by VeggieSue » Sun Dec 24, 2017 5:53 am
First off, welcome, but this forum - The Sandbox - is where people go to test out their signatures, test how to do things like attach graphics, etc. You would be better off putting general messages like this one in The Lounge or Maximum Weight Loss forums.
Now, as for your question, not every person on the McDougall program needs to lose weight, or even has any health problem, and can have items with salt and sugar - as Dr McDougall allows them. Remember, as-written, the program is still much lower in simple carbohydrates (sugar) and salt than the SAD (Standard American Diet). Dr. McD does not allow white sugar and junk foods made from them, like cakes and soda. When one of the recipes from a McDougall book calls for a sweetener it's usually something like maple syrup, molasses, and in the past, agave. And when a recipe needs a flour product, it's always a whole grain one, whether it's whole wheat or something like brown rice flour. He does not condone white flour, no matter what people on various McDougall-centric Facebook communities say. Yes, in The Color Picture Book and a webinar or newsletter article he does mention white bread or white flour and white rice as allowed if you really can't tolerate the whole grain versions, that it's not a "game changer", but always remember the whole grain product is the one the program specified in program literature. He assumes that as you become accustomed to eating this way you'll switch to the whole grain versions of those items.
Salt is another item that has a lot of confusion around it because Dr. McDougall has said time and again that "a little salt sprinkled on the surface of your food" is allowed. But in the program literature he says to always use the no-salt added versions of packaged items, like no-salt added beans, no-salt added broth, no-salt added tomato products. People are always forgetting about that caveat, too. Dr. McDougall's dietitian, Jeff Novick, says when reading a label, make sure the sodium content is equal to or lower than the calories on a regular food item (like those beans or tomatoes or vegetable broth, etc.) and for a condiment, you can go as high as 4 times the calories, because it's hard to find even a lower-sodium version of mustard or ketchup with sodium equal to or lower than the calories.
Also remember, the McDougall program is for everyone, not just people with weight to lose or have a health condition. It is, as the title of the newest book says, the healthiest diet on the planet. As soon as a child is weaned he should be eating this way, and at every stage of life it's the perfect diet.
If you like dessert, have it after you finish your meal, and enjoy it! Remember, we're to eat when hungry, stop when full. If you ate your meal and a few minutes later are still a bit hungry, go ahead and have a bit of cobbler or any other of the McDougall dessert recipes! If it's someone's birthday, go ahead and have that piece of (McDougall-safe) birthday cake! It's going to be made with all McDougall approved ingredients and nothing harmful to your health. But if you're not hungry, don't eat it out of habit, just save it for another occasion when you *are* hungry. It's that simple.