Dr. McDougall's Online Discussion Board

I went to my local health food store to try to find any kind of fat-free of veggie milk, but the closest thing I could find was unsweetened rice milk with 2.5 g of fat. That was the lowest fat content that I could find. Most of the soymilks had about 5 gms of fat.
There is a Whole Foods store where I live, so I’m going to try there.
I would appreciate some advice about this.
In the Maximum Weight Loss (MWL) book, Dr. McDougall advises a breakfast of puffed cereal with non-fat soymilk or similar non-fat veggie milk. I would like to be able to eat this, but I’m not sure if I’ll be able to find non-fat of veggie-milk.
Should I buy the soymilk with the lowest fat content or skip this breakfast altogether if I can’t find a non-fat soymilk/veggie milk to use?
I didn't see any soymilk suggestions in the MWL book. Are there suggestions in there? Perhaps I missed them.
I would appreciate any suggestions regarding this issue.
TIA

Belana wrote:I went to my local health food store to try to find any kind of fat-free of veggie milk, but the closest thing I could find was unsweetened rice milk with 2.5 g of fat. That was the lowest fat content that I could find. Most of the soymilks had about 5 gms of fat.

I haven't found any rice milk that also didn't include oil, so that tosses it out the window right there.

As for fat content, all foods contain some fat, even vegetables and fruit. A non-fat soy milk will still have the natural fat from the soybeans, just no added fat. Almond milk will have fat, but it's the natural fat from the almonds. Oat milk will have fat, but again, from the oats, not added. As long as the ingredients do not have added fat, it's alright to use.

In the Maximum Weight Loss (MWL) book, Dr. McDougall advises a breakfast of puffed cereal

Unfortunately, the book is old and a bit outdated as per current MWLP guidelines. They can be found here:

viewtopic.php?p=578019#p578019

Puffed cereals and other dried foods, like rice cakes, are no longer allowed on the MWLP version of the McDougall program.

I didn't see any soymilk suggestions in the MWL book. Are there suggestions in there?

Again, the book is so old and outdated, many of the items, even the companies, in the approved foods section no longer exist. There is a slightly updated list on the website here in the Education drop down menu, but not only is that, too, outdated, but it's aimed at the regular program, not the MWLP version. There is no updated list anywhere for the MWLP approved foods. You just have to read all labels in the store and make sure they fit into the guidelines or make your own using oats and water in a blender (One part oats, 4 parts water, blend, strain if you wish). The website list is in the process of being updated, though.

Hi Belana. You are being so proactive about implementing these changes! Veggie Sue posted a great link with concise guidelines for the MWL program. Unfortunately, liquid calories are not recommended, which includes all plant milks, juices and smoothies.

What to do about breakfast, then? I like oatmeal with fruit when it’s cold out (it was 5°F here this morning, yikes!). Another delicious option is hash brown potatoes. Most grocery stores sell the shreds plain and frozen. Crisp them up in a non-stick skillet and enjoy!

Keep on asking questions. One of the biggest challenges people face is not understanding the program fully and then not getting the results they are hoping for due to the misapplication.

I'm confused, it never occurred to me that unsweetened almond or soy milk wasn't allowed - is that correct - I have been putting that on my oatmeal and berries in the morning

Rivergal wrote:I'm confused, it never occurred to me that unsweetened almond or soy milk wasn't allowed - is that correct - I have been putting that on my oatmeal and berries in the morning

Liquid calorie are not recomnmnend on the MWL program. Liquid calories are one of the biggest contributors to the passive overconsumption of calories.

In Health
Jeff

Thank you everyone so much for your replies.
I feel supported and encouraged, which helps a lot.
That makes all the difference to me!

Hi Veggie Sue,
You're right about the added oil. I looked at the ingredients of the ricemilk that I just purchased, and indeed there's added oils!
I guess I'm just going to have to do without any of those veggie-milks while I'm trying to reach my goal weight.
I'm struggling to find quick and easy breakfast options.
Crisping up hash browns takes a long time, and so does cooking steel-cut oatmeal.
What are some warm and quick options for breakfast in the morning?
besides oatmeal with fruit in it, I guess I can microwave pre-cooked sweet potatoes and yams in the morning.
I've also been looking at the cookbook that I just bought, and a lot of the recipes in there have MWL forbidden ingredients. Of course I'll skip those.
It's too bad there's not just a cookbook dedicated to the MWL guidelines that's been updated to the 21st century.
~belana


I haven't found any rice milk that also didn't include oil, so that tosses it out the window right there.

As for fat content, all foods contain some fat, even vegetables and fruit. A non-fat soy milk will still have the natural fat from the soybeans, just no added fat. Almond milk will have fat, but it's the natural fat from the almonds. Oat milk will have fat, but again, from the oats, not added. As long as the ingredients do not have added fat, it's alright to use.

In the Maximum Weight Loss (MWL) book, Dr. McDougall advises a breakfast of puffed cereal

Unfortunately, the book is old and a bit outdated as per current MWLP guidelines. They can be found here:

viewtopic.php?p=578019#p578019

Puffed cereals and other dried foods, like rice cakes, are no longer allowed on the MWLP version of the McDougall program.

I didn't see any soymilk suggestions in the MWL book. Are there suggestions in there?

