SoulVeggie

Xtreme Eating 2010 Awards: Cheezilla, Sneaky Pizza, Pestocide, +

The Center for Science in the Public Interest has put together a devastating list of "bad food" awards for 2010.  As usual, they are making a good point, and it's great to see them get some press for noting how unbelievably awful some of these foods are nutritionally:

"With two out of three adults—and one out of three children—overweight or obese, you’d think that restaurants would have some interest in keeping their patrons alive and dining out longer.

With mandatory calorie labeling on the horizon for chain restaurants, you’d think that restaurants would be dropping high-calorie items from their menus.

With close to 30 percent of young Americans too heavy to join the military, you’d think that restaurants would at least stop introducing new heavyweight items.

Nope. It’s business as usual in the restaurant industry. And that means it’s business as usual around here.  Welcome to our 2010 Xtreme Eating Awards."

Kudos to the whole CSPI team for bringing these sad issues to public concern.  Pity that these companies don't really care what they are doing to our collective health (and adding immeasurably to overall healthcare costs a few years from now).

"Faith-based" Nutritional Advice or "WTF?"

It's not often I see the diametrically opposed juxtiposition of a fine article, in this case, on the marketing efforts of Fast Food companies, contrasted with the author's own recipes.  Just absolutely amazing.

Here's the deal:  Kristin writes this excellent article about Fast Food Companies marketing to kids and minorities, here.  Makes sense, points out some real problems, has a lot of stats (not referenced, but consistent with what I know from past research).  Then, in the "footer" to the article is a link to her blog.  I'm thinking, "holistic nutritionist" there must be some good recipes there.

Boy, was I wrong.  The most current recipe (here) at that time was a Killer Quiche (emphasis on "killer").  A real "heart attack" waiting to happen.  Refined spelt flour, eggs, butter, whole milk, and a paltry 1 cup of chopped spinach to be spread around four servings.

How ridiculous.  I did the math.  Close to 400 calories and over 40 grams of fat per serving.  To put this into perspective, even the grossly conservative American Heart Association weighs in at no more than 80 grams of fat PER DAY.  Esselstyn and Ornish, who've prevented heart disease, weigh in at 15 to 25 grams of fat per day TOTAL.  One half the fat, per serving, that the AHA recommends per day for an adult.  She must be so proud!

So, a slice of that quiche has about as much fat as a Burger King Whopper and the same amount of calories.  What a winner!  In fact, the Whopper has more vegetables per serving then her quiche!

Refined flour, butter, whole milk, eggs, and a little tiny bit of spinach, and Kristin calls this "healthy and satisfying."

It gets worse.  In private e-mail exchange, which I won't quote here as I haven't asked permission, she points out that these are "traditional foods" and asserts that this makes them intrinsically healthy, and she never bothers to worry about the fat in her recipes.

Unbelievable.  She is essentially saying she knows more than Esselstyn, Ornish, Barnard, McDougall, Campbell and the American Heart Association.  She actually gets paid to counsel people on nutrition and feels that a vegan or vegetarian diet negatively impacts, among other things, your "reproductive capabilities."  Babe, come on over and I'll show you otherwise.

What a load of, well, crap.  What's traditional?  Drinking blood in the Latin American countries during the Mayan period?  Eating sheep intestines (haggis) in Ireland?  Possum in West Virginia?  Consumption of insects which is common in some countries?

It's just stunning to be reminded that there are people out there that actually believe drinking the raw breast milk from another species, that eating congealed pus-filled cheese, and ignoring the amount of fat in a meal is all good and "traditional."  These ignorant people are helping kill us in large numbers.  Unknowingly, with positive motive, they are promulgating absurd and scientifically unfounded myths about diet that altogether too many people, too lazy to do the research, buy into.

She has the audacity to all herself a "holistic nutritionist."  What colossal ego and overall silliness.

Oil is NOT a whole food, neither is raw milk, nor cheese, nor dead animal corpses.

Do your homework and actually help people to live longer, Kristin.  Start with science.  No wonder so many of your clients have problems with a plant-based diet.  A "faith-based diet" is about as sound as a "faith-based foreign policy" and we KNOW where that's gotten us.

Check this out:  15 reasons to avoid vegetable oils, all referenced and cited.  Ironic that your article didn't provide a single source.  Guess we're suppose to believe everything you wrote 'cause you're a "holistic nutritionist."

You are, imho, a well meaning ill-informed promoter of a diet that helps kill people earlier than necessary.  I've got the science, peer-reviewed research, and studies on my side, wadda you got?  Show me the studies that demonstrate the incredible health benefits of cheese, milk, or meat, that aren't industry funded.

Until you can show me some serious, non-industry-funded studies, that praise the anti-cancer or heart disease contribution of meat, dairy, and eggs, your advice is totally unfounded in reality.  There's no real definition of "traditional" and it's clear that the consumption of so much fat is unhealthy.  You prey on the ignorant, without realizing such.

And the bigger reality is that an epidemic number of Americans are dying from disease every year that could be prevented by eating properly.

IMHO, You are not part of the solution; you are part of the problem.  Desperate people buying into such warm and comfy phrases as "traditional foods."

How sad and unnecessary.  I apologize for my anger in this post, but, imho, people like you easily delude others into believing your non-researched nonsense, and that affects the quality of their lives.  And, you called me, in e-mail, "seriously misinformed,"  I've been called stupid, opinionated, and arrogant.  It ticks me off.  I'm NOT stupid.

It's about time we get real with this organic, holistic, raw, local, silly traditional or "paleolithic" stuff.  The underlying foundational issues are fat, sugar, and salt.  THEN the issues of organic, holistic, raw, vs. local come into play.  And just because you believe something is true, without a shred of evidence, doesn't make it so.

