By Health Educator Sylvester Johnson, Ph. D. Applied Physics For personal consultation service, please see

Outreach

To learn more for free about numerous health issues ranging from “Fad Diet Hype” to the relationship of complementary and alternative nutrition to medical matters, and how to possibly ameliorate and even reverse the course of an existing disorder, as well as to listen for free to seven interviews featuring T. Colin Campbell, Ph.D., Professor of Nutritional Science, Cornell University, with Sylvester Johnson, Ph.D.: Please see the free resources linked from SylvesterJohnson.com.

Fad diet hype

• 
  If life were reasonable, there would be no penalty for eating a rich dessert at dinner, or the penalty would be a slap on the wrist: “Whoopsie!” Unfortunately, as we all have witnessed, the health penalty often becomes ridiculously severe.
  
• 
  The U.S. is suffering from an epidemic of adult-onset and even childhood non-insulin dependent diabetes due in part to the “usual” low-fiber, high protein, fat, salt and sugar SAD (Standard -or Suicide- American Degenerative) diet. Diabetics and many near-diabetics often suffer from blood glucose above the normal range. The effect of high glucose is to change the watery viscosity of blood more towards molasses, slowing the blood flow through all vital organs, damaging the circulatory system, accelerating aging. This torpid blood flow results in severe health disorders.
  
• 
  For the purposes of this discussion, “too much” body fat for optimal health might be defined very roughly as more fat around the belly button (abdominal fat) than a hand can easily grasp while sitting. Unfortunately, excess body fat and excess fat in the diet cause cells throughout the body to get coated with fat, reducing the sensitivity of the insulin receptors in the cell walls, making it difficult to transport insulin into the cells. With 50 pounds of excess fat, the pancreas has to produce at least six times more insulin than a lean person, possibly eventually exhausting the pancreas, causing diabetes. (Please see “Helping hypoglycemia and diabetes”.) Excess circulating insulin increases appetite.
  
• 
  Unfortunately, “too much” body fat increases risk of acid reflux, which can increase risk of cancer of the esophagus. “Too much” fat increases estrogen, increasing risk of cancers of the female reproductive system.
  
• 
  Caffeine stimulates the appetite. For fascinating information on steps to take to eliminate or reduce addictive caffeine, chocolate and dairy products and the biochemical reasons for their addictive possibilities, as well as many useful suggestions for a moderate fat whole plant-food diet please see Breaking the Food Seduction by Neil D. Barnard, MD (ISBN 0-312-31493-0). 1] Dr. Barnard points out that chocolate not only contains the caffeine-like theobromine, it also an entire drugstore of addictive and sensual molecules. 2] He shows how to escape the trap: After one gets used to high caloric density foods, lower caloric density vegetables feel too low; the better diet feels worse; the worse diet feels better. 3] The dietary transition to whole, unrefined plant foods advocated in that book as well as in this book may well help relieve both food and alcohol addictions. 4] Even very small amounts of addictive foods trigger the appetizer effect, since cravings feed off of each other. 5] Monthly hormone fluctuations set one up for bingeing. Fatty foods such as cheese drive up hormones that accentuate cravings for chocolate and sugar that cause sharp peaks and valleys in blood glucose. Low blood sugar causes further cravings. Fatty foods interfere with the appetite regulating hormone leptin, so minimize oils. Wheat has a higher glycemic index than boiled rolled oatmeal cereal, or rye and pumpernickel breads, so that the latter help spread out the food energy for a longer time than wheat, with less chance of a snack attack. Many refined foods usually have higher glycemic indices than whole, unrefined plant-based foods. A breakfast of cream cheese bagel or doughnut and coffee guarantees the need for a mid-morning snack, whereas oatmeal and banana may well last all morning. Lunch can include long-lasting beans. (“Yes to Beans” or other enzymes can help reduce gas.)
  
• 
  If anyone is looking to lose adipose fat tissue I can testify that it’s possible, without liposuction! At 5’11” I used to weigh 195, but have maintained less than 150 for years now. During my weight loss odyssey I read at least a half-dozen diet books. Two that call into question the extreme fads are referenced: The optimal Eat to Live by Joel Fuhrman MD (www.DrFuhrman.com ISBN 0-316-82945-5, see also Fasting and Eating for Health by Dr. Joel Fuhrman, and www.DrGreger.org) offers a critique of Sears’ “Zone” and the Atkins diet. The less recent nearly traditional Low Fat Lies, High Fat Fraud by Kevin Vigilante (ISBN 0-89526-321-1) also critiques them. A key turning point was quitting all milk products. The extra calories that they add make it very difficult to consume fewer calories than one uses. (Please see “Dairy dubious for health”.)
  
