Diet Fiction Many find themselves enticed by diets that promise quick weight loss only to discover the diet is not sustainable. Usually, the weight comes back with a vengeance and leaves the dieter demoralized and heavier. Even for those not concerned about weight loss, advertisers make sure you haven’t been left out of the nutrition confusion by suggesting their product might have an essential nutrient you are missing. Want nutritious desserts, energy bars, candy, or ice cream? If you want to believe it’s true you can believe almost anything. The art of marketing stands ready to support your wish with the illusion of healthy nutrition. To avoid the seduction, skip the label and first read the list of ingredients. Of course, the marketing goal is to distract you from the list of ingredients with half-truths on the label. The barrier that keeps most from discovering healthier foods is habit. Often, these habits originate during childhood, from family values or from advertising. In fairness to family values, many food habits that adversely affect health now were of far less of a consequence in a time when people were more active and when highly processed foods didn’t find their way into every meal. If seeking a more nutritious way to eat, it’s hard to resist a diet book with celebrity endorsements that claims amazing results. Unfortunately, when it comes to the topic of nutrition, even very intelligent people find themselves mislead by hope for a quick fix. For most, hope ends when caution is suspended and the book is bought on a leap of faith. For anyone that has leaped and failed a few times one question demands an answer. How could a diet that supposedly works for so many others not work for me? Most end up blaming themselves for not having the grit to stay with the diet. In reality, most diets leave people feeling hungry which is not natural and definitely not sustainable. As a word of caution, just because a dozen bestselling books say something is true doesn’t make it so. New books are often written for no other reason than to ride on the coat tails of a trend that’s selling well. Unfortunately, when the trend is not grounded in science, the best the authors can do is quote one another, refer to their own unpublished research, or repeat anecdotal evidence. If confused about which diet is best, you aren’t alone. When scholarly articles in prestigious publication misinterpret the evidence, even doctors get confused. One example would be an article titled “Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease with a Mediterranean Diet,” that was published in the New England Journal of Medicine. As noted by Dr. Caldwell B. Esselstyn, the article might have been better titled, “Promoting Cardiovascular Disease with a Mediterranean Diet.” Flaws in interpreting the study results were not unlike many that have links to the food industry. As Dr. T. Colin Campbell observed, “two companies supplied the olive oil (Hojiblanca and Patrimonio Comunal Olivarero), and the nuts came from a nut producer in Spain (La Morella Nuts) and the California Walnut Commission. Plus many of the authors have extensive financial ties to food, wine, and other industry groups.” As with many nutrition studies, the results came from of an experiment that tested the wrong hypothesis. Indeed, almost any diet that excludes some junk foods will show improvement. As ludicrous as it might sound, comparing a candy bar diet with a corn chip diet might show fewer illnesses in the corn chip diet. The point being, there are many ways of asking the wrong question and in each case an answer results that is of no practical value. And yet, these findings make the bulk of what’s available from the literature on nutrition which in turn becomes most of what makes it into the mainstream news. Today we know that the Mediterranean diet, while better than the Standard American Diet, still promotes cardiovascular disease, just at a slower rate. Fortunately, evidence from research, especially epidemiologic studies, have helped identify the plant- based whole food diet as one that promotes long life with good health. In the book, “The China Study,” T. Colin Campbell reports on this diet in a rural province in China over a three year period. In an examination of over 250,000 death certificates, not one death was attributable to cardiovascular disease. Since his study, an abundance of additional evidence has accumulated that confirms the power of a plant-based whole food diet. While the China Study was a landmark research result, it was in part a rediscovery of knowledge from an earlier age. For anyone that has tried to discern the facts about diets from the mainstream media or popular diet books, confusion is the likely outcome. Almost all diet guidance refers to a diet containing 25-30% fat as having “low fat” and anything lower as "extremely" low fat. The result has been that lower fat diets are dismissed as extreme. The implications of this misinformation are unfortunate. Far too many worldwide are still missing the best opportunity for better health at lower cost. With the exception of people having rare dietary needs, the diet having the greatest ability to maintain and restore health, while preventing and actually reversing disease, is one comprised of plant-based whole foods, without added refined oil and refined carbohydrates. Having been the preferred diet for humans over thousands of years, it’s hardly a new diet. What’s new is the diet change that occurred over the last 50-100 years as people moved from rural areas to cities where they became increasingly accustomed to low quality convenience foods. From numerous studies, we now know that the ideal diet for most people is about 10-12% fat, 10-12% protein, and 75-80% carbohydrates. When this diet is from a plant-based whole food diet with the colors of the rainbow it provides an abundance of micronutrients, antioxidants, the right kinds fats in the proper ratio, adequate protein, and carbohydrates. So often we are inclined to enjoy good news about our bad habits. An article about healthier ways to grill a steak might be an interesting idea after a second heart bypass. Unfortunately getting sicker slower is not what most would prefer. Fortunately, a mountain of research now makes clear that a plant-based whole food diet is the healthiest and that pouring on more olive oil is not a good idea. If you have been confused about diets, take time to learn more about the diet industry from the new documentary film, “Diet Fiction - Exposing the Deceptive Truth About the Weight-Loss Industry.” by Michal Siewierski. If feeling a touch of Spring fever, then join me for a walk Saturday morning. A park Rx is what I prescribe for myself. On a nice morning, I sometimes take a double dose. Nancy Neighbors, MD Huntsville, Alabama Tex-Mex Salsa This Tex-Mex Salsa makes a tasty garnish for vegetables and baked potatoes. Leaving a bowl out as a snack along with bite-sized vegetables (carrots, broccoli, cabbage, etc.) will help reluctant nibblers to try more healthful fare. To prepare, combine all ingredients in a large bowl. The flavor will enhance as the ingredients marinate. Makes about four cups. Store in refrigerator until needed Ingredients 1 ¾ cups of cooked black beans (rinsed and drained) 2 cups of cooked whole-kernel corn (drained) 1 cup chopped bell pepper ½ cup chopped cilantro, parsley or mixed. 1 cup chopped scallions 3 tablespoons of lime juice 2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar ½ teaspoon ground cumin ¼ teaspoon salt ¼ teaspoon of pepper sauce. Looking For A Good Read? If looking for a new book about healthy living, the titles listed below may be of interest. While I haven’t read these books yet, they are from authors that have a history of sensible suggestions. Several include new plant-based whole food recipes. Feel adventuresome? Read one of these books, try the recipes, and then share your discovery in one of my future newsletters. • “Undo It!: How Simple Lifestyle Changes Can Reverse Most Chronic Diseases” by Dean Ornish, MD and Anne Ornish • “Feeding You Lies: How to Unravel the Food Industry’s Playbook and Reclaim Your Health” by Vani Hari • “Eat To Beat Disease: The New Science of How the Body Can Heal Itself” by William Li, MD • “What’s Making Our Children Sick?: How Industrial Food Is Causing an Epidemic of Chronic Illness, and What Parents (and Doctors) Can Do About It” by Michelle Perro, MD, and Vincanne Adams, PhD • “31-Day Food Revolution: Heal Your Body, Feel Great, and Transform Your World” by Ocean Robbins |