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2009.09.28

Comments

J

I don't think you should be criticizing a handful of nuts as harmful to heart health. Seriously, nuts are a whole food. Naturally in their whole state, they definitely beat eating a processed Morningstar "patty"... I really want to know what YOUR diet looks like. Can you give us a sample menu from one of your days? I think it's great to criticize her blog, but a handful of cashews is healthy and wholesome.

[It's not just a "handful of nuts." It's the aggregation of added FAT during the whole day to a degree that's unhealthy by any definition of recommended daily fat.

Claiming that this AGGREGATE of meals is healthy and/or energizing is challenged directly by the facts of how much fat is in the total. That's the problem. Nutritionally myopic.

Yesterday? Mixed homegrown watermelon, local apple and raisins for breakfast. Salad (mixed greens and veggies from garden, no-oil homemade dressing). Dinner: millet, no-salt corn, grilled broccoli (no oil), mushroom enchiladas with a LITE Mori tofu/homemade salsa/etc. (not ready to release recipe, no nuts) blended topping, and Chardonney. Total fat for the day? A quick guess would be around 10 grams of fat (tofu and tortillas). ONE TENTH of her Day One "energizing menu" fat content.

I practice what I "preach." (using that term very loosely, I hope).

I do, however, appreciate your feedback and comment. Thanks, sincerely, for taking the time to voice your opinion. It's respected.

Also, I'm not criticizing her blog, per se... at times it is very good. What concerns me is the often apparent willingness to believe in what anyone says about nutrition, promote unhealthy products/programs, blindly recommending things without doing a little research, and a sloppiness in recognizing nutritional consequences.

It's unfortunate in that she obviously means well, has great energy and enthusiasm, but I do worry about people believing too much in what she writes. I can live with the ridiculous expense ("famous for $40 wine in homemade sangria" --- a direct quote) of most of her recommendations from a financial standpoint, but the continued focus on the "additive du jour" and unsubstantiated health claims ("coconut water is GOD" --- my words, not hers) does bug me.

She'll focus on "micro" nutrients and separate ingredients in her "health toting" but ignore the fundamental problems with fat (oil), salt, and sugar ingredients.

I do try to focus mostly on the numbers and facts, hopefully most of the time successfully.

Anyway, thanks again... Best regards, Mark]

vgpedlr

Disease risk aside, how can 100 grams of fat be energizing? As I made the transition to trult low fat eating a la McDougal, Esselstyn, et al, I realized very quickly that the added fat in some meals where I didn't pay attention made me very lethargic. Even a little "healthy omega-3 flax oil" on a lunch salad could completely derail my afternoon workout. Well done on digging this one up. I too am tired of the "detoxers" "energizers" and veganizers.

[I agree with you entirely! Thanks for the positive fedback... Best regards, Mark]

Peter

It seems as you often say that as long as something is vegan 'it must be healthy'. Whenever the words 'energising' or 'detox' are used in my opinion this raises red flags.

[I agree entirely... calling foods energzing or detoxing is generally "bull$hit and not subtantiated by scientific fact. Just promulgates useless nutritional myths.
]

Instead as you suggest look at the facts as they don't lie. The same as the need to read labels on foods in spite of the quite outrageous claims that are frequently made.

[Exactly! It's amazing that so many vegans who care about animal products in their food products don't check into what else that might be in them that isn't healthy.]

Actually I don't think you can pin down what 'energising' or 'detoxing' means but these terms are often used to promote and sell various diets or foods. I think most people would just benefit by eating whole foods and ignoring foods or diets with such vacuous claims. By just sticking to whole foods such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes and avoiding the processed stuff especially all free oils you are a long way to a healthy basis for a diet.

[IMHO, "vacous" terms is spot on... those kinds of terms keep people from embracing the fundamentals of nutrition and instead, focus on some aggregate claim that can't be proven.

As you indicate, just stick with whole foods, no processed foods, no added oils, and (my point) you maxmize our chances for a long and healthy life.

Thanks for your feedback! Mark]

I'm still stratching my head as to how olive oil can be 'energising'.

[I'm still marveling that people actually call it a "real food!"]


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