• 
  Those books give salient reasons why the extreme diets are very bad for one’s health. For example, a comprehensive study has shown that after one year on the Atkins' diet blood flow to the heart decreased 40% on average (Dr. Fuhrman’s Healthy Times Sept. 2003, www.DrFuhrman.com). In addition, when the body burns excess protein for energy the process is extremely stressful on the kidneys. The kidneys have to deal with an over-abundance of by-products of protein breakdown. It’s possible to lose as much of 95% of kidney function in one year while on the Atkins' diet. Blood tests that monitor kidney function do not begin to detect dysfunction until more than 80% of the kidneys have been destroyed (“Dangers of the Atkins Diet” www.DrFuhrman.com, www.AtkinsFacts.org). The uric acid produced by metabolizing excess protein for energy increases pressure toward the acidotic. The body counters this acidification by leaching alkaline calcium phosphate from the bones, contributing to osteoporosis. (Please see “Acid-alkali balance”.)
  
• 
  At least Atkins does recommend eating greens, getting exercise, while avoiding dairy and refined carbohydrates. Of course one doesn’t have to undergo the severe health challenges of a high protein diet to follow those recommendations.
  
• 
  A high testosterone level is among the other harmful side effects of a diet high in animal protein and by extension relatively high in animal fat, since even “lean” flesh and “non-fat” dairy contain significant fat, and since a diet high in animal fats can lead to high testosterone. Ever more testosterone is not better, causing decreased sperm count, higher risk of heart disease, reduced resistance to infections, accelerated hair loss and baldness (bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/eletters/324/7333/342).
  
• 
  A long-term excess of protein can even cause severe edema or puffiness. It can show in the legs if one stays afoot for a long period. Another sign that one may be consuming too much protein is that emissions of colonic gas are more than mildly odiferous. The “stinky” gas is hydrogen sulfide, especially dominant after consumption of an excess of animal protein.
  
• 
  In addition, excess protein binds to phytonutrients, reducing their absorption and their protective effect against cancer. High fat, low carbohydrate diets cause an increase in production of ketones. Ketones are acidic, so high levels result in mild ketosis (in diabetics, ketoacidosis), negatively impacting critical enzymes and organs. Furthermore, the liver forms ketone bodies that circulate in the blood and cause bad breath, muscle breakdown, irritability, nausea, dizziness, headaches, hair loss, increased menstrual bleeding, difficulty concentrating, and loss of appetite and energy. One pays a high price for the temporary loss of a few pounds. Weight loss is due initially to water loss as the body tries to dilute ketone bodies and the metabolic by-products of excess protein by drawing water from body tissues, and over the longer term to net negative calories, not because one eats fewer carbohydrates. One could also lose weight on a low calorie whole foods diet.
  
• 
  The increased irritability due to a high protein diet brings to mind the saying: “Peace begins in the kitchen”.
  
• 
  Carbohydrates stimulate the production of the neurotransmitter serotonin. A deficit of carbohydrates and therefore serotonin can lead to depression, anxiety, and sleep disorders. Serotonin has been shown to facilitate a sense of calm, to alleviate stress, hyperactivity, coronary artery spasms, pain, migraines, and to reduce appetite, all effects that can lead to improved health.
  
• 
  Fuhrman criticizes Vigilante’s Mediterranean diet for its high oil and pasta content, advocating instead whole, unrefined plant food substitutes. The fiber in whole, unrefined plant foods is critical for the brain to calculate accurate caloric intake for limitation of quantity. The fibers reduce appetite.
  
• 
  To reduce consumption of nutrient-poor oils and of fats in general, how about simmering in flavorful water-based tomato sauces, or if preparing live foods, blending up savory sauces with minimal fats if any? Simmering keeps the temperature around that of boiling water, still destroying many nutrients, but fewer than the much higher temperatures of sautéing, and with far less toxic transfat formation.
  
• 
  It takes much more energy for the body to convert fat to glucose (23% of fat calories) than to store fat. Therefore excess dietary fat gets stored. The body tries to burn carbohydrates before storing them as fat. The body’s need for carbohydrates is shown by the fact that there are receptors for sweets are on the tip of the tongue.
  
• 
  Capsaicin is the fiery compound in chili peppers. It’s been found to not only suppress appetite, but also stimulate metabolic rate to burn more calories. Sounds like a very useful spice for dieters! Or it could be used as cayenne or chili powder to give savory dishes zing. It may be a cancer fighter in small doses, but turn carcinogenic in large doses, so a pinch is the proper dosage, not a teaspoonful. This fiery spice should not be used with an inflamed digestive tract (www.mdidea.com/products/new/new005.html).
  
• 
  Green drinks consisting of pressed juices of sunflower green sprouts and cucumber may increase metabolic rate due to their high content of phytonutrients (www.hippocratesinst.com). A higher metabolic rate helps burn energy and fat. While the green drinks are super foods, simply munching sunflower sprouts may well also give a substantial boost to metabolic rate if one’s intake of phytonutrients has been low.
  
