Nuts

A place to get your questions answered from McDougall staff dietitian, Jeff Novick, MS, RDN.

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Postby Suebee » Wed Mar 19, 2008 10:07 am

Ok, Auntemmy--how do you eat popcorn? How do you eat potatoes? How do you eat salads? I can't eat dry popcorn and if were to try it, I can't get the yeast and salt to stick. Well that's part of the problem--the other part is that popcorn tastes too dry without some fat. Potatoes--I could make a non-fat gravy but it takes time. Salads--now there's a real problem. I can't just eat it with vinegar--absolutely impossible. And vinegar isn't good for my teeth--neither is lemon juice. Yes, there is some in regular salad dressings but the oil coats the teeth and it's less of a problem. Right now I'm just not eating salads--I blend them with fruit. I just wonder what anybody out there does to eat these things without fats. And I like cucumber or tomato sandwiches, but NOT with that alone! So I use a low-fat soy based "mayo." But yes, there is some fat in there. That's mostly a summer issue when the fresh produce is abundant. I can eat and do eat other vegetables without fats of any type, but potatoes are so DRY! Ok, I can eat them in curries, but does that mean I can never eat a baked potato again?
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Postby slugmom » Wed Mar 19, 2008 10:24 am

Suebee,

it's not low sodium, but I enjoy my potatoes with a little reduced-sodium soy sauce and garlic and sometimes thyme.

I often microwave mine in a dish with a lid so they steam, rather than bake, and that too helps them seem less dry.

I have been having my no-oil microwaved popped popcorn with a little soy sauce and garlic (again, not the lowest sodium) or hot sauce and garlic, although that's a vinegar base, so I don't know if that would be too vinegary for your teeth?

I was thinking of mixing up some yet-more--diluted soy sauce and put it in a spritzer and spray the popcorn for more even coverage.

I don't know if those suggestions will help you, but it's what works for me.

:)
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Postby JeffN » Wed Mar 19, 2008 10:44 am

auntemmy wrote:Wow! I'm just reading between the lines but the whole concept of what's okay to eat on one site and not the other is reminding me of something I read here recently about people following whatever food program that allows them have the foods they like. For example a steak and cheese lover will low carb (for awhile) and forgo healthy grains and starches (for awhile) and then end up eating steak and potatoes and butter and cheese yada yada yada....the confusion was the worst part.


I appreciate your comments and observations.

However, I am not sure confusion is the main issue. People all the time tell me they are so confused on what to eat and what is healthy, but their choices do not reflect their confusion, their choices reflect their (usually unhealthy) preferences.

Sometimes, and maybe not always for everyone, we use the confusion as a rationale to continue our (usually unhealthy) preferences. I mean after all, if we are all confused, why not at least eat lots more fruits and veggies, while we are confused. :)

It is not unusual for people to gravitate towards information and belief systems that support their pre-existing habits and/or beliefs. After all, most people do not really want to change (or if so, change as little as possible) but to find support for their current choices. Change is very difficult and uncomfortable. This is not unique in dietary philosophy, but in most all areas of life.

There is lots of valuable information at many health sites. I myself keep up with many. But in the end, the information has to be supported by science and results. That is why I always post the supporting information for my statements.

auntemmy wrote:
Aside from all I have learned, in my gut (no pun) I believe that fats in any form are not needed by me. It is not easy to give up nuts and peanut butter (and CHEESE). I have to believe I'm doing something good for my body. It makes sense to me.


No doubt many habits are had to break.

We do need fat and we can easily get all we need from whole natural foods. Nuts/seeds can play a role but remember, in nature nuts/seeds were very rare and not something we would be consuming in abundance. We should still think of them that way.

Just a reminder, of what I posted earlier in this thread...

... if someone was to follow an optimal health supporting diet, and they wanted to include some nuts/seeds, then there is probably no problem with the inclusion of 1 or 2 oz of nuts/seeds (without oil and/or salt). However, if weight is a problem, I would limit that amount to 1 oz or less. And, if they are included, to consume them as part of a meal with other foods that are very low in calorie density.