Lives are at stake, and the stakes are high.

 

Merging Q's: On Fat Pride & Life Quantity vs. Quality

As a member of the 'vegan crockpot' list for years, I recently got involved in a discussion of added fat in recipes.  A list member insisted that the "quality" of her life was more important than the "quantity" thereby justifying the simplistic viewpint of "once in awhile won't hurt me."   Then there was also someone proudly proclaiming that they were fat and proud of it.

This particular statement got under my skin:

"I'm with you on that! I eat plenty healthy to have to worry about my occasional unhealthy choices! LOL!"

My response ended with:

"One might "LOL" but you also invite "DOA" with that kind of perspective."

Wanting to avoid excessive OT discussion that would occur on the list if I continued, and yet desiring to get into more detail about it all, I decided to encapsulate my thoughts in a couple of quasi-satirical points with some commentary.  Here they are:

1)  I'm fat and/or significantly overweight, and proud that my inner spiritual essence still shines forth such that it obliviates my greater probability of experiencing heart disease, strokes, diabetes, Altzheimer's, and a host of other degenerative disorders.  I don't care that this physical state may have long term implications for my health and certainly affect those who love me that will delight in watching me degenerate.  Shine on!  I'm beautiful!

2)  I'm so smart that I can easily ignore the advice of Dr. Esselstyn (reversed heart disease), Dr. Ornish (reversed heart disease), Dr. Barnard (reversed diabetes), and Dr. T. Colin Campbell (largest study on human diet in history) about adopting a no added fat vegan diet.

3)  I don't mind feeding my taste addiction to fat, salt, and/or sugar, as because I'm vegan, it means I'm eating healthy.  Granted that this view ignores basic science and reality, I'm willing to go with the dietary urban myths and not by the well-founded "Moderation Kills" viewpoints of, well, Esselstyn, Ornish, Barnard, Campbell, and McDougall.

4)  I prefer several years of "quality" life through eating whatever I want to, versus the high probability of painful, expensive, disgusting means to increase my life quantity later (what's the big deal about them "cutting open your chest and putting in a pig vein to increase  your life" probability?) and all the awful ramifications of heart disease (et. al.)  that will most likely manifest.  Party now, pay later.  Roll dem bones.

5)  Hey, so what if that fatty dairy substitute (Daiya, Earth Balance, etc.) is vegan, expensive, nutritionally useless, and it gets me off of dairy?  Why should I care that it feeds my taste addiction to fat and is not only high in useless fat calories, essentially devoid of any significant nutritional value?  I'm saving animals (but not humans). Who cares if oil is not a real food and has serious health consequences?  These "15 Reasons fo Avoid Vegetable Oils," although referenced, must be completely wrong.

The emphasis on "quality of life" versus "quantity of life" via diet is quite nonsensical in concept.  This binary short term perspective essentially says that if what you consume might, in high probability, decrease your longevity, yet you get a lot more "now buzz" in what you eat, it's okay.  This narrow mindset is totally ignorant of the incredible pain, suffering, cost, and loss to society for you (and family) that dietary-related degenerative diseases involves.  It also presumes that those of us who have learned to relish a low fat, salt, and suger, vegan diet are in some way deprived.  Less "quality."

Far from it.  My taste awareness and enjoyment of eating a real natural food based diet has been just incredibly awesome.  Deprived?  Hell, it's you people who still suffer from fat, sugar, and salt addictions that are deprived.  You have no idea of what you are missing (and why it's wonderful to be missing it!).  The incredible subtleties of real food tastes are lost to those succumbed & addicted to fat, sugar, and salt.

Ideally, I endeavor to embrace every nano-second.  Quality and Quantity combined.  Of course if there's a need to "pull the plug," my goal is to have avoided the plug in the first place.

I think it's the perspective that somehow, by avoiding added oil in a vegan diet, we are depriving ourselves of "quality" that is mistakingly assumed by added fat vegans.  Having followed a no-added fat vegan diet for near three years, I can affirm that the "quality" of my life is astounding.  I relish and take great pleasure in the taste sensations I enjoin that aren't fat, sugar, or salt related.  I'm healthy, vigorous, and active.  That's quality (and, probably quantity).  Bonus points for taking care of my cariodvascular system.

Vegans need to open their eyes to dietary realities.  If you continue the same fat, salt, and sugar addictions that carnivores suffer from, then you still have a high probability of experiencing the same diseases that these addictions promote.  It's NOT just the meat or dairy.  Reducing the probability is cool, but eliminating it rocks. 

Exhalted vegan dessert recipes that have, per serving, more sugar than the American Heart Association recommends PER DAY do us no justice and from a health perspective, are a travesty.  The focus that "HEY!! It's VEGAN" is myopic in ignoring that, "HEY!! It's REALLY unhealthy."  Yeah, I care about the animals, but I care about humans more.

And we can't ignore that added oil/fat is not a real food.  Like it or not, that's reality.  It's really not an "either or" decision.  You can embrace both "quantity and quality of life" at the same time   It takes a little discpline and concerted effort, but after all, didn't going vegan to begin with require the same?

The issue is NOT "quality versus quantity" of life.  It's actually combining both.  And you can do this with a no-added fat vegan diet.

It's proven, and that simple.  Merge the "Q's."

Article: Dr T. Colin Campbell: "Low-fat Diets are Grossly Misrepresented"

It's great to see Dr. Campbell write a more mainstream and less technical article about the incredible benefits of a no added fat vegan diet.  Less enjoyable are the many ignorant comment flames from people who blindly think moderation works (it doesn't, ask Dr. McDougall or Dr. Esselstyn), and of course, then there are those who believe eating dead animals is good for you.

