Beginning Questions

[hallelujah]

I truly think it will take a lifetime to get answers to my questions by "SEARCHING". I see the word mentioned, but not really McDougall's answer. Please help me with these questions:

Using microwave?
Juicing?
Using Steevia as sweetner?
Using Tofu-thoght it had bad rap because of hormones?
Using sugar- McDougall's dressings use sugar? Im confused. Thought sugar was a no-no on this program?

Thanks so much for your help.

[Lyndzie]

Hello and welcome! All of your questions are answered, but there is so much information to dig through that it can be hard to find the answers sometimes. Here are the answers in a nutshell:

Go ahead and use the microwave if you want. Not required, but sure is convenient!

Skip juicing. Stick with water (plain coffee or tea is ok, too). Eat your calories, don’t drink them.

Stevia is fine.

Tofu is high fat, so use sparingly.

Sugar is fine. Be reasonable about it. A sprinkle on oatmeal is fine. A whole pan of brownies is probably not doing you any good.

Please feel free to ask if you have anymore questions or need more clarification!

[hallelujah]

Lyndzie, thanks so much for helping.
I thought Steevia would be too processed. Would Agave, Maple Syrup or Honey be better?
Thought microwave was radiation and not good. I might be dating myself!
I come from a vegan program that does alot of juicing carrot/vegetable, like several glasses daily. Are you saying its not necessary?
Thought soy (tofu) was unhealthy due to recent studies about hormones. What about edaname. I really like it.
Cooking in cast iron pans o.k.?
Cooking in teflon is o.k.? Im suprised.

[Lyndzie]

Jeff Novick is the McDougall Program dietician, and has covered about everything under the sun at length here: viewtopic.php?f=22&t=37233 and viewtopic.php?f=22&t=7828

Here is about sweeteners: viewtopic.php?t=5666#p38111

The concerns about radiation and the microwave are unfounded. I’ve had it’s explained to me, and it just made me realize that i should have taken more science classes in school! Dr. McDougall and Jeff both day microwaves are fine. It’s not the microwave that’s the problem, it’s the food.

Dr. McDougall discourages juicing. Eat plants. If you’ve been eating another “vegan” diet, this program should be a fairly easy switch for you. It’s much easier and more affordable than other programs (Fuhrman, Anthony Williams, etc), and much more satisfying, too.

Edamame and tofu have the same guidelines. Too rich if you are looking to lose weight.

Cast iron and Teflon are fine.

It’s easy to get stuck in the details. Just focus on the food: starch with some fruit and veggies. No animals, no oil.

[sirdle]

Lyndzie, thanks so much for helping.
I thought Steevia would be too processed. Would Agave, Maple Syrup or Honey be better?
Thought microwave was radiation and not good. I might be dating myself!
I come from a vegan program that does a lot of juicing carrot/vegetable, like several glasses daily. Are you saying its not necessary?
Thought soy (tofu) was unhealthy due to recent studies about hormones. What about edaname. I really like it.
Cooking in cast iron pans o.k.?
Cooking in Teflon is o.k.? I'm surprised.

Hello and welcome!

What is it you wish to achieve?

Most of the people here are interested in improving (or maintaining) their health... but "health" is a relative concept. We can argue all day about whether stainless steel pans are "healthier" than Teflon... about whether steaming is better than microwaving... about whether agave is better than honey... but it really comes down to a question of triage.

Jeff Novick defines triage as: "The determination of priorities for action in an emergency; A process in which things are ranked in terms of importance or priority."

The five most important things you can do for your health are:

1. Don't smoke
2. Eliminate (or severely limit) alcohol
3. Maintain a healthy body weight
4. Eat a healthy diet
5. Get some exercise

Focus on these five first. If you've got all five nailed, then you are doing better than 95% of all Americans.

The recommendations for each of these bullet points can found in these fora (if you need directions, just ask ).

But to answer your questions:

1. All sugar is about the same. Reduce your added sugar. If you have reduced it, then it doesn't matter much what form it is in: agave, honey, maple syrup, etc.

2. Eat your veggies: steamed, baked, boiled, microwaved, or raw. Any way you like. Eating microwaved veggies is far, far better than frying them in oil.

3. If you are not at your target weight, get there. The best way is to eat fruits, vegetables, starchy vegetables, grains, and legumes, with minimal processing. By juicing any food, you concentrate the calories, eliminate the element of satiety and make it much more likely you will over-eat... which makes it harder to reach your target weight. As Lyndzie says: don't drink your calories.

4. Edamame is a bean. It is healthy. It is a high-fat bean, so if you are not at your target weight, you might want to limit them. Tofu is not too bad... but keep in mind: as you process any food, you increase the calorie density and make it easier to over-eat on it.

5. Cast iron and Teflon are fine.

-----
edit: Lyndzie beat me to it. Drat.

[frozenveg]

Lyndzie and sirdle are right on, so I'm only going to add that the reverse is also applicable:

Using microwave? You don't have to if you don't want to.
Juicing? Don't, or do it to use a tablespoon or so in a dressing or something like that.
Using Steevia as sweetner? Don't use it if you don't want to.
Using Tofu- you don't have to use it at all If you don't want to.
Using sugar- you don't have to use it at all If you don't want to.

[Lyndzie]

Sirdle - great minds think alike!

[hallelujah]

I have one last question (maybe?) The previous program I followed ate 80%raw and 20%cooked. Reason is raw is obviously maximum nutrition and cooked is depleted nutrition because of cooking. Cooked food seems to be necessary for most to sustain, so that is how they do it. My question (fear) is that this program has so much cooked food. What about cooking depletes nutrition? I just want to eat the right, most healthy food. Thanks.

