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 developped 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% or less for the Ornish regimen)
Saturated fats are almost absent.
The only part which is controversial to many experts is that such a regimen can sometimes have as little as 7 or 10 percent total fat. Some feel that, in some cases, it may be inadequate to insure proper absorbtion of substances that require fat for dissolution, among other things.
The weight loss experienced by the people on those regimen 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 absorbtion 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 substracted 11% of Calories, mostly from a dangerous type of fat. In a 2,400 Cal per day diet, this works out to a substraction 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's 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
Reference
See also : The American Heart Association / Circulation. 1998;98:935-939
The hM Monitor covers the basics on nutrition, diet, weight loss and weight control
View the other heartMonitron Journals.
Computer Assisted Diet / Meal Planning and Nutritional Analysis Tools
Cooking Software for Healthy Recipes
Click on a Picture
to view either
<<< mastercook or cook'n >>>
Software Detais
The heartMonitron Weight Monitor
hM strongly recommends to use the information and healthy recipes provided on this website under the professional supervision of your doctor or registered dietitian . Whether you are seeking to improve your general health, reverse heart disease, control diabetes or your weight, always assume that getting professional advice from your MD or RD is best.
a heartMonitron journal
Weight Loss, Control and Maintenance News
covering the use of planned, regular and balanced nutrition coupled with reasonable exercise levels to master weight issues, the basics to lose or control weight
MarketPlace
Disclosure:
This ad space is sponsored by hM,
the purchase of the above, contributes to keep hM going
Category :Programs and Workbooks Weight Loss and Management - nutrition
"The Common Sense Guide to Weight Loss"
Author:
The American Diabetes Association
Disclosure:
This ad space is sponsored by hM,
the purchase of the above, contributes to keep hM going
Category : Cookbooks - Weight Loss and management
"The Low-Calorie Cookbook"
Author:
Readers' Digest
Disclosure:
This ad space is sponsored by hM,
the purchase of the above, from DVO, contributes to keep hM going