IS A PLANT BASED DIET GOOD FOR US?

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  ROY WALFORD WHEN HE ENTERED THE BIODOME ON RIGHT; TWO YEARS LATER ON LEFT FROM SPRING CHICKEN, STAY YOUNG OR DIE TRYING, BY BILL GIFFORD For over 30 years, our government and health agencies have told us that the solution to obesity is to eat less, mostly plants, and move more. Anytime the subject of nutrition comes up, someone is sure to quote Michael Pollen’s meme, “Eat food, not too much, mostly plants.” The message has spread around the world and most people have…

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CALORIES IN VERSUS CALORIES OUT

Ask anyone and they’ll tell you the solution for obesity. Eat less; move more. Our collective weight problem would go away if all the overweight people just quit eating more calories than they burn. Couldn’t be simpler. There are 4,086 calories in a pound of fat. Divide that by the 7 days in a week and you get 584 calories. So if you eat 584 calories less per day you will lose a pound a week. If you continue to eat 584 fewer calories every day for a…

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BEST LIFE? NOT EVEN CLOSE!

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I watched part of an Oprah show a while back (it might have been a rerun) in which Oprah and her fitness guru, Bob Green, went to Mississippi to save the residents of “the fattest state in America.” Oprah, who has famously had her own troubles in that regard, was well aware of the irony of her attempt to give out advice on weight loss. She magnanimously absolved Mr. Green of any blame for her most recent relapse and took sole responsibility while vowing to…

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CRN Interview

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I got up early this morning, poured myself a cup of tea, and sat by the phone waiting to talk to Mike and Paul on the What’s Cooking Show on CRN digital talk radio. When I tuned in, an interview with chef Rocco DiSpirito was underway. He was scheduled to be the “challenge” on The Biggest Loser: Couples show tonight. The hosts asked about the food he prepared for the contestants on the show. He explained that the trainer had given him a big challenge…

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The Biggest Loser

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Last Tuesday night I watched the Biggest Loser. It was the first time I have ever made it through a whole episode from start to finish. Although I know that most television shows, even the reality shows, are carefully scripted, I found it appalling. It looked like a reenactment of the Bataan death march from World War II. Suffering, pain, emotion, triumph, and despair may make compelling entertainment, but at what price? And I’m not just referring to the unlucky contestants who were bullied, ridiculed,…

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Rating Consumers Report

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The June, 2007 issue of Consumers Report again disses low carb diets. They point out that the diets were not tested (Isn’t that the whole point of Consumers Report? To actually test things?), but rated by a panel of nutritionists as to how they compare to the U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans. As long as diet plans continue to be ranked based on the U.S. Guidelines, we will get bad advice and will likely continue to get fatter and sicker. Just look at the food…

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