Star McDougall Story
by Linda Middlesworth
As I reflect now on my life, I cannot believe that I used to smoke but I did for many years starting at 17. Wine with dinner was the norm. Having lived in Germany and Austria for almost 2 years, I even learned to eat wienerschnitzel (baby veal cows)! I ate beef, chicken, pork, cheese and eggs.
I love to cook and read cookbooks, especially my vegetarian ones. Eventually, I felt, deep down in my heart, that there was something wrong with eating cows, pigs, and chickens. I switched to fish, eggs and dairy only. I was so proud of my cheese pizzas. I was a pretty good mom since I home cooked “optimal” food for my family!
About age 42, a doctor in Davis told me I had a cancerous tumor on my thyroid and he would have to remove it. Like anyone with a cancer diagnosis, I was frightened. I did not want surgery so I found another doctor who said he would radiate it. He added, that to be sure, removal would be the safest but I opted for radiation treatment.
I did not want surgery as I had a golf ball size tumor removed from my left breast earlier. It was non cancerous but the surgeon did a terrible job leaving me scarred and infected. I remember asking that doctor if I was eating anything that would cause this tumor and he said no.
Leaving my degree in German Language and Literature and my Graphic Design business behind, I switched careers midlife to Aerobic Instructor/Personal Trainer and moved to Sacramento. I had always been athletic and biked, ran a few marathons, and took aerobic classes. At age 46, I was a fat aerobic instructor with about 45 lbs. extra! I just bought larger, size 16 clothes. I ignored the weekly chest pains. I began to hate running because my breasts hurt too much.
Fortunately, my new neighbor told me that I could get rid of my health issues if I looked up Dr. John McDougall. I read the 12 Day Program all the next day and into the wee hours. Everything I read made perfect, logical sense. I liked how Dr. McDougall explained his own health journey. I admired his standing up to the established medical business. He took a big risk by writing and speaking about the truthful knowledge that our food choices are the key to optimal health, not the pills and surgery. You cannot patent plants so no one can profit!
I jumped into his diet plan with Mary’s recipes. I was not perfect and, after losing about 25 lbs, the last 20 remained! I was still eating added oils when eating out. I knew I had to make a change. I started reading Star McDougallers on his website and was inspired to take out ALL added oils. I lost the next 20 lbs. within 2 months.
This weight loss did not last long because I put cashew cheese on everything! Ten of the 20 lbs. came right back! I had to get serious.
Inspired by both Chef AJ’s weight loss, and watching Jeff Novick ‘s DVD on “Nuts and Oils”, I jumped back into the Starchivore diet plan minus addictive nuts. The last 10 lbs. melted off. Wine is gone now except for a tiny bit on my birthday. I use just a little bit of tahini for salad dressings and hummus. I eat my chia or flax seeds everyday. I eat about 12 potatoes per day as well as brown rice, beans, lentils, peas, corn and I am never hungry! I also eat piles of cooked green and yellow veggies everyday and I even like all my food plain now and do not even need sauces! I save oil free sauces for company.
I am an ethical vegan and unfortunately, most of my ethical vegan friends are not healthy eaters! To help them and others transition to a healthy vegan life, I became a Food for Life Nutrition and Cooking Instructor, PCRM, and completed the Cornell Plant Based and the Starch Solution Certifications. Now I help coach people and The Starch Solution is our guide.
I wish I could have known years ago what I know at age 70. I did not have to have chest pains, have sore breasts from excess estrogen, have a lumpectomy, be obese or have thyroid cancer! Not one doctor ever told me how to help myself. I never realized that dairy is the most statistically significant carcinogenic of our time and that we can get all our calcium needs met by eating greens and beans! Not one doctor told me that my food choices were making me fat and sick. I encourage all to jump into the McDougall program and let your body heal. Prevent the fat and sick life or do what I did….become a perfect Starchivore and heal yourself. I credit Dr. John and Mary McDougall for saving my life and now I “feel like” a joyous, happy, 25 year old!
Linda Middlesworth,
Cancer Project, Food for Life Instructor
Certified Personal Trainer/Aerobic Instructor
Certified Plant Nutrition, Cornell University