These comments are also in the presentation on Fats that I give at the McDougall program.

Thanks again, as I enjoy these discussions

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Postby Nettie » Wed Mar 19, 2008 10:52 am

Suebee wrote:I can eat and do eat other vegetables without fats of any type, but potatoes are so DRY! Ok, I can eat them in curries, but does that mean I can never eat a baked potato again?


You can put ff barbecue sauce or salsa on baked potatoes. Steaming the potatoes, rather than baking them, keeps them moist, too.

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Postby Suebee » Wed Mar 19, 2008 11:23 am

Thanks to everyone who replied. Maybe I'm an oddball, but I don't like the taste of barbecue sauce or tomato based foods on my potatoes--maybe my French background. We didn't eat those foods. However, I will try a dilute soy spray on popcorn. That way the nutritional yeast will stick and soy is salty enough I won't need salt. I could try the spray and then yeast on the potatoes too. Yes, microwaving is usually what I do anyway because of time constraints and it seems wasteful to use an oven just for potatoes (fuel). Good ideas! Yes, Jeff is right. We want to find someone who lets us eat our favorite foods. My husband fights the idea of low-fat anything. He really needs to lose weight and lower his cholesterol. I could lose a few pounds but my cholesterol numbers are just right. However, Jeff, Dr. F. DOES claim to use scientific studies to support his views re: nuts being necessary and good for heart disease! That's the problem! I could cite those for you if you wish. He has at least one newsletter to that effect in his database (but you have to PAY to access them!). I really admire Dr. McDougall for providing ALL his information for FREE!! That's very exceptional and commendable.
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Postby JeffN » Wed Mar 19, 2008 12:26 pm

Suebee wrote: However, Jeff, Dr. F. DOES claim to use scientific studies to support his views re: nuts being necessary and good for heart disease! That's the problem! I could cite those for you if you wish.


Sure, but I am familiar with them. But we have to go beyond just knowing there are studies, we have to evaluate them and see what they are saying.

There is evidence that nuts lower the risk of heart disease. I beleive this is fairly common knowledge in the world of nutrition.

Some of this comes from studies done on 7th Day Adventists and this benefit is part of their whole diet which is much lower in saturated fat and higher in fiber than the typical American diet. But the 7th Day Adventists in the studies tended to also not smoke, not drink, were active and have strong social groups, all of which also play a protective role. Their studies did show that in addition to all this, those who consumed more than 5 oz a week had a lower risk of death from CVD and a lower risk of a non fatal heart attack, than those who consumed less than 1 oz a week

In the Nurses Health Study, those who consumed more than 5 oz of nuts weekly had a risk of CHD that was 35% lower than those who ate less than 1 oz of nuts monthly.

The Health Professionals Study found that those who consumed nuts at least twice weekly had a 53% lower risk of sudden cardiac death than those who rarely/never consumed nuts. In this study though there was no significant decrease in the risk of nonfatal MI or non sudden CHD death.

Also, same with the Iowa Women’s Health Study, which followed more than 30,000 post-menopausal women for 12 years. They did not observe a decreased risk in CHD mortality from nut consumption. The study did show a small, but significant, decrease in all cause mortality in those who consumed nuts twice weekly.

Notice, than in all of these studies, nut consumption was a 1-oz serving around 2 to 5x a week. They were not eating 3-4 oz or more a day. No one, in the world of mainstream nutrition, science and medicine, who has reviewed all these studies (including me) :) is recommending more than an 1 or 2 a day at most.

As a result of these studies, the FDA approved the following health claim..

“Scientific evidence suggests but does not prove that eating 1.5 ounces per day of most nuts, as part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol, may reduce the risk of heart disease."

Again, that is 1.5 oz per day (which is within my recommendations stated above). And this is from the USDA/FDA which are groups that recommend a high fat diet and are influenced by the "nutty" nut industry.

