Question(s)

[TominTN]

Dr. McDougall discusses artificial sweeteners here:

http://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2006nl/nov/sweeteners.htm

As I read it, the bottom line is that artificial sweeteners are generally considered safe in small quantities, but Dr. McDougall would prefer that we use natural foods and products (eg., stevia, small amounts of cane sugar applied to the outside of food, not cooked in) to satisfy our desire for sweetness.

With regard to the pancake mix and syrup, they sound to me like highly refined products that I would not find acceptable. The nutrition label I found indicates that the product contains 420 mg sodium per 130 calories, so it's more sodium that it should be (the guideline is no more than 1 mg sodium per calorie).

[DWerth]

What would you guys say is the success rate of someone who did not or could not, say for financial reasons. attend an in-house with the Dr.?

Am trying to come up with the ways to make it there.

[SactoBob]

I can tell you that you can succeed 100% on the program without attending a program if you have the desire to do so and have the ability to teach yourself what you need to know. It is all here for free (Thanks, Jeff & Dr. McDougall).

But no doubt, the best and fastest way to do it would be to attend the program. There are intermediate steps too. I bought many of the dvds on sale here and hired Jeff Novick as a personal coach, and both of those were also key. I needed to start ASAP and resolved that I would attend the next Dr. M session if I had any problems at all.

I didn't have any problems, and to date have not attended simply because I have not needed to and have had conflicts for the weekend sessions I want to attend.

The thing that stops most people is not learning what to do, but doing it. Or not wanting to know whether your favorite foods are legal (such as the colas etc.) There are just so many reasons to do this program, and so many things available to convince you to and enable you to. At the program, you will be exposed to all it, and sure to find what you need. You might also be able to do it for yourself - it depends on your unique motivation and ability to learn and time to learn.

[DWerth]

A question about gum.
I chew EXTRA (Peppermint) Sugarfree gum every day.
Ingrediants: Sorbitol, Gum Base, Glycerol, Mannitol, Natural and Artificial Flavors, Less than 2% of Hydrogenated Starch, Hydrolysate,Aspertame, Acesulfame K, Soy Lecithin BHT, (to maintain freshness) Color (Blue 1 Lake), Phenylketonurics, Contains Phenylalanne

Whats the verdict?

[DWerth]

Was the above a dumb question or ?

[TominTN]

Not a dumb question, you just probably caught us at a time when everyone was distracted with life.

Looking at the ingredients list for the gum you mention, I see lots of things whose names I don't recognize (glycerol, mannitol, hydrolysate, acesulfame K) and some names I do recognize and don't feel good about (mainly aspartame).

I think my choice would be to look for something more natural. I typically drink several cups of green tea (with a little unbleaached sugar) for oral entertainment during the day.

[f1jim]

Not at all. I had already succeeded beyond my wildest expectations before attending any McDougall events. I still haven't done a 10 day. I read every shred of information on plant based diets for health and healing. I read every archived newsletter here, I used pubmed to look up every article and study I could on diet and lifestyle for healing. The more you read and hear the more it makes sense as to the causes and treatment of chronic disease. Since modern medicine has such a high failure rate with these types of conditions, I felt I had nothing to lose and my life to gain back. I could always go back to the bottles of pills, every three month dr. visits with my primary care and cardiologist, and I could elect to follow my moms path of bypass, stents, more stents, and even more pills. I came to the overwhelming conclusion that this was a no brainer. What was I willing to do to get my health back? What was I willing to try to stop the scary tightness in my chest? Give up some tasty food? Whoopee! I didn't even see that as terribly extreme. A bypass is extreme.
There is plenty of ways to get this information. Dr. McDougall. Jeff Novick, Doug Lisle, Dr. Esselstyn, Dr. Campbell, and many more all give talks all over the country. Stay plugged in and get a lot of this infprmation for free. These people have streaming videos online at no charge. Want more? The DVD's available here are a bargain and are on sale now. Trust me, they will change your viewpoint and your life. A couple of DVD's are all it will take to learn more about nutrition than most doctors learn in a lifetime!
Lastly, hang with us here in the forum. Ask questions whether you think they are dumb or not. There are scads of people just waiting to pass on the knowledge they have pickup up along the way. Everyone here knows nothing that is taught here is common knowledge out in the general public. I learned more in 30 days about nutrition and diet than I did in the previous 51 years. All by getting answers to my dumb questions that many times I was scared to ask. Remember, it's what you DON'T know that will hurt you.
f1jim