• 
  Triglyceride levels increase on moderate-fat diets when the diets are high in refined foods, low in fiber, and unsuccessful in adipose fat reduction (pg.149 Eat to Live by Joel Fuhrman, MD www.DrFuhrman.com).
  
• 
  The brain gets all its energy from carbohydrates. The lower carbohydrate diets provide the brain with so little energy that grogginess can result. Animal protein can increase insulin secretion so that even less glucose is available to the brain.
  
• 
  D’Adamo’s popular but misleading blood type diet holds that the types developed with the migrations of various branches of the human species within the past 100 thousand years. Our primate relatives the gorillas and chimpanzees have the ABO array of blood types. According to DNA analysis, our remote ancestors had the same blood type array as we do, more than 5 million years ago, showing that D’Adamo’s premise is false. No one can duplicate D’Adamo’s idiosyncratic findings for the agglomeration or clumping of blood of specific types as a reaction to certain foods (www.vegetariantimes.com).
  
• 
  If one can’t envision giving up animal products, perfectionism isn’t healthy either if it causes stress. A deck of cards’ worth of animal-based foods a day probably wouldn’t increase risk much for those in robust health, so long as the rest of the diet is unrefined plant–based foods with lots of green veggies. Dr. Fuhrman has gotten remarkable results with thousands of patients (Eat to Live by Joel Fuhrman, MD www.DrFuhrman.com). In Dr. Fuhrman’s diet one may consume at most a deck of cards worth of animal products a day.
  
• 
  Excessive adipose tissue is not necessarily caused by eating too much food, but by eating the wrong foods. Often the body craves more food because the refined processed foods leave the body starved for nutrients, which one then attempts to deal with by eating more and taking vitamins, which can make poor substitutes for the unrefined forms with which the body evolved.
  
• 
  Only 1% of those with under active thyroids gain weight due to this disorder. Even for this group, the resultant gain is minimal, the rest due to dietary practices (www.DrFuhrman.com).
  
• 
  A method of losing adipose tissue and improving health is eating almost exclusively unrefined bulky and nutrient-rich foods (primarily veggies and fruits, secondarily legumes, nuts and seeds). These foods have been the healthy staples of humanity for eons and are more filling than compact, nutrient-empty calories (refined sugar, flour). Dr. Fuhrman points out that one’s health might well equal the nutrient density of foods consumed, that is the content of natural nutrients per calories consumed (www.DrFuhrman.com).
  
• 
  A first step to take toward eating bulky foods could be eating at least 1/2 to 3/4 lbs. of organic deep green leafy veggies each day, if possible without dressing [or with only a water-based dressing or a watered down dressing that includes a little fresh flaxseed oil and/or organic apple cider vinegar (Bragg’s) if desired]. Alternatively, one could eat at least 2 to 3 cups of lightly steamed broccoli florets without dressing (or with a little plain avocado or guacamole), or for example several cups of sugar snap peas. To avoid the added fat of a dressing, I often alternate well-chewed bites of broccoli with other foods. (Please see “Tricks to transitioning one’s diet.”)
  
• 
  Many people like the flavor of green veggies without oil dampening flavor. One could try a portion very lightly steamed, saving the water, chopping veggies finely, perhaps also with low calorie soups, or with water-based sauces. Bulky unrefined plant foods are not only filling, but also low in calories, yet very high in nutrients, supplying essentials that the body needs for optimizing metabolization, especially if chewed thoroughly. If one can’t eat raw broccoli occasionally, how about lots of steamed broccoli, with very little oily sauce if any? Precut carrots, celery, and broccoli could get stored right in the front of the refrigerator for snacking and “finger food” for parties.
  
• 
  An easy way to cool hunger pangs is drinking lots of water: at least 8 cups per day.
  
• 
  Germinated legume (bean or pea) soup helps one regulate blood sugar, reducing cravings for refined foods. Legumes need to be soaked overnight before cooking to reduce the content of harmful growth inhibitors (discarding soak water). Soups in general slow down the intake rate. Please see “Appendices: Sprouting” for more information on soaking time and problems that can be encountered.
  
• 
  Trying to lose adipose tissue while still consuming oils and animal products can prove very challenging since the fatty parts contain more than twice the calories by dry weight than pure carbohydrate or protein. Also, oils stimulate appetite. Therefore a further step could be substituting for each tablespoon of oil two tablespoons of ground flaxseeds, 10 English walnut halves, 2.3 tablespoons of sunflower seeds, or half an avocado, all equivalent in calories. Not only do these unrefined foods provide more bulk, but also plant phytonutrients and vitamins missing from oil. Even these foods are calorie-dense and nutrient-poor compared to vegetables, especially lightly steamed and raw veggies. Therefore quantities need to be limited, emphasizing veggies.
  