Here are some excerpts that I particularly like:

"...More serious, however, is the effect that this mythology has had on suppressing information on the extraordinary health value of diets that are truly low in fat (10-12 percent). I am referring to a whole foods, plant-based diet that avoids added fat and processed and animal-based foods. This diet contains about 10-12 percent fat, sometimes pejoratively referred to as "extremely low fat". Call it what you will, but this diet (also low in total protein, about 8-10 percent) produces, by comparison, "extremely low" incidences of sickness and disease. In fact, it now has been shown not just to prevent these illnesses but to treat them. Importantly, this dietary lifestyle cannot be dismissed by the mythological argument that so-called low fat diets have been proven to be questionable..."

"...It is time that we seriously consider the health benefits of a whole food, plant based diet, which is naturally low in total fat, animal-based protein, and refined carbohydrates but rich in antioxidants and complex carbohydrates. The health benefits that are now being reported for this dietary lifestyle are unmatched in scope and magnitude of effect. It is time to discard the gibberish about low fat diets being responsible for the obesity epidemic. This demonizing of low fat diets does not apply to whole food plant-based diets, even lower in fat, because this dietary lifestyle really works. Just try it, but stay with it long enough to allow your body to overcome your taste preferences for fat that arise from its addictive nature."

As the guy in charge of the largest study on diet in history, "The China Study," he's not someone that vegans who consume added oil should summarily dismiss.  Add his view to the two guys who've reversed heart disease with a no-added fat vegan diet (Esselstyn, Ornish), Barnard (reversed Type II Diabetes), and McDougall's work, and it's amazing to me that many veg'ns just don't get it.  Do you really think you know more than these guys?

Anyway, oil is not a real food, it damages your endothelium immediately, and you're better off losing your taste addiction to fat (as well as sugar and salt).  Maybe Chef "fat is flavor" Tal and other "celebrated vegan chefs" that everyone is crowing about should pay attention. It's not compassionate or humane to provide such unhealthy vegan meals and claim they are "good for you."  Heart disease, among other disorders invited by added fat, isn't pretty... or inevitable.

You can read the full article here.  Nice work, Doc!

Video Review: "Chow Down," Heart Disease, & Blockage Bob

"Chow Down" is the story of three people, who when faced with heart disease, decide to follow Dr. Esselstyn's advice and follow a no-added fat vegan diet.  Uplifting, with insightful commentaries from Dr. Esselstyn and Dr. T. Colin Campbell (among other experts), this DVD also includes some clever explanatory animations. 

"...CHOW DOWN exposes the three factors that fatally impact our country’s health: the medical community’s allegiance to the status quo, the government’s allegiance to the food industry, and Americans’ allegiance to cheap, convenient food." [from the "Chow Down" website with a trailer]

Emotionally and intellectually convincing, with a lot of disturbing statistics, the authors and producers of "Chow Down" should be praised for taking on a hard topic and pulling few punches.  The medical establishment has been inept in ignoring the solution to what they have not been able to do:  reverse heart disease via a no-added fat vegan diet, as Drs. Ornish and Esselstyn have proven through, collectively, 40+ years of peer-reviewed research.

The problem is a serious one:

"Estimates for the year 2006 are that 81,100,000 people in the United States have one or more forms of cardiovascular disease (CVD)"  [Source:  American Heart Association]

Here's a fun embedded animation from the DVD (also available at the website here) on "Blockage Bill" and what really causes most strokes, dispelling a common myth.

It's also worth noting that Dr. Esselstyn believes that it is added [not a real food anyway] oil or fat, that fuels development of these smaller plaques and the potentially devastating consequences:

"...Every forkful [or spoonful] of fat [or oil], he [Esselstyn] says, causes an immediate biochemical assault on the endothelium, the lining of the arteries. White blood cells collect there, gobbling up bad cholesterol and creating fatty deposits over time. For many people, especially those who smoke or have other risk factors, accumulation of plaque is a time bomb for a coronary event..." [Excerpt Source]

Everyone needs to be aware of the truth, not only why we are dying in epidemic numbers by various degenerative diseases, but how we can prevent, stop, and reverse that process. This fine DVD is a very big step forward in getting the word out.  Kudos to "Peanut Butter Productions" for all their hard work.  Lives will be saved by your efforts, and you have every right to be proud.

Update: "Milk in 2009 Contained Less Pus Than 2008 Milk"

It was realizing the amount of pus cells allowed in milk (concentrated in cheese) that was the foundation of my vegan tipping point.  Once again, Robert Cohen has written about this issue in current context.  Here's his latest post, with a link to the full post here.  Vegetarians who consume dairy products may ignore the animal cruelty and environmental issues, but the health issue herein is somewhat inarguable.  You WILL be consuming cow pus cells if you drink milk or eat cheese.  That's a fact.  Thank you, Robert.

"Milk in 2009 Contained Less Pus Than 2008 Milk

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has recently released the dairy industry's latest national pus figures. This has got to be great news for those milk drinkers who recoil at the mention of pus in milk.

In 2008, the average liter of milk sold in America contained 247 million pus cells.

In 2009, the average liter of milk sold in America contained only 227 million pus cells.

Rejoice!

Since there are 33.8 ounces of milk in one liter, the average ounce contains just 7,307,692 pus cells. That translates into 87,692,397 pus cells in an average 12-ounce glass of milk. Yummm.

Ten pounds of milk are required to produce one pound of hard cheese. Twelve pounds of milk are required to manufacture one pound of ice cream. Pus can be rather tasty when either sugar or various bacterial cultures are added to fermenting milk. As for the number of pus cells in cheese or ice cream treats, you do the math. I've got to go take a vomit break....

Milk clearly has become less disgusting. Please wake me when the pus cell count gets to zero.

