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans establishes the science-based guidance on what Americans should eat to stay healthy. They also provide the framework for all federal nutrition assistance programs, such as the National School Lunch Program, and nutrition education programs, including the Food Guide Pyramid.
The groups say there is strong evidence that if people eat more fruits and vegetables, lives and a considerable amount of health care dollars will be saved. According to this group, five of the top ten causes of death in the United States are diet related -- heart disease, cancer, strokes, diabetes, and other forms of atherosclerosis, and diet plays a preventive role in birth defects, cataract formation, hypertension, asthma, diverticulosis, obesity, and diabetes.
Presently our food guidelines are represented by the "Food Pyramid," which makes fruits and vegetables the base of the diet, followed by meats and dairy products and toped with concentrated fats and sweets. Federal nutrition policy recommends five to nine servings of fruits and vegetables daily. "But simply including them is not good enough," said Elizabeth Pivonka, Ph.D., R.D., president of the Produce for Better Health Foundation (An organization that represents the interests of the fruit and vegetable industries). "We are all urging the federal government to emphasize fruits and vegetables, in addition to other plant-based foods, not as just a part of a balanced American diet, but as the core of it."
Talking about Americans, she says, "Dinnertime is vegetable time; over 75% of all vegetables they eat are consumed at this time. But, even though dinner time is the most popular time for eating fruits and vegetables, only 28% of the foods they eat at dinner are fruits, vegetable or 100% juices. The average American's annual fruit and vegetable deficit is serious," Pivonka said. "Most of us have an annual fruit and vegetable deficit ranging from 219 to 1,629 servings - that's per person. It really adds up."
T. Colin Campbell, Ph.D., of Cornell University speaking for the American Institute for Cancer Research cautioned against substituting supplements for fruits and vegetables. "The whole is greater than the sum of its parts," Campbell explained about fruits and vegetables. "Unlike supplements, fruits and vegetables contain a variety of nutrients which cannot be extracted."
(Anyone interested in receiving a complimentary copy of the Produce for Better Health Foundation's publication can contact Rita McIntosh, manager of communications, at the Foundation at 302-235-ADAY (2329); ext. 29, fax to 302-235-5555, or e-mail to rmcintos@5aday.com.or visit their website at http://www.5aday.com.)
Going After the Bad Guys
The most popular diet plans today are high in protein and low in carbohydrate. High protein diets are not new. One of the most popular over the past 3 decades has been the Atkins’ diet plan, which focuses on meat, poultry, fish, and cheese, and severely restricts carbohydrates. Such restriction results in ketosis and as a result these diets are referred to as "ketogenic diets." The weight loss is immediate, but not long term, and they produce unhealthy, and ultimately dangerous side effects (increased risk of heart disease, osteoporosis, kidney stones, and cancer).
The 1990s version of the high protein diet is carbohydrate-reduced, resulting in a calorie distribution of 40% carbohydrate, 30% fat, and 30% protein. This kind of program was pioneered by Barry Sears PhD author of "Enter the Zone." By limiting the amount of protein a person eats, and sticking to the 40/30/30 ratio, food intake is restricted to 1200 to 1700 calories per day. Weight loss is accomplished by semistarvation. Again, there are shot term (constipation and the pain of hunger) and long term unhealthy side effects. Other best-selling books like "Protein Power" by Michael Eades, MD and Mary Dan Eades, MD, and "Heathy for Life" by Richard Heller PhD and and Rachael Heller PhD have capitalized on restricting carbohydrates in order to sell to the desperate, always-dieting, public.
Their popularity has finally caused a long over due backlash from the scientific community. The American College of Sports Medicine, The American Dietetic Association, the Women’s Sports Foundation, and the Cooper Institute for Aerobic Research have made their concerns known in a recently published brochure titled "Questioning 40/30/30."
These authors recommending more protein claim a diet based on the 40/30/30 ratio burns calories more efficiently, resulting in achieving and maintaining a healthy weight. However, according to the experts, "Following the plans recommended in the popular high-protein diet books will result in weight loss only because they provide so few calories. Experts stress that the plans are too low in calories to provide the energy needed by most athletes or active people... An educated examination shows the premises of this diet to be misguided and the diet plan inadequate in some major nutrients, particularly carbohydrates."
