I was tempted to call this post "Teesing Heart Disease" or "Sheese, Heart Disease," but couldn't resist using "Follow Your Heart." After reading so many praising blog posts about these three faux cheeses, I did some research on the nutritional and fat content of these substitutes, and was stunned by the results.
Here are the assumptions/statistics:
1) in 2005 alone, coronary heart disease caused 445,687 deaths (the leading cause of death for men and women). That breaks down to over 8,500 people per week, 1,200 per day, and although going veg'n reduces the odds, it does, by no stretch of the imagination, eliminate them. You can be veg'n and still consume too much fat/oil.
2) Drs. Ornish and Esselstyn, through 20+ years of peer-reviewed research, did what no one else (even with vaunted modern medical science) did: they reversed (and in theory, prevented) heart disease. They did this through diet (Essy showed exercise, although a good idea, wasn't critical). A NO-added fat vegan diet. They (and Drs. McDougall and Barnard) recommend between 14 and 20 grams of fat per day MAX. Essy has shown that it is the added oil/fat in your diet that enables the formation of plaque that will clog your circulatory system and kill you via stroke.
3) Oil is NOT a food. It adds pure fat to your system and has pretty much nothing to offer nutritionally (Omega-3 is better from other sources)
4) The average pizza is 12 inches in diameter, and is considered by many "food experts" to represent 3 servings. The average amount of cheese put on a 12" pizza is about a cup. Therefore, one serving has 1/3 cup (43 grams of cheese (faux or real)). I'm also using the high-end of Ornish, et. al, daily fat recommendations of 20 grams.
Okay, here are the numbers, per serving:
SHEESE MOZZ: 150 cal, 12 g of fat = 60% of the max recommended fat per day (18% Fed's) and 72% calories from FAT
TEESE MOZZ: 120 cal, 9 g of fat = 45% of the max recommended fat per day (14% Fed's) and 75% calories from FAT
FOLLOW YOUR HEART/VEGAN GOURMET MOZZ: 105 cal, 12 g of fat = 60% of the max recommended fat per day (18% Fed's) and 100% calories from FAT
What's in these dietary heart attack, diabetes, obesity invitations? Predominantly soy milk/beans and added oil. Bonus: if you use the so-called healthy organic dressings with oil, just 2 TBL (one serving) is around 15 grams of fat extra. Eat that single pizza serving, use that dressing (hey, who the hell uses only 2 TBL of dressing?) on a side salad, and you've eaten, in one meal, more fat than recommended by Ornish, et. al., per day (50% or so of the Fed's recommendations). Tick tick tick tick.... kaboom!
So, I ask, which is worse: hormone pus-cell filled dairy cheese or congealed soy milk and oil? Answer: the question is a red herring. Both should be avoided, period. Even in moderation, they both contribute to heart disease. Yes, the fake cheeses might be "healthier" than real cheese, but in regards to your heart, NO. That added fat increases your odds for a heart attack or stroke just the same whether it's from dairy or soy milk and oil (one-third cup of whole milk dairy mozzarella equals 8 grams of fat, less than all three faux cheeses above).
If you really "heart your heart" you'd do better to de-condition your fat receptors to not crave fat any more and stop consuming added oil in your diet. Takes 14 weeks or thereabouts to lose the craving. I've done it; it works.
Wow, scary stuff. I never use faux cheeses or faux meats, but I do use oil (usually olive) and have been trying to cut down over time. I have Ornish's first book (Eat More, Weigh Less)--in that book, he advocates only 10% fat from all sources--and the recipes are actually really good, anyway! You've reminded me I need to go take another look at it.
[Yeah, read that book in the early 80s and it was a big influence... later lost over 70 lbs. in 4 months by keep my percentage of fat from calories between 10 and 15%. Kinda fell off the wagon later, then got back on.
But instrumental to me was interviewing Esselstyn two years ago the end of this month. That was the kicker. I was also stunned that exercise was not key.
It is amazing how much pure fat is in those faux cheese as well as in just one tablespoon of oil. I'm taking flack for pointing this out on selected blogsites, but... it's the truth. I do like McDougall's observation that oil is NOT food or whole food, and contributes relatively nothing nutritionally.
The trick is to de-condition your fat receptors... once you do that, it's easy to stay off the added fat (or so I've found).
Thanks for the feedback! Best, Mark]
Posted by: Ricki | 2009.02.14 at 12:24
Hi, Mark! You are right about the health issue of our foods today, however, products like Follow Your Heart are meant to help those who are "addicted" to dairy products and have horrible cravings for rich, oily foods. It still may be an "evil," but it is leading (hopefully) toward a path that is not only healthier than the full fat counterparts, but also towards one that is more compassionate to the animals and kinder to the Earth. When I cook for the omnivores in my house, I am sensitive to their addictions (and somewhat my own :))- introducing them to steamed Amaranth over a bed of raw greens is tasty to me, but unappealing to most in my house... baby steps, though... baby steps! Thanks for commenting on my blog!
Posted by: DJ Karma (VegSpinz) | 2009.02.14 at 12:03
But most of the vegans I know are ethical vegans--we want to avoid cruelty, and milk is far worse than faux cheeses for that.
[That may be so, but the added fat increases the odds for heart disease/strokes, and a host of other problems. Too many vegans think "faux cheeses" are healthy. They aren't. Most are just soy and oil. Thanks for your feedback, though! Best, Mark]
Posted by: Barb | 2009.02.11 at 16:50