Question for milk drinkers: If you were told that your next glass of ice cold pure white milk contains 88 disgusting pus cells, would you go ahead and drink it anyway? The truth is that the actual amount of pus in that glass is one-million times greater! Bon appetit!"

Daily Show Clip: "Chubby Chasers"

An hilarious short bit about the dire threat of Michelle Obama's "fight obesity" campaign and related issues.  Equated to Hitler by one guy, and a very funny interviewer in Josh Gad.  Don't miss the Apple "1984" commercial parody at the end.

Chubby Chasers

www.thedailyshow.com

2010.06.25 at 17:18 in Activism, Diet, Health, Humor, obesity, Politics, Satire, Video | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0) Tags: "Nanny Police", Daily Show, diet, Hitler, humor, obesity, politics, satire, sodium, video clip 2010.06.18 Is "Fat Free Vegan" a Religion? There was a recent post on the Fat Free Vegan List where someone felt they were being a "heretic" for posting about the "health" benefits of coconut oil (which is myopic, more on this shortly).  This got me to thinking about how some might perceive those of us believing in a no-added fat vegan diet as being akin to dietary fundamentalists. In formulating a response to the poster, I decided it was best to make it a blog post, for general consumption and that it wasn't really "on topic" for the List.  I've expanded my response to cover a bit more conceputal turf than just the List: "Someone posted feeling that they were a heretic for what they posted, wondered if "fat free" is a religion, and wouldn't post any more.  First of all, this is a Group List.  Mistakes can be made, I've made my own share, we move on, we post again.  However, know that advocating hamburger on a vegetarian list would be as bad as praising oil on a fat free vegan list.  There is a "charter" and we join with the tacit understanding that we agree to the bylaws. As to the issue of fat free being a religion, it's an intriguing thought to me.  In my mind, being religious requires faith, and generally, faith in the unknown to some degree (unless one has had some sort of transcendent experience that "mandates" a religious perspective and/or viewpoint).  Still, not provable, at least from a quantitative or empirical standpoint.  Some akin "vegan" to a religion and/or philosophy. IMHO, "Fat Free" requires faith to some degree, but more importantly, it also incorporates 20+ years of solid peer-reviewed scientific research, actually physical measurements of the effect of ingested added fat, and a sound understanding of the mechanism by which said added fat can cause harm to the human body in so many ways.  Furthermore, added oil is nothing but, to quote Rip Esselstyn, processed goop.  That's an inescapable reality.  Oil is a highly processed food-like product, but it is NOT real food.  Go ahead.  Tell me how you can "grow oil" or "harvest oil." The "fat free vegan approach" is much more "provable" than a religion, imho.  And just as with a religion, you can "try it" and see how it works for you.  For many of us, fat free has been a boon, a revelation, invigorating, a release, and/or quite healthy.  Does one size fit all?  Ask someone wiser than me, I don't know. Anyway, we may sound like religious zealots, and I can only speak for myself here, but in fighting a world that insists that "added oil is good" we get weary sometimes, and often have to remind ourselves that we've science, tested results, and the reversal of heart disease and diabetes (that no one but Essy, Ornstein, and Barnard have accomplished) to validate our perspective.  If you know someone who can walk on water, they are probably worth paying attention to, at least until you meet someone else who can do the same (or tells you where the low-lying rocks are in the pond). We get tired of having to defend our views.  Our hard fought understanding that added fat is harmful and that oil is NOT real food is often met with scorn, derision, and disdain.  You can tell someone that one high fat meal decreases circulatory elasticity for several hours (that's a measurement, not theory), and over time, will take it's toll as heart disease, diabetes, cancer, Altzheimer's disease, and other serious degenerative conditions, and they will still whine about needing Daiya "cheese" (very high fat processed oil, mostly) or "extra virgin olive oil."  EVOO=EVIL.  Often, just as with carnivores attacking vegetarians or vegans, they will throw out very similar insults and ill-thought out justifications for why you are wrong.  As though it was important that you be shown to be wrong. Vegetarians and Vegans being scornful of low-fat vegans.  On the surface, it's silly, but in reality, it's that even Veg'ns are susceptable to the addictive qualities of fat, sugar, and salt.  As such, often the List has been a sanctuary of sorts, a support group and a rare place to share a minority view and recipes with others who are also struggling or who have successfully incorporated this new dietary perspective into their lives.  I mean, if there are 1 million vegans in the US (latest stats), how many are low-fat oriented?  We are a minority in a minority that will, most likely, live longer than the majority. No-added fat is not a religion, but a reasoned approach to health.  Forgive us if we sometimes lash out at those who suggest otherwise.  In many ways, going vegetarian or vegan is/was actually easier than going no-fat.  I get more flack for no-fat than I have for vegan the past decade, although admittedly, when I went veg decades ago, it was truly radical. We do what we think best, ideally.  But remember... asking 'why' on a fat free List is different than posting "health" information about fat or recipes with fat on a "fat free" List. We see enough of those bogus health claims as it is.  They might be healthy on some myopic micro-managed selective subset of biological interactions, but, imho, avoiding heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and Altzheimer's trumps them all.  Being firm and resolved to embrace a no-added fat vegan diet should not be confused with religion or groundless faith.  It is the acknowledgement of the research, science, and demonstrated results, that we choose to take advantage of and incorporate into our lives. Our decision, not yours.  We're fine with it. Regards, Mark" Addendum:  Comments Off is a default (thank you Typepad) and I didn't notice it.  It's been enabled. 