Man or woman does not live on lettuce alone. Especially when one attempts to lose weight, it is of utmost importance that all the necessary nutrients be provided to the body. A deficient diet is a very detrimental way to go.
Over the last decades, some cardiologists like Dr Esseltsyn and others, have developed some dietary principles for people who were suffering from Coronary Heart Disease, which is characterized by fatty plaque build-ups in arteries supplying the heart muscle. With time, as people started to embark on these dietary regimens, one phenomenon was observed : almost invariably their weight went down, yet they were eating very satisfying meals. The diets they came up with are not suitable for everybody, when used in their integral form. They may not suit pregnant women, growing children or the elderly. These diets all belong to the very low-fat variety. They may need to be modified a little in order to be suitable to most people. However using them as a general guide to elaborate a healthy eating plan can be very instrumental.
The diets we are referring to are those of:
These diets tend to share the following features:
The only part that is controversial to many experts is that such a regimen can sometimes have as little as 7 or 10 percent of total calories derived from fat. Some feel that, in some cases, it may be inadequate to insure proper absorption of substances that require fat for dissolution, among other things.
The weight loss experienced by the people on those regimens is thought to be due to the fat reduction. As you may note, for 1 gram of fat the body derives 9 Calories whereas for 1 gram of carb or protein the body will derive only 4 Calories. So for the same volume, the regular "All American" 35% fat dish will provide a lot more calories than the very-low fat one. How does one remove fat content and still have enough to satisfy proper absorption of all needed nutrients then?
Let us consider the following statement from "Circulation" ( a scientific journal published by the American Heart Association):
"...there is no biological requirement for saturated fat. Essential fatty acids can be adequately derived from unsaturated sources..." ( see reference below )
What this implies is that if you were to remove most of the almost useless saturated fat from your diet, you would still have plenty in the way of fatty acids. Suppose one decides to move from the "All American" 35% fat content to a better level of 21%, for example. This is not very-low fat but just low fat. Assuming the overall volume of the meals stays the same, we have just subtracted 11% of Calories, mostly from a dangerous type of fat. In a 2,400 Cal per day diet, this works out to a subtraction of 264 Cal.
Note that the Chef Goodwizzard TM software uses a default setting of 15% Cal from fat in the Cardio HealthCookbook. This would be borderline very low fat. In the WeightMonitor HealthCookbook" you will be able to set your own preferences for fat intake, according to your Doctor or dietitian's advice. Just click on the "MyProfile" icon and fill in the appropriate panel.
Over the last decades, some cardiologists like Dr Esseltsyn and others, have developed some dietary principles for people who were suffering from Coronary Heart Disease, which is characterized by fatty plaque build-ups in arteries supplying the heart muscle. With time, as people started to embark on these dietary regimens, one phenomenon was observed : almost invariably their weight went down, yet they were eating very satisfying meals. The diets they came up with are not suitable for everybody, when used in their integral form. They may not suit pregnant women, growing children or the elderly. These diets all belong to the very low-fat variety. They may need to be modified a little in order to be suitable to most people. However using them as a general guide to elaborate a healthy eating plan can be very instrumental.
The diets we are referring to are those of:
- Dr Dean Ornish, University of California at San Francisco Medical School
- Dr Lance K Gould, Department of Cardiology, University of Texas School of Medicine
- Dr Caldwell B Esseltsyn, The Cleveland Clinic
- Dr David J.A. Jenkins, Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Toronto
These diets tend to share the following features:
- The proportion of plant-based foods is very high
- Grains are always "whole"
- Total fat is very low (10% of calories - or less - for the Ornish regimen)
- Saturated fats are almost absent.
The only part that is controversial to many experts is that such a regimen can sometimes have as little as 7 or 10 percent of total calories derived from fat. Some feel that, in some cases, it may be inadequate to insure proper absorption of substances that require fat for dissolution, among other things.
The weight loss experienced by the people on those regimens is thought to be due to the fat reduction. As you may note, for 1 gram of fat the body derives 9 Calories whereas for 1 gram of carb or protein the body will derive only 4 Calories. So for the same volume, the regular "All American" 35% fat dish will provide a lot more calories than the very-low fat one. How does one remove fat content and still have enough to satisfy proper absorption of all needed nutrients then?
Let us consider the following statement from "Circulation" ( a scientific journal published by the American Heart Association):
"...there is no biological requirement for saturated fat. Essential fatty acids can be adequately derived from unsaturated sources..." ( see reference below )
What this implies is that if you were to remove most of the almost useless saturated fat from your diet, you would still have plenty in the way of fatty acids. Suppose one decides to move from the "All American" 35% fat content to a better level of 21%, for example. This is not very-low fat but just low fat. Assuming the overall volume of the meals stays the same, we have just subtracted 11% of Calories, mostly from a dangerous type of fat. In a 2,400 Cal per day diet, this works out to a subtraction of 264 Cal.
Note that the Chef Goodwizzard TM software uses a default setting of 15% Cal from fat in the Cardio HealthCookbook. This would be borderline very low fat. In the WeightMonitor HealthCookbook" you will be able to set your own preferences for fat intake, according to your Doctor or dietitian's advice. Just click on the "MyProfile" icon and fill in the appropriate panel.
The Cardio Diets as advocated by Dr Caldwell B. Esselstyn MD (The Cleveland Clinic), Dean Ornish MD and Lance K Gould MD and their likely effect on weight
References
See also : The American Heart Association / Circulation. 1998;98:935-939
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Conclusions, for Weight Watching Purposes
The average American diet is often too high in fat content. A reduction of 10%, from 35 t0 25% would be considered safe for most people. Given that trans and saturated fats are of little use to the body and are sometimes responsible for the onset chronic of ailments, a reasonable reduction in the number of calories coming from saturated and trans fats may be beneficial to weight watching individuals. Such overall reduction is the equivalent of removing 200 calories daily from the average 2000 cal. daily intake, provided the quantity of the other nutrients stays the same.
Most of the time, it is rather surprisingly easy to remove the unwanted fats from a diet. For example, let us assume you want to purchase some food, say a can of cream of chicken, comparing the food labels will already be enough to determine your choice. A can of "No-Name" brand cream of chicken can sometimes contain as much as 2.5 grams of saturated fat per 125ml. Another brand, say Campbell's reduced fat cream of chicken will contain only 0.5 gram saturated fat, 0g trans fat. Choosing the reduced fat product represents an 80% reduction in the unwanted types of fat.
A quick scan of one's pantry shelves can also be very revealing and helpful
.
Most of the time, it is rather surprisingly easy to remove the unwanted fats from a diet. For example, let us assume you want to purchase some food, say a can of cream of chicken, comparing the food labels will already be enough to determine your choice. A can of "No-Name" brand cream of chicken can sometimes contain as much as 2.5 grams of saturated fat per 125ml. Another brand, say Campbell's reduced fat cream of chicken will contain only 0.5 gram saturated fat, 0g trans fat. Choosing the reduced fat product represents an 80% reduction in the unwanted types of fat.
A quick scan of one's pantry shelves can also be very revealing and helpful
.
See also : The Dietary Guidelines for Americans, by the HHS and the USDA
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