Dr. McDougall's latest Newletter RE: starch vs non-starch

[Ltldogg]

A great new Newsletter article from Dr. McDougall discussing why starch foods should be the center of a diet and not non-starchy vegetables:

https://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2015nl ... rfoods.htm

~Scott

[MINNIE]

Thanks for bringing that article to our attention. I think this may be the hardest concept to accept for people who are new to this - even if they already don't eat meat or dairy foods.

I have been doing this for a while with great results. But some times even now I have to remind myself that it's GOOD to make starches the centerpiece of every meal. It's not an over indulgence in "fattening" food. Years of bad conditioning are so hard to reverse.

[dteresa]

But I really really like cruciferous vegetables. I find them tasty, especially with some kind of dressing like vinegar or mustard. No different from starches which taste really blah without salt or some kind of dressing like salsa or potato salad made with onions cucumber, celery, cider vinegar and hot mustard. If I eat a reasonable portion of starch my blood sugar stays reasonable but if I pig out on a really big portion of potatoes or oatmeal or bulgar wheat which I just feel hungry for sometimes, my sugar goes well over 240.

One wonders if you need a score card every time you pick up your fork. Arsenic in rice with special cooking instructions, careful not to eat too many beans (no more than a cup a day), raw tomatoes replete with formaldahyde, and the latest, poison cruciferous. So it could be dangerous to eat lower calorie dense food? What is next? I would sure like to see someone eat 11 pounds of kale.

didi

[colonyofcells]

The Starch Solution does not have an absolute ban on some items like sugar, salt, etc. and these can be the slippery slope to unhealthy refined foods. The focus on vegetables is also a slippery slope away from the Starch Solution and could end up eating too few calories. Too much fruit is the slippery slope to a fruit based vegan diet. Most of the high fat vegan foods are in the caution list and these are a slippery slope to high fat vegan diets.
Based on calories, it does seem possible to eat a high volume of beets and carrots for meals even though these are not in the list of starches. 2 lbs of carrots probably packs enough calories to satisfy some people.

[vgpedlr]

Thanks for bringing that article to our attention. I think this may be the hardest concept to accept for people who are new to this - even if they already don't eat meat or dairy foods.

It took me awhile to figure this out when I started my plant based journey. A few times I prepared "meals" based on veggies, with no significant starch, so of course I was starving. I've always eaten a lot of beans, rice, and pasta, so it usually happened accidentally as I followed a recipe. But I also sometimes fell for the micronutrient trap as well. It wasn't until I found McDougall that I really got it.

STARCH with some fruit and veg

So simple, yet it was hidden from me for awhile.

[Katydid]

While I agree with Dr. McDougall in general, he goes too far in insulting my beloved Brussels sprouts "choke down Brussels sprouts" indeed! Them's fightin' words

Kate

[Skip]

Fuhrman would argue the article....
Anyone seen this? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5VaX3RmJwm0

[Ltldogg]

Fuhrman would argue the article....
Anyone seen this? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5VaX3RmJwm0

I started this thread to share Dr. McDougall's newest newsletter re-iterating his WOE

[f1jim]

One of my go to green vegetables is Brussel sprouts. Just steamed or with a bit of brown mustard they are terrific. There is a world of difference in the taste of them so be picky at the produce section or farmers market.
f1jim

[dteresa]

does everyone on the group who follows the starch plan fill a plate half or three quarters full of starch and one quarter to one half full of vegies? I will cook a potato or sweet potato and vegies and sometimes beans but I do not measure. If I make tabbouli with beans I will eat a whole pile of it and some salad or broccoli or some fruit.

i am committed to eating wfp no fat but I just approach it as any normal meal and don't make a science experiment of it. I eat what I feel like eating and don't worry if I had too much broccoli today or too much starch tomorrow. Eating is very pleasurable, my biomarkers are just fine and i am at a normal weight effortlessly.

If brussels sprouts or tomatoes or anything else is on sale I might buy a whole lot of it and eat more of it than a starch, volume wise but if I get hungry I will just eat a potato or something. I do agree with dr McD that unless I have at least some starch i will get hungry before my next meal. But I don't care. i can just pop a potato into the microwave. Holy cow. Can't get any easier than that. I would not like to purposely limit starches, especially potatoes, and chow down on just vegies and beans. And i don't care to eat nuts and avocados send me to the ER.

didi

[dailycarbs]

My typical plate has more veggies than starch. A big plate of veggies or large salad and let's say a potato and ear of corn is a good meal for me. But I also eat more fruit than most here. Fruit agrees with me for satiety—probably because I have a sweet tooth. I always have baked potatoes and sweet potatoes in the fridge ready to eat and I like them cold—but 30 seconds in the microwave is my wife's preference. So a quick starch snack is never far away. The baked potatoes are also good for car trips as they travel well for a day without refrigeration. Sometimes there's left over rice, some sort of bean or lentil loaf or burger, or some other starch in the fridge. I usually have a bag or two of microwave rice in the freezer. I'm not an oatmeal fan.

For veggies, I always have lots of mixes in the freezer as well as ears of corn. I get fresh veggies or greens when it's convenient and they look good but it's hard to beat frozen. One thing I like to do is stop by a farmers market or store, pick up some fresh greens and sauté/wilt them in a huge pan while I defrost a few bags of frozen veggies. When the veggies are thawed, I throw them in the pan with the greens and add some salsa. I then add a microwaved potato or two for the starch or if there's rice on hand, vegetables over the rice for a rice bowl. A rice bowl travels well to a picnic if placed in an appropriate bowl with lid.

[viv]

This week end I had a fun visit to the beach with a couple of friends. We set out early and I had my bag of cooked red potatoes, a couple of apples and a banana. It was amazing to me how much crap these women ate. Even though they both professed to "eat healthy" they were continually munching on bags of chips (UK crisps), trail mix, huge bags of buttery popcorn etc. etc. I was so happy with my large bag of potatoes! I ate them all week-end, and felt great. I offered my friends "Would you like a potato?" Can you believe they said "No thanks!"

Oh, and by the way, they are both obese, one with high blood pressure and the other just diagnosed with T2 diabetes. My "Starch Solution" talks fall on deaf ears....oh well I tried.

Viv

[vgpedlr]

does everyone on the group who follows the starch plan fill a plate half or three quarters full of starch and one quarter to one half full of vegies?

didi

I like one dish meals where everything, starch, veg, spice, is all mixed up. So I don't really know. I'm guessing that it's probably 1/3-1/2 starch and the rest veg. That would reflect my stir fries, where the rice and veg are separate. Sometimes I make a meal of just potatoes and seasoning.

[dynodan62]

One of my go to green vegetables is Brussel sprouts. Just steamed or with a bit of brown mustard they are terrific. There is a world of difference in the taste of them so be picky at the produce section or farmers market.
f1jim

Local restaurant I sometimes frequent usually prepares Brussel sprouts by oiling them and roasting with brown sugar. Very tasty, but I usually pass. Recently, when I was informed that was today's veg. side, I asked if I could possibly get them without oil. To my surprise, the chef said he still had some fresh ones, and would sauté them in broth for me. They were actually BETTER than the baked ones.

[patty]

Wow... great Newsletter. Finally it is out there and so clear.

Skip.. Enjoyed the video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5VaX3RmJwm0

I feel colonyofcells makes the best point about too many veggies or fruits can be a slippery slope. And I feel that was my downfall. It has taken me so long to know starch/bread is not the enemy. My digestive system thrives with less veggies. Too funny.. it goes against everything we are taught.

A great way to share the program:) Mahalo Dr. McDougall.

Aloha, patty