2010.06.18 at 10:08 in Diet, Essay, Health, Newsletter/Group, Veg'nism, Veganism, Vegetarian | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0) Tags: fat free vegan, health, low fat vegan, no-added fat, philosophy, religion 2010.06.14 New Study: "How Diet [and added fat] Affects Cancer" "Diet affects cancer both directly and indirectly. Nutrients directly impact the mechanisms by which cancer cells grow and spread. They indirectly help control the cancer by changing the surrounding biochemical conditions that either encourage or discourage the progression of malignant disease. The bottom line is that what you eat can spell the difference between conquering your disease and having it rage out of control. Here are some examples of findings from recent studies that support the importance of diet in fighting cancer:     * Diets high in fat and refined carbohydrates make you more likely to become overweight, which in turn increases your risk of tumor recurrences. (8) Obese men are at significantly greater risk of developing more aggressive prostate cancer. (9)     * Dietary fats can impair the body's anti-cancer defenses by depressing the activity of natural killer (NK) cells, while a low-fat diet markedly increases NK activity. (10,11,12) Natural killer cells play a key role in preventing metastasis.     * Obese breast cancer patients are two to four times more likely to experience a recurrence than women of normal weight. (13) For every additional 10 percentage points of calories derived from fat in the diet of newly diagnosed breast cancer patients -- by going from 25 percent to 35 percent of calories from fat -- the risk of recurrence approximately doubles. (14) An increase of 10 percentage points is alarmingly easy: just add four ounces of beef, four ounces of mozzarella cheese (about the size of three nine-volt batteries) [or a HALF CUP OF DAIYA VEGAN CHEESE... same fat grams amount], a cup of ice cream, or four pats of butter [OR EARTH BALANCE... same fat grams amount] to your daily intake and you're there. You don't need the added fat, oil is not a real food, and the sooner vegans understand that so many faux vegan cheeses and "margarines" are very fatty, and not good for you, the better. The above excerpts from the well-documented article here.  Go low-fat vegan.  The evidence that this is the healthiest diet keeps mounting.  Learn how to re-calibrate your taste buds and stop with the added non-food oils and faux cheeses.  You had the determination and discipline to give up meat and dairy, now give up the fat. 2010.06.14 at 20:22 in Cancer, Diet, Food and Drink, Health, Science, Statistics, Veganism | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0) Tags: cancer, daiya cheese, earth balance, fat, vegan 2010.05.12 Vegan Ultramarathoner - "Diet & Exercise to the Extreme" How cool to see an article about Vegan Ultramarathon Runner Scott Jurek by Mark Bittman IN THE NY TIMES!!  Wow... here's the full piece, and below an excerpt of a much longer and fascinating report: "... one might say he has been in a slump: he has not won a major race since the 2008 Spartathlon. On the other hand, he set a personal record in winning there, it was his third consecutive victory on the 153-mile course between Athens and Sparta, and he holds the fifth-, sixth- and eighth-fastest times in race history. If last year was a wash, this year he is fit and psyched as he prepares to leave for Brive-la-Gaillarde, France, the site of the 2010 24-Hour Run world championship on Thursday and Friday. It is a grueling race to determine how many miles runners can complete on a 1.4-kilometer road loop (about nine-tenths of a mile) in a 24-hour period. ... he showed up at my house and began pulling things out of the refrigerator and pantry with abandon: vegetables, greens, herbs, miso, tofu, olives, shallots, lemons, nut butter and more.... we ate a lemony Greek salad with cucumbers, tomatoes, loads of olives and seaweed; a stir-fry of vegetables with tofu and an impressive miso and cashew sauce; and a mound of quinoa. ... He focuses on three main meals. Breakfast is key: it might be a 1,000-calorie smoothie, with oil, almonds, bananas, blueberries, salt, vanilla, dried coconut, a few dates and maybe brown rice protein powder. Unless he is doing a long run, which for him is seven hours, or about 50 miles, he eats after his first workout. Lunch and dinner are huge salads, whole grains, potatoes and sweet potatoes, and usually beans of some sort or a tempeh-tofu combination. ... Evidently, it isn’t his diet that’s slowing him down." Here's an old post I did about an interview with Jurek (here).  He IS amazing! (and thanks to the always incredible Ms. V. for sending the Bittman/Jurek link to me!) 2010.05.12 at 15:33 in Activism, Diet, Health, Nutrition, Sports, Veganism | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0) Tags: calories, diet, marathon, mark bittman, NY times, protein, scott jurek, sports, ultramarathon, vegan « Previous | Next » Recent Posts Book Review: "Off the Reservation" or "Hail to the Vegan President?" 3 Plant-Based "Cheese-like" Topping Recipes for Pizzas, & More Victoria Moran Interview: Happy Cow, Jill Nussinow, & Me Pizza Cookbook Review & FREE Giveaway Interviews: The NotMilkMan & Natural Disaster Preparedness The "Healthy Librarian Interview" Review & Free Giveaway: "The China Study Cookbook" Review of "Whole" (Campbell) & FREE Giveaway of Same Special! 200 Recipes: "No More Bull" (H. Lyman) & HHPizza Together! The "Go Vegan Radio" Interview! Favorite Posts from Soulveggie The Milk Cellar at Chez Ignorante Satire: what if there were a "milk" steward? 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The DVD won a 2006 Artivist Award 15 Reasons to Avoid Vegetable Oils "Healthy Vegan" By The Numbers Wt. & Cholesterol Levels Don't Predict Heart Disease This is in response to people who think that because they exercise, maintain proper weight, have low cholesterol, and are vegan, that they can have a high-fat meal once in awhile. Identify this Vegetable and Win Something!!! No winners so far... Categories Activism Agriculture Animal Issues Arthritis Books Cancer Cartoon cholesterol Conservation Cooking Current Affairs Dairy diabetes Diet Environment Essay Factory Farming Film Food and Drink Games Gardening Global Climate Change Government Health Heart Disease Humor Music Newsletter/Group Nutrition obesity Organic Politics Recipe(s) Recommended Religion Reviews Satire Science Sports Statistics Sustainability Television Travel Veg'nism Veg-DC Veganism Vegetarian Video Weblogs What's Going On?? 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There was a recent post on the Fat Free Vegan List where someone felt they were being a "heretic" for posting about the "health" benefits of coconut oil (which is myopic, more on this shortly).  This got me to thinking about how some might perceive those of us believing in a no-added fat vegan diet as being akin to dietary fundamentalists.