Again, the book is so old and outdated, many of the items, even the companies, in the approved foods section no longer exist. There is a slightly updated list on the website here in the Education drop down menu, but not only is that, too, outdated, but it's aimed at the regular program, not the MWLP version. There is no updated list anywhere for the MWLP approved foods. You just have to read all labels in the store and make sure they fit into the guidelines or make your own using oats and water in a blender (One part oats, 4 parts water, blend, strain if you wish). The website list is in the process of being updated, though.[/quote]

Belana, I make large batches of steel cut oatmeal in my instant pot then pour it into a square container for storage in the fridge. Once cooled the oatmeal is solid, I use a knive to carve it up into individual servings for breakfast. For breakfast I add a little water into a bowl then add my rectangle of oatmeal and microwave 2 minutes. Once done I mash the oatmeal with my spoon to make it smooth and it’s ready to eat. Sometimes I freeze some rectangles of oatmeal for a quick meal if I’ve been traveling and come home to an empty fridge.

I’ve also discovered that I prefer cooked sweet potatoes cold from the fridge. The have a more fudge texture.

Another favorite breakfast when sweet corn is in season is to microwave corn in the husk.

I think you will fine quite a few breakfast ideas that will meet your need for a quick breakfast, including leftovers from dinner the night before.

Belana wrote:Hi Veggie Sue,
You're right about the added oil. I looked at the ingredients of the ricemilk that I just purchased, and indeed there's added oils!
I guess I'm just going to have to do without any of those veggie-milks while I'm trying to reach my goal weight.
I'm struggling to find quick and easy breakfast options.
Crisping up hash browns takes a long time, and so does cooking steel-cut oatmeal.
What are some warm and quick options for breakfast in the morning?
besides oatmeal with fruit in it, I guess I can microwave pre-cooked sweet potatoes and yams in the morning.
I've also been looking at the cookbook that I just bought, and a lot of the recipes in there have MWL forbidden ingredients. Of course I'll skip those.
It's too bad there's not just a cookbook dedicated to the MWL guidelines that's been updated to the 21st century.
~belana

Hi Belana,
I'm not sure if you are not interested in oatmeal at all, or if you only like steel-cut; however, there is no requirement to eat steel-cut oatmeal. I like the flavor and texture of the Old-Fashioned Oats (the 5-minute cook*), which I have had every morning for the past 8 years. I make it in a large 4-cup Pyrex bowl, microwaved for 3 minutes, and nice it's done, throw in a cup or less of frozen fruit. It's ready in less time than it takes me to make hot water for tea. *Edited to add: even the 1-minute-cook rolled oats are acceptable in MWL and on the regular program!)

Also, I think the main point of MWL is to eat mostly, or minimally, processed food. It is essentially futile to try to produce lists of manufactured foods that are compatible with the program, since companies change the makeup of their products randomly and companies get bought out and changed. So there's nothing wrong with the original MWL book; it's just that there are a few tiny differences. Jeff's list of his favorite Processed Foods is a great resource (but the link I just went to is broken--I'll find it & come back here with it), and please take the time to watch his videos on reading labels--they were a HUGE help to me in my journey. EDITED AGAIN to add the link - I found it! viewtopic.php?t=10254

Just in case you hadn't seen them yet, here is a wealth of MWL recipes right here on this site: Clickable List of MWL Recipes form the Newsletters:
viewtopic.php?f=5&t=10076

Thank you for your response frozenveg. I really appreciate it. I'll check out the links that you included. I look forward to getting more when you're able to track them down.

Belana wrote:I'm struggling to find quick and easy breakfast options.

The quickest is to just grab dinner leftovers.

Another option is to have already cooked potatoes - white or sweet - on hand in your refrigerator and just grab one and either eat cold or warm it up and eat it cut up on a plate with a condiment or just eat it out of hand like an apple.

When I go on car trips or know I'll be away from home for many hours I take the pre-cooked potatoes, cut them into chunks, pop them in a ziplock bag, shake some no-salt seasoning on them and shake them up, and pick from the bag throughout the day. If I want to be classy I'll bring a plastic fork with me, but usually I use my fingers. For other fast and easy potato tips, search on-line and YouTube for Jeanine's Potato Reset or Andrew's Spud Fit recipes.

Hi VeggieSue,
I went to the grocery yesterday to specifically look at all the various vegetable milks ingredients', and indeed, almond milk has fat in it, but no added fat. I would have never have thought about that, had I not read your response. I didn't read the ingredients of all of the various vegetable milks, but now I know what to look for, so thanks for that.
Although I'm not going to use vegetable milks while on the MWL diet, once I reach my goal weight, I will incorporate vegetable milks back into it, and now I know what not to buy.
Thanks to everyone else for all of the great breakfast suggestions. All of that information helps a lot!

[quote="Belana"]

It's too bad there's not just a cookbook dedicated to the MWL guidelines that's been updated to the 21st century.
~belana


Belana Hi!

Go to the recipes forum and you will find a LONG list of MWL compliant recipes - first thread on the page - good luck Kx

KatherineUK wrote:

Belana wrote:
It's too bad there's not just a cookbook dedicated to the MWL guidelines that's been updated to the 21st century.
~belana

Belana Hi!

Go to the recipes forum and you will find a LONG list of MWL compliant recipes - first thread on the page - good luck Kx

And on the main website, in the drop-down tab under Education (above, far left in the green menu bar), you'll find the Recipes section. Over there, scroll down to a whole section dedicated to MWLP recipes:

https://www.drmcdougall.com/health/educ ... l-recipes/

And remember, there is no such thing as a completely fat free plant food. ALL plant foods contain some fat, even the lowly ice berg lettuce leaf. It's the added oils/fat that need to be avoided.

If you're inclined, you can make some plant milk if you wanted. Oats and water, cooked rice and water blended for a minute or so then pushed through a sieve to remove any "grit".....some also make banana milk, just blend a banana with a little water adjusted for thickness great over oats to sweeten with out much added sugar.

But none is needed either and none should be used to drink by the glassful regardless of what kind one uses.