SoulVeggie

Running the Dietary Race

Dad's going to become a cyborg today.  A battery-powered device will be merged with his body to keep his heart rate from dropping too low (he's been having fainting spells).  They refer to this surgery as a "procedure."  How Orwellian... It accompanies the satins for cholesterol, his being borderline diabetic, and having high blood pressure.  The "experts" believe diet is not a key factor.  Yet, a low-fat low-salt diet is recommended for those suffering from bradycardia.

This frustrates me to no end.  Because of the prevailing reductionistic mindset, believing everything can be broken up into bit'n'pieces and studied/treated individually instead of as a "whole system," the "experts" are doing nothing more then extending life a bit and treating symptoms --- totally ignoring the actual causes.  Yet, Esselstyn and Ornish have proven you can reverse heart disease through a low-fat vegan diet, without drugs and machines.  In denial, the aforementioned pros explain: people don't have the discipline and we don't make the same megabucks.

There's personal irony. This Mother's Day (to the day) is the anniversary of my Mom dying of breast cancer.  I was 14 years old.  It led directly to my quest to find out what might have caused her death and studying diet, health, nutrition, what's in our food, and eventually coming to the conclusion that going veg'n was one answer to avoiding these disorders.

The other answer was realizing that added fat, sugar, and salt, whether you are vegetarian or vegan, still contributes to developing many life-defying diseases.  Aghast, I read daily recipe posts from vegans using such nutritional abominations as "1 cup of Earth Balance (fat fat fat)," or "2 cups of Veganaise (soy and fat)," or "1 cup of sugar (btw: those "wonderful" vegan marshmellows are basically corn syrup and sugar), " or "1 cup <insert product name> of faux cheese (soy and fat)," or "1/4 cup of reduced sodium tamari (2,800 mg sodium, well over a day's worth... yet how many veg'ns liberally soak their food with it, whether in a marinade, a dressing, or a stir-fry?)"

In my younger years, I could eat a box of light bulbs, down a case of beer with 2 large pizzas, make love all night, then run a marathon the next day.  In my later years, that diet would make me ill and unable to run the marathon...  But, to actually run life's BIG marathon successfuly means that we can't dietarily "sprint full tilt bozo" the first third, then expect the last two-thirds to be illness-free and that our bodies haven't been damaged by earlier abuses.  That's a reality most won't accept.  Being vegan isn't enough to protect you.

As McDougall has noted:  "Moderation kills." ...and sustains your taste cravings.  As such, we MUST to learn to fuel life's race properly with our diet, eating whole foods (oil, sugar, syrup, and sodium, are NOT whole foods), and avoid feeding taste addictions that, in the final analysis, can lead to what's happened to Dad:  he didn't pace himself, and now he needs technology to do it for him.

Obesity, Diabetes & Heart Disease: Recipe for Dementia

"A new series of studies has shown that obesity in combination with diabetes and heart disease can work together to hasten the onset of dementia as well as other mental disabilities. When you look at the risk factors for heart disease and diabetes, you will find obesity at the top of the list. A diet rich in fatty foods is a major component for the development of heart disease while a diet containing too many starchy, sugary foods and not enough fruits, vegetables, and whole grains are key ingredients for developing diabetes. "  [Quote from HERE]

Let's not forget, too, that added fat/oil also provides the fuel for plaque formation that causes 90% of heart attacks & strokes (without warning), regardless of one's lipid or cholesterol levels, or physical fitness. Esselstyn has noted research that indicates by the time people are 50, most show signs of "tiny" strokes in their brains from added fat in their diet, that may later manifest as dementia or Alzheimer's disease.  They are too small to be noticed, but with the accumulation over time will be.

Added salt contributes to high blood pressure and heart disease, yet how many vegans consume over 1 teaspoon equivalent of salt a day, the recommended max? (hint:  check the labels on Tamari, Soy Sauce, and Bragg's).  Added sugar/sweeteners contribute to obesity and diabetes.  1 soda contains 10 teaspoons of sugar, effectively a recommended day's worth (that's around 3 tablespoons).

Yet, many in the vegan community must think themselves immune to obesity, diabetes, and heart disease, because they exercise, or only use a few tablespoons of added fat in a serving, or because they are vegan.  They eat processed soy milk/sodium/fat laiden "fake cheeses and sour creams", they "fry seitan medallions in 1/2" of oil," mix 1/2 to 3/4 cup of EVOO (should be called "EVIL") into a salad dressing, or "go out to Lulu's for the discerningly brutal "nutmilk, coconut cream, and soymilk-based ice cream,"" make an "immunity boosting carrot soup with 1 tbl. of oil/fat per serving," and eat almost a day's worth of fat in the guise of two soy link sausages --- all because they are still addicted to the taste of fat.  Some are still hooked on sodium and sweets, and that's too bad.