In formulating a response to the poster, I decided it was best to make it a blog post, for general consumption and that it wasn't really "on topic" for the List.  I've expanded my response to cover a bit more conceputal turf than just the List:

"Someone posted feeling that they were a heretic for what they posted, wondered if "fat free" is a religion, and wouldn't post any more. 

First of all, this is a Group List.  Mistakes can be made, I've made my own share, we move on, we post again.  However, know that advocating hamburger on a vegetarian list would be as bad as praising oil on a fat free vegan list.  There is a "charter" and we join with the tacit understanding that we agree to the bylaws.

As to the issue of fat free being a religion, it's an intriguing thought to me.  In my mind, being religious requires faith, and generally, faith in the unknown to some degree (unless one has had some sort of transcendent experience that "mandates" a religious perspective and/or viewpoint).  Still, not provable, at least from a quantitative or empirical standpoint.  Some akin "vegan" to a religion and/or philosophy.

IMHO, "Fat Free" requires faith to some degree, but more importantly, it also incorporates 20+ years of solid peer-reviewed scientific research, actually physical measurements of the effect of ingested added fat, and a sound understanding of the mechanism by which said added fat can cause harm to the human body in so many ways.  Furthermore, added oil is nothing but, to quote Rip Esselstyn, processed goop.  That's an inescapable reality.  Oil is a highly processed food-like product, but it is NOT real food.  Go ahead.  Tell me how you can "grow oil" or "harvest oil."

The "fat free vegan approach" is much more "provable" than a religion, imho.  And just as with a religion, you can "try it" and see how it works for you.  For many of us, fat free has been a boon, a revelation, invigorating, a release, and/or quite healthy.  Does one size fit all?  Ask someone wiser than me, I don't know.

Anyway, we may sound like religious zealots, and I can only speak for myself here, but in fighting a world that insists that "added oil is good" we get weary sometimes, and often have to remind ourselves that we've science, tested results, and the reversal of heart disease and diabetes (that no one but Essy, Ornstein, and Barnard have accomplished) to validate our perspective.  If you know someone who can walk on water, they are probably worth paying attention to, at least until you meet someone else who can do the same (or tells you where the low-lying rocks are in the pond).

We get tired of having to defend our views.  Our hard fought understanding that added fat is harmful and that oil is NOT real food is often met with scorn, derision, and disdain.  You can tell someone that one high fat meal decreases circulatory elasticity for several hours (that's a measurement, not theory), and over time, will take it's toll as heart disease, diabetes, cancer, Altzheimer's disease, and other serious degenerative conditions, and they will still whine about needing Daiya "cheese" (very high fat processed oil, mostly) or "extra virgin olive oil."  EVOO=EVIL.  Often, just as with carnivores attacking vegetarians or vegans, they will throw out very similar insults and ill-thought out justifications for why you are wrong.  As though it was important that you be shown to be wrong.

Vegetarians and Vegans being scornful of low-fat vegans.  On the surface, it's silly, but in reality, it's that even Veg'ns are susceptable to the addictive qualities of fat, sugar, and salt.  As such, often the List has been a sanctuary of sorts, a support group and a rare place to share a minority view and recipes with others who are also struggling or who have successfully incorporated this new dietary perspective into their lives.  I mean, if there are 1 million vegans in the US (latest stats), how many are low-fat oriented?  We are a minority in a minority that will, most likely, live longer than the majority.

No-added fat is not a religion, but a reasoned approach to health.  Forgive us if we sometimes lash out at those who suggest otherwise.  In many ways, going vegetarian or vegan is/was actually easier than going no-fat.  I get more flack for no-fat than I have for vegan the past decade, although admittedly, when I went veg decades ago, it was truly radical.

We do what we think best, ideally.  But remember... asking 'why' on a fat free List is different than posting "health" information about fat or recipes with fat on a "fat free" List.

We see enough of those bogus health claims as it is.  They might be healthy on some myopic micro-managed selective subset of biological interactions, but, imho, avoiding heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and Altzheimer's trumps them all.  Being firm and resolved to embrace a no-added fat vegan diet should not be confused with religion or groundless faith.  It is the acknowledgement of the research, science, and demonstrated results, that we choose to take advantage of and incorporate into our lives.

Our decision, not yours.  We're fine with it.

Regards, Mark"

Addendum:  Comments Off is a default (thank you Typepad) and I didn't notice it.  It's been enabled.

"Diet affects cancer both directly and indirectly. Nutrients directly impact the mechanisms by which cancer cells grow and spread. They indirectly help control the cancer by changing the surrounding biochemical conditions that either encourage or discourage the progression of malignant disease. The bottom line is that what you eat can spell the difference between conquering your disease and having it rage out of control.

Here are some examples of findings from recent studies that support the importance of diet in fighting cancer:

    * Diets high in fat and refined carbohydrates make you more likely to become overweight, which in turn increases your risk of tumor recurrences. (8) Obese men are at significantly greater risk of developing more aggressive prostate cancer. (9)

    * Dietary fats can impair the body's anti-cancer defenses by depressing the activity of natural killer (NK) cells, while a low-fat diet markedly increases NK activity. (10,11,12) Natural killer cells play a key role in preventing metastasis.