[openmind]

I have one last question (maybe?) The previous program I followed ate 80%raw and 20%cooked. Reason is raw is obviously maximum nutrition and cooked is depleted nutrition because of cooking. Cooked food seems to be necessary for most to sustain, so that is how they do it. My question (fear) is that this program has so much cooked food. What about cooking depletes nutrition? I just want to eat the right, most healthy food. Thanks.

Sure, cooking kills some nutrients, but there seems to be little evidence that your body uses all those nutrients anyway, so cooking is fine.

That being said, there is some other benefits to eating at least some raw veggies and/or fruits every day. There are benefits for your teeth and eating some raw veggies promotes weight loss (I personally like raw cauliflower dipped in salsa or a salad before dinner).

80% raw is unreasonable for most people. Even if it were hypothetically healthier, what's the point of starting something that is so very difficult to stick to? Raw diet borders on a fad diet IMHO.

[sirdle]

I have one last question (maybe?) The previous program I followed ate 80%raw and 20%cooked. Reason is raw is obviously maximum nutrition and cooked is depleted nutrition because of cooking. Cooked food seems to be necessary for most to sustain, so that is how they do it. My question (fear) is that this program has so much cooked food. What about cooking depletes nutrition? I just want to eat the right, most healthy food. Thanks.

Cooking depletes some nutrients... but makes others more available. I'm not sure that anybody knows for sure which way the balance falls and I'd be skeptical of anyone who makes an absolute claim of knowledge.

But that is really beside the point.

Because in the U.S. we don't suffer from a lack of nutrients. We suffer from an overabundance. If you mix up your food and focus on eating fruits, veggies, starchy veggies, grains and legumes... with minimal processing, no added oil, and limit the added salt and sugar... you will get all the vitamins and minerals you need.

In principle, this is a very easy approach to eating. The trick is going to be sticking to it... and the simpler you can make it, the more likely you will stick with it. And sticking with it will give you far more vitamins and minerals than you can imagine (compared with going back to a standard SAD diet).

So, cook up some food (if you like) and then go play!

Best of luck.

Cheers,

[Mark Cooper]

I have one last question (maybe?) The previous program I followed ate 80%raw and 20%cooked. Reason is raw is obviously maximum nutrition and cooked is depleted nutrition because of cooking. Cooked food seems to be necessary for most to sustain, so that is how they do it. My question (fear) is that this program has so much cooked food. What about cooking depletes nutrition? I just want to eat the right, most healthy food. Thanks.

I would recommend reading this thread from Jeff Novick's subforum -

http://www.drmcdougall.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=22&t=28413

I think it will not only answer your specific question, but perhaps help build an understanding of the mindset of this program.

[Lyndzie]

Here is another post regarding raw foods: viewtopic.php?f=22&t=5725

[sirdle]

Here is another post regarding raw foods: viewtopic.php?f=22&t=5725

Try not to be caught up in the raw food hype. A lot of the information being bandied about come from data from the 1030s. We know a lot more about the human bodies systems now and a lot of it is just poor science.

Not many people now remember that it was in 1030 that Olaf II, King of Norway, fought and died in Battle of Stiklestad while trying to reclaim land lost to the Danes.

Alas, it was a grim time.

[Willijan]

Lyndzie, thanks so much for helping.
I thought Steevia would be too processed. Would Agave, Maple Syrup or Honey be better?
Thought microwave was radiation and not good. I might be dating myself!
I come from a vegan program that does alot of juicing carrot/vegetable, like several glasses daily. Are you saying its not necessary?
Thought soy (tofu) was unhealthy due to recent studies about hormones. What about edaname. I really like it.
Cooking in cast iron pans o.k.?
Cooking in teflon is o.k.? Im suprised.

It's hard to explain the answers to all of these here, because to understand the answers one needs to understand Dr. McDougall's basic philosophy and ideas. I will try to explain, but I also suggest reading one of his books, such as The Starch Solution. You can buy it used online. Once you see what he's saying, you may realize that these questions are not all highly relevant to his program. I really think people understand much better from reading one of his books than using the website. The website is more useful once you understand the basic philosophy well.

Speaking for myself, and attempting to say what Dr. McDougall MIGHT agree with:
Yes, avoid processed foods. But sometimes in very small amounts they are fine. Sweeteners are an example of that. Whether processed a little or a lot, they are to be avoided in large quantities.
Dr. McDougall does not address use of microwaves, cast iron, or teflon in anything I have read, but I strongly believe he has no problem with these. The thing is, you need to pay attention to those factors that severely impact your health --THE FOOD. That's why it says "It's the Food" prominently on this website. The things you mention are not major factors. He does strongly warn against exposure to aluminum in cooking utensils.

Tofu is fine as far as hormones go. It should be used sparingly due to its high fat content. Dr. McD does warn against using TVP (textured vegetable protein). Unfortunately, I can't remember exactly why, but it was quite convincing. Try searching for that perhaps. Edamame is a whole food, but it is quite high in fat. One of the main tenets of this diet is to keep the entire fat content low. How much edamame is eaten would vary from person to person. But the fat content of this diet runs around 7 to 10 %.

Not only is juicing not necessary, it is not advised. The idea is to eat whole foods. Juice is not a whole food. It is used in small amounts in recipes, for instance a salad dressing or a soup, but not drunk as a beverage.

[hallelujah]

Thanks to all of you for your replies. IM ON BOARD! Now, what about keeping my hair red! I have been dying my hair about every 2 months for years, and I have heard that the dye has carcinogens. I just had a minimal skin surface only Melanoma removed from my back and want to eliminate chance of that "C" word. Thanks again.