Y'all may have overcome the desire for meat, dairy, and eggs (the Unholy Trio), but apparently haven't yet dealt with the "Unholy Trifecta" of added fat, sodium, and sugar, and as such, your health is still at real risk.

...and I'm wondering if that's not the real dementia... believing that eating added fat, sodium and sugar is healthy for you when all the reliable evidence says otherwise...

[Full article (without embedded links) below.  Additional article with study sources HERE.]

"Suicide Watch" (or: "The Price of Being Vegan")

I called a wise and well-known vegan friend late last night, one whom I've learned a lot from over the years...  I was emotionally upset over hearing that my father had another "heart-related event" last night (shortly after finishing Rip Esselstyn's new book).  Two years ago January, Dad had his first, coincidentally enough while I was in the middle of reading Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn's "Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease" in preparation for an interview in mid-February.  Two years ago the next week, I began following Essy's "no added fat" vegan diet recommendations, lost some 15+ lbs., as well as my desire for added fat/oil in my diet.  Dad read the book and was influenced, but he's slipped somewhat from that time.  Since then I've written about Essy's/Ornish's research and related matters often on this blog (and, aside from the many positive e-mails, taken a lot of heat).

I whined to my friend that my father just wasn't paying enough attention, and as a former test pilot, one would think he had enough discipline to do so.  My friend noted that I've done all that I can:  setting an example, providing information about diet and health, and trying to encourage him to go low-fat vegan.  He also said essentially that I was on "Suicide Watch" of sorts.  I took this phrase as providing perspective and not being "ghoulish" or mean.  Simply that the best thing I could do was to pay attention, listen, provide support, and not lecture.  Just watch, wait, and hope...

This all got me thinking about what really is the hardest part of being a "low-fat" vegan.  It isn't the lack of meat or dairy.  It isn't the lack of fat or oil.  It's not the occasional ridicule.  It is the watching someone you love, with a potentially fatal biological condition that could most likely be reversed through proper diet, not follow that diet.  I am surprised by the depth of frustration within me over this situation.  I KNOW there's nothing more I can do, and it's like watching someone walking towards the edge of the Grand Canyon and he's not hearing you yell, "Hey!  Turn around and walk the other way!"  Some of my closest friends are very overweight, and it's clear that their chances of experiencing high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, and other obesity-related disorders are increasing every month.  Still, they eat meat, cheese, and added oils.

And yet, Drs. Esselstyn and Ornish have clearly shown/proven that a no-added fat diet can reverse heart disease and prevent the formation of plaque which causes 90% of strokes that can kill without warning.  It's not theory, it's fact.  I've even put together a list of "15 reasons to avoid added vegetable oils" in your diet (which I sent to Dad).

...and still people don't change, adapt, evolve.  Yes, Dad and Mom are eating more fruit and vegetables, but they can't handle giving up the oil (a non-food), the cheese, and the meat.  It's just something I have to accept... and one of my brothers, I found out a few weeks ago, is being advised to use statins for high cholesterol... taking the first step on a slippery slope... another candidate for the "Suicide Watch."

How amazingly ironic that people often ask me the stupid "What about protein?" question, or the "Why give up milk?" query, or the "What do you eat?" curiosity, yet the real serious, insightful, and penultimate question would be: "How do you handle watching your friends and family suffer and possibly die from diseases that they needn't from if they just ate right?"

"Suicide Watch..." it's not fun.  You want to scream.  You want to yell.  You want to point out in no uncertain terms that what they are going through, the pain, and the introduction of modern medicine's "miracle drugs" with those often "pesky" fatal or complex side affects are NOT necessary or normal.  The solution has been identified and proven.  All ya gotta do is get with the program.

This is not a matter of "belief," but instead, the knowledge that the proof and the science are solid.  The physical measurements of what happens to your circulatory system from just ONE fatty meal (constriction of the endothelium and inflammation of your blood vessels) isn't subject to debate.  For me, arguing for added oil or fat in your diet is likened to insisting gravity doesn't exist or that the Sun revolves around the Earth.  There are facts, there are theories.  Fact:  added fat/oil, dairy, and meat in your diet will, regardless of exercise, increase your risks for a host of disease, predominant amongst them being heart disease and strokes.  Stop with the added fat (plus meat and dairy) and you will lower your cholesterol as well as your risk of heart disease/stroke.  No guesswork involved.

So, how unfortunate it is that those of us who understand this, and follow a diet incorporating this awareness, in decreasing our own odds of developing and succumbing to these diseases, are at the same time increasing the odds that in our later life, we will be on the same "Suicide Watch" for those we love who haven't understood or figured it out.  Watching, waiting, hoping, offering advice and help when solicited, and wishing it weren't so, knowing it doesn't have to be.