I know of no evidence like this for "seeds" though we could easily make the same assumptions.

Now, knowing all this, look at this conclusion from the Harvard School of Public Health on these studies (who actually did some of the above studies)

"By themselves, nuts seem to produce modest declines in cholesterol, but when they are combined with other healthful foods, the results can be spectacular. "Nuts may not be the key to cardiovascular health, but adding nuts to a balanced, healthful diet can take you one step away from heart disease,"


Now, more importantly, there is also good evidence that "essential" fats dramatically lower the rate of disease/death from heart disease, but it only take a very small amount to get this effect. And we know that if a diet is low in essential fats, regardless of whether it is a low fat diet, or a high fat diet, it can increase the risk for CVD and sudden cardiac death. But, you do not need a high fat diet to ensure adequate omega 3s.
This is an essential fat issue and not a high vs low fat issue. You can easily create a low fat diet that is adequate in essential fats.

In addition, most all nuts, outside the English Walnut, are poor sources of these essential fats.

Lets play the game of nutrient density :)

Which has more omega 3s per calorie

Romaine lettuce or almonds?
Romaine lettuce or brazil nuts?
Romaine lettuce or pecans?
Romaine lettuce or black walnuts?
Romaine lettuce or sunflower seeds?
Romaine lettuce or pumpkin seeds?
Romaine lettuce or pistachio nuts?

The answer to every one is romaine lettuce. :)

As far as I know, only English Walnuts, Flax Seeds, Chia Seeds and Hemp Seeds would beat Romaine Lettuce.

Also, remember the only studies to prove and document that you could actually reverse heart disease were done with diets that had less than 15%, fat, and, in fact, were less than 10% and did not include avocados, nuts and seeds.

For 10 years I oversaw the program of a center that has published over 120 studies on over 100,000 people, on the results of their very low fat diet (under 10%) that used no added oils, avocados, nuts, or seeds and they dramatically reduced the risk of heart disease and the risk of dying of a fatal heart attack. There was no increase in the risk of heart disease and/or sudden cardiac death. And, we did 3 year and 5 year follow up studies.

I am not so worried about a few nuts IN the diet. But, I am worried about all the NUTS on the diet. :)


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Postby Nettie » Wed Mar 19, 2008 12:33 pm

Suebee wrote:....However, Jeff, Dr. F. DOES claim to use scientific studies to support his views re: nuts being necessary and good for heart disease! That's the problem! I could cite those for you if you wish. He has at least one newsletter to that effect in his database (but you have to PAY to access them!). I really admire Dr. McDougall for providing ALL his information for FREE!! That's very exceptional and commendable.


Folks, this was covered in the Lounge Forum a few months back. I, too, was concerned that I was missing something by not eating the nuts and seeds that Dr. Fuhrman adamantly insists are a necessary part of a healthy diet. So I contacted Dr. McDougall directly to find out what he thought about it. This is what I posted of his response:

"Here's Dr. McDougall's response to my question about the NEED for nuts and seeds in a healthy diet:

'I have written about oils including nuts and seeds in August 2007: When Friends Ask: Why Do You Avoid Adding Vegetable Oils?

'Nuts and seeds are rich foods -- their purpose is to start the life of a plant and therefore are packed with energy. They also have many other nutrients in high concentration, however, they are a well designed and balanced package so they do make up an acceptable food for people.

'People do not suffer from nutrient or calorie deficiency - thus something as rich as nuts and seeds provides no advantage. Because of their plentiful supply of fats and calories they easily make people have a hard time losing weight when eaten in large quantities.

'The problem I see with your plan to add nuts and seeds is limiting them to a few. For most of us, once permission is given, there is no stopping at a reasonable amount.

'Studies that show a health advantage have biases that make nuts and seeds look like the secret to good health - it is the overall healthier diet and lifestyle of people who choose to include these higher fat plant foods that gives them the better life - the nuts are incidental."