    * Obese breast cancer patients are two to four times more likely to experience a recurrence than women of normal weight. (13)

For every additional 10 percentage points of calories derived from fat in the diet of newly diagnosed breast cancer patients -- by going from 25 percent to 35 percent of calories from fat -- the risk of recurrence approximately doubles. (14) An increase of 10 percentage points is alarmingly easy: just add four ounces of beef, four ounces of mozzarella cheese (about the size of three nine-volt batteries) [or a HALF CUP OF DAIYA VEGAN CHEESE... same fat grams amount], a cup of ice cream, or four pats of butter [OR EARTH BALANCE... same fat grams amount] to your daily intake and you're there.

You don't need the added fat, oil is not a real food, and the sooner vegans understand that so many faux vegan cheeses and "margarines" are very fatty, and not good for you, the better.

The above excerpts from the well-documented article here.  Go low-fat vegan.  The evidence that this is the healthiest diet keeps mounting.  Learn how to re-calibrate your taste buds and stop with the added non-food oils and faux cheeses.  You had the determination and discipline to give up meat and dairy, now give up the fat.

How cool to see an article about Vegan Ultramarathon Runner Scott Jurek by Mark Bittman IN THE NY TIMES!!  Wow... here's the full piece, and below an excerpt of a much longer and fascinating report:

"... one might say he has been in a slump: he has not won a major race since the 2008 Spartathlon. On the other hand, he set a personal record in winning there, it was his third consecutive victory on the 153-mile course between Athens and Sparta, and he holds the fifth-, sixth- and eighth-fastest times in race history.

If last year was a wash, this year he is fit and psyched as he prepares to leave for Brive-la-Gaillarde, France, the site of the 2010 24-Hour Run world championship on Thursday and Friday. It is a grueling race to determine how many miles runners can complete on a 1.4-kilometer road loop (about nine-tenths of a mile) in a 24-hour period.

... he showed up at my house and began pulling things out of the refrigerator and pantry with abandon: vegetables, greens, herbs, miso, tofu, olives, shallots, lemons, nut butter and more.... we ate a lemony Greek salad with cucumbers, tomatoes, loads of olives and seaweed; a stir-fry of vegetables with tofu and an impressive miso and cashew sauce; and a mound of quinoa.

... He focuses on three main meals. Breakfast is key: it might be a 1,000-calorie smoothie, with oil, almonds, bananas, blueberries, salt, vanilla, dried coconut, a few dates and maybe brown rice protein powder. Unless he is doing a long run, which for him is seven hours, or about 50 miles, he eats after his first workout. Lunch and dinner are huge salads, whole grains, potatoes and sweet potatoes, and usually beans of some sort or a tempeh-tofu combination.

... Evidently, it isn’t his diet that’s slowing him down."

Here's an old post I did about an interview with Jurek (here).  He IS amazing! (and thanks to the always incredible Ms. V. for sending the Bittman/Jurek link to me!)

Is "Fat Free Vegan" a Religion?

There was a recent post on the Fat Free Vegan List where someone felt they were being a "heretic" for posting about the "health" benefits of coconut oil (which is myopic, more on this shortly).  This got me to thinking about how some might perceive those of us believing in a no-added fat vegan diet as being akin to dietary fundamentalists.

In formulating a response to the poster, I decided it was best to make it a blog post, for general consumption and that it wasn't really "on topic" for the List.  I've expanded my response to cover a bit more conceputal turf than just the List:

"Someone posted feeling that they were a heretic for what they posted, wondered if "fat free" is a religion, and wouldn't post any more. 

First of all, this is a Group List.  Mistakes can be made, I've made my own share, we move on, we post again.  However, know that advocating hamburger on a vegetarian list would be as bad as praising oil on a fat free vegan list.  There is a "charter" and we join with the tacit understanding that we agree to the bylaws.

As to the issue of fat free being a religion, it's an intriguing thought to me.  In my mind, being religious requires faith, and generally, faith in the unknown to some degree (unless one has had some sort of transcendent experience that "mandates" a religious perspective and/or viewpoint).  Still, not provable, at least from a quantitative or empirical standpoint.  Some akin "vegan" to a religion and/or philosophy.

IMHO, "Fat Free" requires faith to some degree, but more importantly, it also incorporates 20+ years of solid peer-reviewed scientific research, actually physical measurements of the effect of ingested added fat, and a sound understanding of the mechanism by which said added fat can cause harm to the human body in so many ways.  Furthermore, added oil is nothing but, to quote Rip Esselstyn, processed goop.  That's an inescapable reality.  Oil is a highly processed food-like product, but it is NOT real food.  Go ahead.  Tell me how you can "grow oil" or "harvest oil."

The "fat free vegan approach" is much more "provable" than a religion, imho.  And just as with a religion, you can "try it" and see how it works for you.  For many of us, fat free has been a boon, a revelation, invigorating, a release, and/or quite healthy.  Does one size fit all?  Ask someone wiser than me, I don't know.

Anyway, we may sound like religious zealots, and I can only speak for myself here, but in fighting a world that insists that "added oil is good" we get weary sometimes, and often have to remind ourselves that we've science, tested results, and the reversal of heart disease and diabetes (that no one but Essy, Ornstein, and Barnard have accomplished) to validate our perspective.  If you know someone who can walk on water, they are probably worth paying attention to, at least until you meet someone else who can do the same (or tells you where the low-lying rocks are in the pond).