... tick tock tick tock tick tock...  praying they pay attention before it's too late, and that the next alarm bell isn't the final knell.

Video: "Engine 2 Diet" Rip Esselstyn on "Today Show"

Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn's son, Rip, has a new book out that's combination "save your life plan" of exercise, diet, and recipes (plant-based; no added oil).  As a fireman and professional athlete, Rip's been following this diet (as recommended by his father) for over 12 years (winning many impressive contests).  Rip was on the Today Show this recent Monday, and here's a clip from the show (note:  I'll be interviewing Rip in a few weeks for the Mad Cowboy Newsletter, and my thanks to the post from the Healthy Librarian as pointed out by Rip's proud mom!)

Chocolate Helps Heart - Coffee Dangerous

"Dark chocolate and older lovers of cocoa rejoice – you are helping your heart and arteries, according to two studies presented at the American Society of Hypertension’s Nineteenth Annual Scientific Meeting. But another study found those needing a caffeine jolt [from coffee] had better switch to decaf to preserve the endothelium – the layer of cells lining blood vessels that control the ability of blood vessels to dilate and prevent clot formation. Poor endothelial function and arterial stiffness are considered cardiovascular risk factors in addition to smoking, hypertension, obesity and high cholesterol."

[Full article here and below; study cited here.  Let's see:  since added oil decreases endothelial functions, inflames blood vessels, and provides the fuel for plaques that cause strokes, imagine what topping off that high-fat entree or dessert with a cup of coffee is doing to our cardiovascular system?

Those studies like the "Nurse's Health Study" that conclude coffee reduces a woman's stroke risk are based upon interviews and broad statistics.  The study I'm posting about actually MEASURES the impact on the endothelium after drinking coffee.  We must learn to distinguish between statistical averages and actually measurements of body mechanisms involved.  This is one of the reasons I put more emphasis on Ornish, Esselstyn, and Baranard's (et. al) research:  they measured the impact on blood vessels, for example, and got precise numbers.  The same with the studies showing added fat/oil affecting the endothelium and inflaming blood vessels.  The Med. Diet, the various Harvard studies, and so on, are dealing with statistics and not underlying processes.

A quote of from Dr. Esselstyn that puts these types of studies in perspective: 

"After four years on the Mediterranean Diet, 25 percent of the people either died or had another major cardiac event. To me, that has absolutely nothing to do with the arrest and reversal of heart disease; that is simply slowing the rate of progression." (from this interview)

Anyway, here's a excellent summary article with detailed references about the physically addictive coffee's impact  on your body from Dr. McDougall.  Well worth the long read.]

"Healthy Vegan" By The Numbers

I'm continually amazed that vegans who carefully read labels on food products for animal stuff so often seem to be ignorant of recognizing the sodium and fat content in what they eat.  Vegan recipe blog posts gleefully writing "drizzle olive oil liberally" and "I can't get enough olive oil" and "oil is good for you" and "add 1 cup Earth Balance" drive me nuts from recognizing that it is these misconceptions, myths, and dellusions that actually promote and encourage heart disease.

Remember, the only guys to reverse (and in theory, prevent) heart disease (Ornish, Esselstyn) recommend 14 to 20 grams of fat MAX per day.  This is from 20+ years of peer-reviewed research.

In pondering the issue, I decided to put together an ad hoc list of 10 statistics that every vegan who wants to be a healthy vegan (and prevent heart disease) should consider memorizing as a guide for how they shop, cook, and as a reason to do so:

1)  14 to 20 g:  recommended maximum fat grams per day by Drs. Ornish, Esselstyn, Barnard, and McDougall

2)  12 to 14 g:  amount of fat grams in 1 TBL of oil

3)  100 to 120 calories:  amount of calories in 1 TBL of oil

4)  16 TBL:  number of TBL in 1 cup of oil, Earth Balance, Soy Margarine, etc., (240 g of fat)

5)  24 g:  fat grams in one serving (2 TBL) of most oil-based dressings

6)  10 percent:  recommended daily percentage of calories from fat (Ornish, Esselstyn)

7)  < 2000 mg:  recommended sodium per day (Esselstyn)

8)  2400 mg:  amount of sodium in 1 tsp of salt

9)  445,687:  number of deaths (US) from coronary heart disease in 2005... the single leading cause of death in America today (source)

10) 17,000,000:  number of people killed by heart disease and stroke a year, which is almost one-third of all deaths globally (source)

Note:  yes, going vegan lessens your chances of getting heart disease, but it DOES NOT necessarily prevent it, especially if you are using added oils (which aren't foods anyway and fuel artery-clogging plaque formation, just as bad as saturated meat).  Exercise, although useful, is not the determinent variable here (Esselstyn).  It's the added non-food:  oil.