So, the final answer is use them or not, as you please, in moderation. Everything we need for good health is already contained in the McDougall Program and there is no need to add nuts/seeds for good health. "

I have placed in bold text what I consider to be the most critical part of his response.

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How do you eat potatoes....?

Postby Clary » Wed Mar 19, 2008 12:46 pm

Suebee wrote: ... How do you eat potatoes? ......... I can eat and do eat other vegetables without fats of any type, but potatoes are so DRY! Ok, I can eat them in curries, but does that mean I can never eat a baked potato again?


Some ideas from a previous post:

This list was compiled from Jan Tz’s November 20, 2001 posting, as well as the additions of others that same date and recent January 24, 2002 postings. Quite the list!

1) brown gravy
2) onion gravy
3) mushroom gravy
4) onion-mushroom gravy (good grief)
5) garlic-mushroom gravy
6) ketchup
7) BBQ sauce
BBQ onions
9) chili
10) creamed corn (thanks, Sandie!)
11) spicy beans of all sorts
12) sweet and sour sauce
13) chickpea gravy
14) taco sauce
15) mix the innards of a baked spud with pureed squash
16) mash spudz with cooked carrots
17) posole gravy
1 chili gravy
19) tofu sour creme
20) spaghetti sauce

These are additional suggestions that were not part of Jan’s list:
21) anchovie-free Worcestershire sauce
22) A-1 steak sauce
23) steamed broccoli and cheez sauce
24) cream-style corn
25) fatfree gravies
26) salsa
27) steamed veggies
2 veg bakon bits
29) thick soups (split pea is yummy)
30) Pot Roastless Potato--put steamed carrots and onions inside a baked potato and smother with vegetarian gravy
31) Black Bean Beauties (bbq onions w/pureed black beans
32) Martha Stewart Garlic Roasted Potatoes
33) mushroom stroganoff
34) Bragg's
35) balsamic vinegar
36) lentil sloppy joe
37) stir fry with sweet and sour sauce
38 coleslaw
39) fresh butternut squash with fresh pepper and vegan "butter".
40) Salad Potato
--not quite the same as Potato Salad...I dice (really small) cucumber and tomato and let it sit in Seasoned Rice Vinegar while the potato is cooking--then add it along with a few sliced black olives (I'm like that kid in the commercial who finally finds his true family when he sees them with olives on all their fingers...)--salt and pepper. This is good because it's got the hot/cold thing going on--and the seasoned rice vinegar is sweet/salty. Yum! I like this on taters and brown rice - try succotash (limas, corn, tomatoes) and maybe a little of the juice.
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Postby Suebee » Wed Mar 19, 2008 12:52 pm

Thank you very much Jeff for all the effort you are putting into this issue for us. I see your point--a few nuts, like walnuts, ok; going overboard, no. Saying you need them with every green thing to absorb nutrients (like Dr. F says)--No! But he also slams low-fat opponents like Dr. McDougall, Dr. Esselstyn, Dr. Ornish, saying those diets are too low in fat, that they can lead to heart arrhythmias (which he claims nuts and seeds protect against), that weight loss without these can lead to gallbladder attacks, etc. He really makes one afraid to go too low in fat! He said, some of them (Dr. Ornish, I think) had to add in fish oils to avoid some of these problems.
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Postby Suebee » Wed Mar 19, 2008 12:56 pm

WOW thanks Clary, I'm printing out that list and posting it on the fridge! Excellent!
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Postby ncyg46 » Wed Mar 19, 2008 2:14 pm

I have been reading some of the older books, Ornish (not eating the dairy myself), Dr. M and Dr. Esselstyn and they all say NO fat!!! When I realized that the only book that I have from Dr. M is the 1983 edition, (aside from his new cookbook) that's sure a long time ago...so he knows what he is talking about.