We get tired of having to defend our views.  Our hard fought understanding that added fat is harmful and that oil is NOT real food is often met with scorn, derision, and disdain.  You can tell someone that one high fat meal decreases circulatory elasticity for several hours (that's a measurement, not theory), and over time, will take it's toll as heart disease, diabetes, cancer, Altzheimer's disease, and other serious degenerative conditions, and they will still whine about needing Daiya "cheese" (very high fat processed oil, mostly) or "extra virgin olive oil."  EVOO=EVIL.  Often, just as with carnivores attacking vegetarians or vegans, they will throw out very similar insults and ill-thought out justifications for why you are wrong.  As though it was important that you be shown to be wrong.

Vegetarians and Vegans being scornful of low-fat vegans.  On the surface, it's silly, but in reality, it's that even Veg'ns are susceptable to the addictive qualities of fat, sugar, and salt.  As such, often the List has been a sanctuary of sorts, a support group and a rare place to share a minority view and recipes with others who are also struggling or who have successfully incorporated this new dietary perspective into their lives.  I mean, if there are 1 million vegans in the US (latest stats), how many are low-fat oriented?  We are a minority in a minority that will, most likely, live longer than the majority.

No-added fat is not a religion, but a reasoned approach to health.  Forgive us if we sometimes lash out at those who suggest otherwise.  In many ways, going vegetarian or vegan is/was actually easier than going no-fat.  I get more flack for no-fat than I have for vegan the past decade, although admittedly, when I went veg decades ago, it was truly radical.

We do what we think best, ideally.  But remember... asking 'why' on a fat free List is different than posting "health" information about fat or recipes with fat on a "fat free" List.

We see enough of those bogus health claims as it is.  They might be healthy on some myopic micro-managed selective subset of biological interactions, but, imho, avoiding heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and Altzheimer's trumps them all.  Being firm and resolved to embrace a no-added fat vegan diet should not be confused with religion or groundless faith.  It is the acknowledgement of the research, science, and demonstrated results, that we choose to take advantage of and incorporate into our lives.

Our decision, not yours.  We're fine with it.

Regards, Mark"

Addendum:  Comments Off is a default (thank you Typepad) and I didn't notice it.  It's been enabled.

New Study: "How Diet [and added fat] Affects Cancer"

"Diet affects cancer both directly and indirectly. Nutrients directly impact the mechanisms by which cancer cells grow and spread. They indirectly help control the cancer by changing the surrounding biochemical conditions that either encourage or discourage the progression of malignant disease. The bottom line is that what you eat can spell the difference between conquering your disease and having it rage out of control.

Here are some examples of findings from recent studies that support the importance of diet in fighting cancer:

    * Diets high in fat and refined carbohydrates make you more likely to become overweight, which in turn increases your risk of tumor recurrences. (8) Obese men are at significantly greater risk of developing more aggressive prostate cancer. (9)

    * Dietary fats can impair the body's anti-cancer defenses by depressing the activity of natural killer (NK) cells, while a low-fat diet markedly increases NK activity. (10,11,12) Natural killer cells play a key role in preventing metastasis.

    * Obese breast cancer patients are two to four times more likely to experience a recurrence than women of normal weight. (13)

For every additional 10 percentage points of calories derived from fat in the diet of newly diagnosed breast cancer patients -- by going from 25 percent to 35 percent of calories from fat -- the risk of recurrence approximately doubles. (14) An increase of 10 percentage points is alarmingly easy: just add four ounces of beef, four ounces of mozzarella cheese (about the size of three nine-volt batteries) [or a HALF CUP OF DAIYA VEGAN CHEESE... same fat grams amount], a cup of ice cream, or four pats of butter [OR EARTH BALANCE... same fat grams amount] to your daily intake and you're there.

You don't need the added fat, oil is not a real food, and the sooner vegans understand that so many faux vegan cheeses and "margarines" are very fatty, and not good for you, the better.

The above excerpts from the well-documented article here.  Go low-fat vegan.  The evidence that this is the healthiest diet keeps mounting.  Learn how to re-calibrate your taste buds and stop with the added non-food oils and faux cheeses.  You had the determination and discipline to give up meat and dairy, now give up the fat.

Vegan Ultramarathoner - "Diet & Exercise to the Extreme"

How cool to see an article about Vegan Ultramarathon Runner Scott Jurek by Mark Bittman IN THE NY TIMES!!  Wow... here's the full piece, and below an excerpt of a much longer and fascinating report:

"... one might say he has been in a slump: he has not won a major race since the 2008 Spartathlon. On the other hand, he set a personal record in winning there, it was his third consecutive victory on the 153-mile course between Athens and Sparta, and he holds the fifth-, sixth- and eighth-fastest times in race history.

If last year was a wash, this year he is fit and psyched as he prepares to leave for Brive-la-Gaillarde, France, the site of the 2010 24-Hour Run world championship on Thursday and Friday. It is a grueling race to determine how many miles runners can complete on a 1.4-kilometer road loop (about nine-tenths of a mile) in a 24-hour period.

... he showed up at my house and began pulling things out of the refrigerator and pantry with abandon: vegetables, greens, herbs, miso, tofu, olives, shallots, lemons, nut butter and more.... we ate a lemony Greek salad with cucumbers, tomatoes, loads of olives and seaweed; a stir-fry of vegetables with tofu and an impressive miso and cashew sauce; and a mound of quinoa.

... He focuses on three main meals. Breakfast is key: it might be a 1,000-calorie smoothie, with oil, almonds, bananas, blueberries, salt, vanilla, dried coconut, a few dates and maybe brown rice protein powder. Unless he is doing a long run, which for him is seven hours, or about 50 miles, he eats after his first workout. Lunch and dinner are huge salads, whole grains, potatoes and sweet potatoes, and usually beans of some sort or a tempeh-tofu combination.

... Evidently, it isn’t his diet that’s slowing him down."

Here's an old post I did about an interview with Jurek (here).  He IS amazing! (and thanks to the always incredible Ms. V. for sending the Bittman/Jurek link to me!)