Know the truth, learn the stats, and understand what products you are adding to your healthy food that will make it unhealthy, and stop it.  Your circulatory system will thank you... and, in very high probability, take care of you longer than if you didn't.

Heart Attack Russian Roulette 2009

A favorite blog of mine that emphasizes "fat free vegan" recipes (and has done much astounding and tremendous, ground-breaking work), recently held a contest for "Vegetable Love 2009" to create a romantic plant-based Valentine's Dinner, and let people vote for the winner.

You can imagine my surprise when I glommed the 16-year old chef's second place winning recipes.  Here's the link to "Vegetable Love 2009:  Cashew Crusted Tofu, Vegetable Israeli Couscous, Sauteed Kale, Roasted Red Pepper Coulis." 

And now, as is customary on my blog, the nutritional facts:

The crusted tofu, etc., menu has 10 TBL of Fat, and 1 1/4 cups of cashews (not counting, if memory serves, oil for frying).  This translate into:

10 TBL of Fat/Oil = 140 grams of fat

The Cashews = over 90 grams of fat

Total:  230 grams of fat.

Feds recommend 60 grams of fat per day at most, Drs. Ornish, Esselstyn, etc., 14 to 20 grams.

This "vegan foodie" meal has near 4 times the total fat the Feds recommend per day and near 12 times the fat the guys who've reversed/prevented heart disease recommend... and I'm not even including the fat in tofu (which can, in some circumstances, be 50% of calories from fat).

Unbelievable.

Instead of "Love 2009" it should be called "Heart Attack Russian Roulette 2009."  It might be a 'gorgeous dish that wins everyone's heart' but it also puts everyone's heart at risk.  ONE serving kills a day's worth of fat according to the Feds and near 3x that recommended by the heart disease experts.  High fat intake has been implicated in not only heart disease, but also diabetes, aging, cancers, and Altzheimer's disease.

Sorry if I sound "crusty" but the math here doesn't lie.

Let's hope the talented young vegan chef soon learns a bit more about diet and it's proven relationship to coronary heart disease, et. al., soon, reads the fat free vegan blog with a bit more attention to the concept, and understands that there's "unhealthy" vegan cooking and "healthy vegan cooking."  If he continues to design meals this way, his promising career might be shorter than it could be and we'd all be lesser as a result.

Follow Your Heart: don't eat "Follow Your Heart"

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.

"Grand Slamming" Your Heart

Denny's Restaurant announced, to great fanfare, that they are giving out FREE "Grand Slam Breakfasts" at today as part of their attempt to make people aware of their "real breakfast."

Here's the math:  1 serving is 795 calories (over half a day's worth as recommended by those esteemed doctors who've reversed heart disease, and less than a third day's worth as recommended by the Feds), 50 grams of fat (prevent/reverse heart attack daily recommendation: 14 gms, or 77% of daily total as recommended by Feds),and an astonishing 2237 mg of sodium (around twice recommended by Drs. Ornish and Esselstyn, 93% of total sodium recommended per day by Feds).

"Nelson Marchioli, president and CEO of Denny’s, says he expects at least 2 million more customers today. “In this economy, people will respond to free,” he said. "

IMHO if it's logical to "outlaw" trans-fats, the same rationale should keep this ridiculous and biologically abusive meal off the menu and certainly not be allowed to give it away for free.  Denny's Management should be water-boarded for serving this kind of coronary-inducing "real" breakfast, or better yet, force them to watch coronary bypass surgery a la "Clockwork Orange" several times and donate a portion of future profits to heart disease-related charities.

This breakfast isn't real, but decidedly "unreal" and a real grand slam to the heart.

15 REASONS TO AVOID VEGETABLE OILS

Because of some of the comments and e-mail I receive about a no-added fat vegan diet, I decided to list and document, in no particular order, 15 reasons to avoid vegetable oils and go very low fat vegan.  I hope they are useful and I dedicate this List to Dr. Esselstyn who, two years ago in an interview with him, changed my life forever. The post is very long so I've just provided the List here and below you can read the expanded version with links, cites, etc.

1. THEY ARE NOT FOOD
2. PREMATURE AGING
3. CLOTTING FACTORS
4. ALTZHEIMER'S DISEASE
5. PLAQUE FORMATION RUSSIAN ROULETTE
6. BLOOD VESSEL ELASTICITY/PRESSURE
7. HEART ATTACK PROOF YOURSELF
8. THE MEDITERRANEAN STUDY MYTH
9. DIABETES
10. IMPOTENCY
11. BREAST CANCER
12. COLON & PROSTATE CANCER
13. OBESITY
14. CRAVINGS FOR FAT
15. DR. T. COLIN CAMPBELL

[Full expanded and cited list below; here's a PDF: Download 15_Reasons_To_Avoid_Oil.pdf (44.8K)]