I was told on the noname site I would have "a cardiac arythmia and sudden death if I stopped eating nuts"

Meantime I ate brown rice yesterday, steamed red potatoes last nite and steel cut oatmeal this morning and my blood pressure is actually low and I have to really watch that now! So basically the grains work for me! We are up at 5,000 to 6,000 ft near the Grand Canyon and I guess I have to really watch the blood pressure! I need to learn new salad dressings but I do like just rice wine vinegar..will get used to not doing the nuts in the dressing. Just have a lot of them to use up or donate!
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Postby JeffN » Wed Mar 19, 2008 2:47 pm

Hi Suebee

Suebee wrote:Thank you very much Jeff for all the effort you are putting into this issue for us.


Your Welcome.

Lets separate and deal with each issue as an independent issue and not mix differing issues with differing solutions.

Suebee wrote: I see your point--a few nuts, like walnuts, ok; going overboard, no. .


Correct. I posted the actual numbers from the studies and from the FDA. The recommendations from all the leading national health organizations is around 1 to 1.5 oz per day.

The problem for most people is that they can not eat just one. And, the are so easy to overeat on. All national recommendations include this caution in regard to the potential to overeat on them.

Suebee wrote: Saying you need them with every green thing to absorb nutrients (like Dr. F says)--No!


Correct. We discussed this. Yes, you can show an increase in absorption but it is not necessary or required for absorption. And we do not have any evidence that this increased absorption is needed, or is good or improves health outcomes. As I showed in the other thread, if we just eat more of the original food in an amount equal to the same amount of calories that adding the fat would have added, instead of adding the fat, we will get a much much higher overall nutrient density.

More importantly, lets identify the real problem. The real problem in America is not that people who are eating very healthy diets are not absorbing enough nutrients. Do you know of any data showing that? I don't.

The main problem in American is that most peoples diets are low in nutrients and/or are nutrient density because they do not consume enough unrefined unprocessed foods like fruits, beans and vegetables. Their diets are mostly processed refined junk foods and animal foods. Eating more whole plant foods, fresh fruit and veggies and less processed refined junk food, is the solution. Not adding fat to vegetables.


Suebee wrote:But he also slams low-fat opponents like Dr. McDougall, Dr. Esselstyn, Dr. Ornish, saying those diets are too low in fat, that they can lead to heart arrhythmias (which he claims nuts and seeds protect against),


A low level of essential fats (not total fat) can lead to heart arrhythmias, heart disease and sudden death, but the cure for that is not a high fat diet, or adding fat that does not have the essential fats. As I showed, most all nuts and seeds are actually very low in essential fats. So, if the problem is essential fats, you do nothing to fix it by adding foods that are high fat or low fat, if they do not have essential fats. In fact, higher fat diets (though probably typical American higher fat diets) are a risk factor for heart arrhythmias. If you go the American Heart Association website and look up heart arrhythmias, the recommended advice is a "low fat" diet. This is the same with all other national health organizations.

It is true that Dr Ornish did add in fish oil to his program. He recommends around 2-4 grams a day which is actually over what was used in the studies and over the national recommendations, which is 1 gram. However, if you take the 10% Ornish diet and add in 4 grams of fish oil, the diet is still around 10% fat, no more than 11%. So, yes, Dr Ornish realized a potential problem (lack of essential fats) and fixed it with the appropriate solution (adding in essential fats). Doing it though, through fish oil is not necessary as in the Lyon Heart trial they did it with the addition of plant based omega 3s.

But Dr Ornish isn't recommending a high fat diet now for his reversal diet, he just recommended adding in a few grams of essential fats.

Over 100,000 people have gone through the Pritikin Program and they have published the results in over 120 articles in the leading medical journals. Their diet for most of the original studies for the first 15-20 years and over 75 of those studies was below 10%. There was no increased risk or occurrence of arrhythmia's, heart disease or sudden death. Just the opposite. They have slightly modified their guidelines and the diet is now < 15% fat. However, the do not use any avocados, nuts, seeds, or oils. They do allow 3 small servings of fish a week for those who want it. The original program served only one 3 oz serving a week.