There is an awful lot of nonsense and incorrect information given by the authors of 40/30/30 diet books. "For example, Sears claims that the 40/30/30 regimen is responsible for turning around the performance of the Stanford University women's swim team following years of losses to the University of Texas. But he fails to note that before Stanford's winning streak, the Texas coach and several athletes of national caliber transferred to Stanford. According to the team's physician, a former All-American swimmer at Stanford, ‘I am unaware of any evidence to support a correlation between those who follow the 40/30/30 diet and the athletes' performance.’ While he feels that no one at Stanford has been harmed by the diet, the physician emphasized that ‘since athletic success is multifactorial, any attempt to give credit for Stanford's athletic success to a diet is insulting to the coaches and athletes whose talent, incredible dedication and hard work are the primary factors for their success.’ Furthermore, he says ‘the Stanford athletes have now educated themselves about the value of a well-balanced diet.’" Other claims are so ridiculous, such as "you can burn more fat watching TV than by exercising," or "eating carbohydrates could be dangerous to your health" that even the casual observer should not be fooled.
These authors recommending more protein claim fat is the primary source of energy for muscles. However, the experts say, "Fat can be a source of energy, particularly at rest or low levels of activity. During intense physical activity, carbohydrates stored as glycogen in muscles are the primary sources of energy. More important, carbohydrates are essential for glycogen recovery following activity to ensure continued optimal performance. The 40/30/30 ratio does not provide enough carbohydrates in the long term to enable competitive athletes to reach peak performance. Eating more fat does not help you burn fat better. But excess calories from fat can easily make you fatter."
Contrary to their claims, these diets are high in protein which causes excessive work on the kidney and liver, and leads to osteoporosis and kidney stones. The experts say, "The amount of protein recommended by 40/30/30 diets is high compared with scientifically based research on protein needs. For example, a 150-pound athlete who eats 3000 calories per day would get about 3 grams of protein per kilogram body weight, based on a 30% protein diet -- double the recommended intake for active people. A higher-protein diet could be harmful for people with renal disease or other conditions requiring a special diet."
(See the July/August 1997 McDougall Newsletter for a thorough discussion of 40/40/30 diets and particularly the Zone or visit www.drmcdougall.com on the web. For a copy of the brochure you can write The American Society of Sports Medicine at P.O. Box 1440, Indianapolis, IN 46206-1440 Street Address: 401 W. Michigan St., Indianapolis, IN 46202-3233 or call Phone:
(317) 637-9200, Fax: (317) 634-7817. Their web site is http://www.acsm.org.)
So Why Buy Nonsense?
You don’t have to be a nutritionist or doctor to figure out the truth. Look around the world. If carbohydrates were bad for people, then the Japanese living in Japan on a rice-based diet would be fat and sickly. When they move to the US and switch to a lower-carbohydrate, higher-fat and -protein diet they would become thinner and healthier. Is that what you see? To design a diet that will keep you healthy, young-looking, and trim all you have to do is look around the world and observe what thin, healthy people eat. Keep this example in mind and you’ll never be fooled. So why are so many people fooled that these books are national best-sellers?
Millions of people are desperate to lose weight (and some to become healthier). One of the most important reasons for the popularity of high protein diets is they work, temporarily -- people lose lots of weight fast -- but it’s mostly water. Stored carbohydrate contains large amounts of water. Switching to a low-carbohydrate diet results in the loss of these stores and the associated water, with an impressive initial weight loss. In addition, if the diet is low enough in carbohydrate, like the Atkins diet, then the body goes into ketosis, causing suppression of the appetite, thereby you eat and suffer less -- and lose weight. But there is a limited time you can stay in ketosis because of its unpleasant side effects. The foods recommended-- steaks, lobsters, fishes, pheasants, eggs, and cheeses -- are the ones most of us were raised to enjoy. Preach what people want to hear and you have an immediate following, because naturally we all like to hear good news about our bad habits.
However, there is only one way to fully satisfy your appetite with delicious foods, and stay trim and healthy for a life time -- that’s a starch based diet with fruits and vegetables and a bit of exercise. You may have to learn to like both, but once you do you will wonder why you waited so long to take better care of yourself.
From Apr/May '99
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Back Issues of Newsletter