• 
  Both avocados and olives have a high percentage of beneficial monounsaturated fatty acids, as well as active phytonutrients in the uncooked raw fruits. However, olives preserved in salt promote high salt intake, creating a craving for sweets. One could soak olives to reduce salt. (Please see “Salting the wound”.) If one wishes to use oil other than flaxseed, olive oil contains more beneficial nutrients than canola, but I don’t recommend any oil. Modest amounts of avocados and olives are more nutritious. Any brown parts in an avocado need to be cut out, since they’re rancid. Therefore refrigeration of avocados is recommended after they’ve softened just enough so that the skin can be removed easily.
  
• 
  To convert carbohydrates to body fat, more than seven times the calories are required than for fats. Only 3% of the calorie content of fats are required for them to get used as body fat, since their fatty acids don’t have to be converted. It is critical to consume enough beneficial Omegas from plant foods. (Please see “Outstanding Omegas”.) The majority of excess fats consumed get stored while carbohydrates tend to get used unless eaten in great excess.
  
• 
  Restaurateurs know that serving dessert first ruins the appetite since it refreshes one’s blood sugar, satisfying immediate need for food. Eating a piece of fruit before a meal takes the edge off appetite.
  
• 
  If one is exposed to extremely loud noise for awhile, one gets used to it, so that high volume becomes “normal”. One also gets used to the unnaturally extreme gustatory sensations of the SAD diet that jerk the taste buds around and saturate them to exhaustion so that they need ever more extreme stimulation. After about a month at the lower “volume” of the vegan diet (no animal products), the level of gustatory sensations more consistent with traditional diets around the world becomes “normal”, so that one can relish the subtle flavors inherent in whole foods, including those of raw plant foods (www.healthpromoting.com).
  
• 
  If one does not increase veggies as described above, another method for controlling one’s weight is balancing intake of calories with their usage. One can generally maintain or lose adipose fat tissue (and weight if total muscle tissue is not changed) if one learns to “guesstimate” intake using a pocket-sized calorie counter. Next one keeps intake at about 1800 calories per day, the “average” base usage with moderate activity but no deliberate exercise. Of course, the base calorie usage varies considerably around 1800 calories per day, depending on many factors. Therefore some experimentation will need to be conducted to arrive at more appropriate guesstimates of one’s individual usage. Guesstimates at least give approximate guidelines. This method of guesstimation worked for me, before I converted to bulky unrefined plant foods, plus nutritional yeast. (Please see “Appendices: Author’s diet and exercise”.)
  
• 
  One hundred calories, or about the content of one slice of bread, consumed on average beyond the calories used each day, result in about a pound (3000 calories) gained each month. Conversely, one hundred calories less than the calories used each day result in a pound lost each month. Beware: if one consumes so little that one feels draggy, one doesn’t lose as much fat as might be thought, since the metabolic rate and base calorie usage decline.
  
• 
  Much more about balancing intake of calories with usage is detailed in numerous books about calorie counting. (A handy calorie counter is The Carbohydrate Addict’s Gram Counter by Richard F. Heller ISBN 0-451-17717-7, a pocket paperback. Technically “kilocalorie” is the correct unit for energy in food. Colloquial usage has shortened it to “calorie”.) If balancing intake of calories with usage seems like too big a bite to chew, one could refer again to the method of increasing veggies and fruits.
  
• 
  The fat-blocking pharmaceutical Xenical (Orlistat) inhibits enzymes that break down fats, reducing absorption by about 30%. Xenical has side effects similar to the fake fat Olestra, namely diarrhea, malabsorption of fat-soluble vitamins, and anal leakage. These side effects imply that the body doesn’t like the drug.
  
• 
  All dietary approaches agree that transfats should be avoided, as well as foods that spike the blood sugar, such as white flour and refined sugars such as fructose and sucrose. (Please see “Outstanding Omegas” for a discussion of transfats.) Low to moderate fat diets can result in worse health rather than possible improvement when refined carbohydrates such as white flour and sucrose are consumed rather than complex carbohydrates. The body’s enzyme amylase, secreted in saliva and pancreatin, converts refined carbohydrates to glucose quickly, spiking blood sugar, possibly causing overproduction of insulin that shoves the glucose into cells. Excess insulin suppresses the immune system and biosynthesis of essential hormones absolutely critical for avoiding premature aging. Excessive glucose is toxic to cells. Cells can become insulin-resistant to limit the amount of glucose that can be shoved into them, forcing the pancreas to produce ever more insulin until the pancreas gets exhausted, resulting in Type 2 diabetes.
  
• 
  Complex carbohydrates from whole, unrefined plant foods, speed resting metabolic rate, burning more fat. Complex carbohydrates increase calmness, reducing cravings.
  
• 
  Please see “Alleviating alcoholism and other addictions, including food addictions”, and “Appendices: Author’s diet and exercise”.