The Tarahumara & Pima Indians in Mexico, the long lived Okinawans, and the traditional Hawaiian diets are all under 12% fat, some under 10% fat, and have been well studied with many published articles. They are all considered cardio-protective and heart disease is virtually unknown amongst these populations

Now, IMHO, the reason Dr Ornish may have seen this problem in some of those following the Ornish diet, but not in these native populations, is not because the recommended diet was lacking but because many people who followed his diet (and other low fat diets) did so by focusing on all those low fat foods that were highly processed and refined packaged low fat high carb foods and food products and not whole plant foods. The native populations had no refined processed foods, and had to eat mostly whole natural plant foods. In fact, 90% of the calories in the Tarahumara diet comes from just beans and corn.

If the problem is lack of fat, then fix it with added fat. But that is not the problem.

If the problem is lack of essential fat, then fix it with added essential fat. But just adding fat, without essential fats, does not solve this. And, you do not have to add lots of fat to add essential fats.

So, how does adding high fat nuts, that are low in essential fats, fix an essential fat problem?

:)

Suebee wrote:that weight loss without these can lead to gallbladder attacks, etc.


Gallbladder attacks can occur as a side effect of very rapid weight loss, very low calorie diets, and long periods without eating, regardless of how one loses weight. But first, very rapid weight loss and very low calorie diets are not a good idea for many reasons, not just the potential risk of gallbladder attacks. Now, this risk happens mostly in women and is a result of increased cholesterol levels in the gallbladder. And if appropriate, there are some medications that can be prescribed short term to minimize this risk.

People who lose a large amount of weight quickly are at greater risk than those who lose weight more slowly. Rapid weight loss may also cause silent gallstones to become symptomatic. Studies have shown that people who lose more than 3 lbs per week may have a greater risk of developing gallstones than those who lose weight at slower rates. While certain people say fat may be an issue, no studies have directly linked a diet's nutrient composition or fat content to the risk of gallstones.. It only takes about 10 grams of fat to cause the gallbladder to contract. A 2000 calorie diet that is 10% fat provides around 23 grams of fat per day. A 1500 calorie diet that is 10% fat provides around 17 grams of fat

High fiber intake and regular exercise also lower your risk

However, this recent study on 120 patients who have lost over 100 pounds,recently came out in the AJCN, which confirms these comments. The average weight loss was around 3# per week (which is over what is typically recommended) for over 44 weeks. And, all showed significant health improvements and were followed up for 5 years. Only 2 people had serious side effects and as far as I could tell from the study, none had gallbladder issues.

James W Anderson, Shannon B Conley, and Amy S Nicholas
One hundred-pound weight losses with an intensive behavioral program: changes in risk factors in 118 patients with long-term follow-up.
Am J Clin Nutr 2007 86: 301-7.

quoting...

Side effects were mild, and only 2 patients had severe or serious adverse events. At an average of 5 y of follow-up, patients were maintaining an average weight loss of 30 kg.

Conclusion: Intensive behavioral intervention can be very effective with minimal risk for certain severely obese persons


In the National Weight Control Registry, over 5000 members have lost on average over 65 pounds can kept it off on average for over 6 years. Some of the them lost over 100 lbs and some of them have kept it off for over 10 years. Most of them followed a low fat diet (under 23%) with 1/3 of them following a diet with less than 20% fat. Gallblader problems was not an issue.

So, the gallbladder issue is more of a very low calorie and/or rapid weight loss issue and is not a common problem. However, it can be easily dealt with if it does occur.

Again, this is not a low fat issue and just adding fat doesn't fix it. Recommending a healthy calorie level and a healthy rate of weight loss from a high fiber diet along with regular exercise is the solution.

There are other issues that i am not discussing in detail today and may at a later date. These include the fact that high fat diets, have been shown to decrease arterial blood flow, increase inflammation and increase clotting factors. High fat diets can also impede athletic performance as those on high fat diets, even after an adaption period, require more effort to achieve similar levels of performance. This is why most all endurance athletes the world over, eat a higher carb, lower fat diet.

So, in summary :)

1) Research has shown that there may be a benefit in relation to CVD by including around 1.5 oz of nuts per day. While some studies have shown some benefit from using 2-3 oz, I know of no convincing evidence supporting this higher intake or a higher intake than this.

2) Ensuring essential fat intake is important dietary issue regardless of whether you follow a low fat or a high fat diet. Essential fats dramatically reduce your risk of heart arrhythmias, heart disease, and sudden cardiac death.

3) The Adequate Intake set by the National Academy of Sciences is 1.1 grams/day for women and 1.6 grams/day for men. The National Institute of Health recommends 2.2 grams/day. Either way, this amount is easily obtained from a whole food plant based diets than includes green leafy veggies, beans, and other healthy foods. A small amount of English walnuts (~1 oz) or flax seeds (1 -2 TB) can insure adequate intake. Chia, and Hemp seeds are also a good source.

4) Most all nuts/seeds are a very poor source of essential fats. They are nutrient dense, but they are also very calorie dense and if included in ones diet, should be limited to the amounts recommended in point 1.

5) Many studies have documented that several native populations around the world have lived long healthy heart disease free lives on a plant based diet that is less than 12% fat.

6) The only studies documented to reverse heart disease, did so on a diet that was less than 10% fat. As we now know, ensuring adequate essential fats, is also an important consideration in any diet, including a low fat reversal diet.

7) high fat dies can also interfere with blood flow, increase clotting factors and impede athletic performance.

8 ) you are welcome (and encouraged) to disagree with and challenge me. But please post the studies and the details of the studies, so we can all read them and discuss them.

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Postby Suebee » Wed Mar 19, 2008 3:25 pm

Believe me, I am not challenging you Jeff. I really, really appreciate the thoroughness of your replies. This puts it in the bag for me personally. I am convinced! Dr. McDougall has used a potato diet for a short time but I doubt he thinks anybody should survive on that for long. He didn't recommend flax years ago but now he does. I am now remembering that years ago Dr Mc said if one eats lots of greens you could get your omega-3 fats that way AS LONG AS you didn't ruin the ratio by adding omega-6's (nuts, seeds). I was wondering about those nuts containing omega 6 fats. That would just add to inflammation, such as arthritis. I was foolishly confused for a while but you have "shed the light" on it all. One more thing, which I can't quote because I heard it on a talk (it's on the Vegsource DVD): Dr. F claims nuts and avocado being in their unprocessed forms do not cause the occlusion to the arteries that oil causes. I've no idea about that claim. But I'd imagine if you grind up the nuts to make an oily emulsion salad dressing, you just might cause some occlusion. Thanks again Jeff.
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Postby ncyg46 » Wed Mar 19, 2008 3:37 pm

this is a recent response I got before leaving the site... I range between 128 - 133 in weight right now...is that too much for a large frame and 5'5"?


1. Read the recent post in the food question section in this forum, entitled --> Nuts and Cholesterol.

2. Read the recent newsletter on nuts and fats.

After the above get back to me with any questions you may have. Bottom line, is get rid of your body fat to maximize reversal of heart disease. But, if you get rid of all your seeds and nuts you will increase your risk of a cardiac arrythmia-- and sudden death.
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Postby xetaprime » Wed Mar 19, 2008 4:35 pm

Hi Jeff! You wrote:

"The problem for most people is that they can not eat just one. And, the are so easy to overeat on. All national recommendations include this caution in regard to the potential to overeat on them."

I was one of those people until I started buying 'Raw' nuts in the shell. When buying the shelled nuts I'd grab a handful! Now I have 1-3 nuts a day, if that. And I'm enjoying the active participation of nut cracking. I find I don't want to crack more than 2 or 3. It's quite a different sensation. I'm working for those nuts. I know it's anti-McD, but that's where I be, at the moment . I get a mixed bag of Walnuts, Brazil Nuts, Almonds, Pecans and Hazel nuts.

Best wishes,
Xeta :-D
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