McDougall explains why he acts the way he does.

He also encourages everyone to support a proposed new law in California that would require doctors to give patients information on how nutrition can prevent heart disease and diabetes.

This month’s recipes include a garbanzo spinach salad, an Asian vegetable noodle toss, and peanutty tofu lettuce cups.

McDougall on health and beauty: “Where have all the pretty women and handsome men gone? Over to the dark-side of dining. Good-looking people who care enough about themselves to enhance their attractiveness by spending thousands of dollars on clothes, cars, makeup, perfumes, and plastic surgery have become unsightly—sacrificing themselves for yellow and brown food that tastes of grease and salt, and smells repugnant (in my opinion). Lives are ruined by food, to the same degree, as are the lives of a smoker, alcoholic, or narcotics addict destroyed by their misguided choices. Too few people know that for free, they can have all the health that money can’t buy.”

And recipes for, among other things, chile rellenos.

And Star McDougaller Ann Wheat shares her story:

Ann Wheat from John McDougall on Vimeo.

T. Colin Campbell and Caldwell B. Esselstyn Jr. write an op-ed to Obama in the San Francisco Chronicle: “The No. 1 cause and cure of America’s health care crisis is right under your nose – it’s what you put in your mouth. Unfortunately, the scientific findings on diet and disease are marginalized by the political power of huge, mutually reinforcing commercial interests – meat, dairy, sugar, drugs and surgery. These industries are desperate to sell a solution that obscures their part in the problem. If they can convince people that the cause of our health crisis has nothing to do with eating unhealthy food, and everything to do with increasing access to drugs and surgery, Americans will spend trillions more on health care without improving their health. That’s what happens when you leave science out of public policy.”

McDougall shares the first chapter (and invites feedback) on his new book, the Starch Solution: “My recommendation for eating starches puts glazed looks on people’s faces, and many dismiss me as certifiably crazy. They think of starch as something used in the laundry to stiffen shirts.  Starch brings back memories of pasty bland-tasting goop, and white, airy Wonder Bread. Most disturbing is that nearly everyone believes starches are fattening and nutritionally inferior foods. Fortunately, common knowledge is completely wrong and the proof is right before your own eyes.”

McDougall Advanced Study Weekend attendees share their comments: “I took your challenge and attempted to gain weight over the weekend. After gorging on three delicious meals a day plus snacks between meals, I was amazed to find out I LOST two pounds!”

This month’s recipes include a triple lentil dal, soups, pea guacamole, and hopi corn and chili stew.

Time reports that “produce in the U.S. not only tastes worse than it did in your grandparents’ days, it also contains fewer nutrients — at least according to Donald R. Davis, a former research associate with the Biochemical Institute at the University of Texas, Austin. Davis claims the average vegetable found in today’s supermarket is anywhere from 5% to 40% lower in minerals (including magnesium, iron, calcium and zinc) than those harvested just 50 years ago.”

The NY Times attends the vegetarian festivals of Thailand.

Cruciferous Compound May Prevent Respiratory Inflammation: The PCRM reports that Sulforaphane, found in cruciferous vegetables including broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, kale, and collards, may help reduce the risk of respiratory inflammation that leads to chronic diseases such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, according to a new study from the University of California, Los Angeles. Study participants received escalating oral dosages of broccoli sprouts. Researchers found that those at the highest dose had up to three times as many antioxidant enzymes in their upper airway cells compared to baseline. No effect was seen in the placebo group. These protective antioxidant enzymes help fight against common environmental pollutants. (Riedl MA, Saxon A, Diaz-Sanchez D. Oral sulforaphane increases Phase II antioxidant enzymes in the human upper airway. Clin Immunol. 2009;130:244-251.)

Mushrooms Protect Against Breast Cancer: The PCRM report that mushrooms may reduce the risk of breast cancer, according to a case-control study conducted in southeast China. Researchers analyzed dietary records from more than 2,000 pre- and postmenopausal women with breast cancer and a group of matched healthy controls. Intake of fresh mushrooms (greater than or equal to 10 grams per day) and dried mushrooms (greater than or equal to 4 grams per day) decreased risk by 64 percent and 47 percent, respectively. The most commonly eaten mushroom in this study was the white button mushroom; one small white button mushroom weighs 10 grams. An additional protective effect was seen when mushrooms and green tea were both consumed. (Zhang M, Huang J, Xie X, Holman CD. Dietary intakes of mushrooms and green tea combine to reduce the risk of breast cancer in Chinese women. Int J Cancer. 2009;124:1404-1408.)

In his December newsletter, Dr. McDougall talks about the oxymoron of fat vegans: “People who have declared themselves “vegan,” have said “no” to eating all animal-derived foods. At extraordinary personal costs, many of these guardians labor tirelessly to protect the welfare of all animals. Fat vegans, however, have failed one important animal: themselves.”

McDougall also writes about his five favorite articles from recent medical journals on topics such as diabetes treatments, brain impairment from the Atkins Diet, making breast cancer disappear, the ancient human diet, and prostate cancer.

And, of course, some recipes. Two lima bean recipes? I’m sold.

Congratulations, James!

McDougall has a web page describing how the medical industry, once again, passes off advertising as research:

“For this study nearly 90,000 people were examined, and most of them were identified as being at increased risk for a heart attack, stroke, and/or premature death. Rather than choosing professionalism and treating the underlying causes of their health problems: their diet and lifestyle; these researchers chose commercialism; creating the most effective pharmaceutical advertising campaign ever devised.  And they have succeeded,” McDougall says.

PCRM: Red Meat Again Linked to Colorectal Cancer

A recent study from the Ontario Family Colorectal Cancer Registry, established by the U.S. National Cancer Institute, compared the diets of people who had been diagnosed with colorectal cancer to the diets of people who did not have cancer. It turned out that those who ate the most red meat had a 67 percent higher risk of colorectal cancer, regardless of any genetic factors they may have had. However, some people with specific genes had a much higher risk from meat-eating—up to four times the cancer risk—compared to people who avoid meat.

Every year, 160,000 Americans are diagnosed with colorectal cancer. About half of all cases are already incurable when they are found.

Cotterchio M, Boucher BA, Manno M, Gallinger S, Okey AB, Harper PA. Red meat intake, doneness, polymorphisms in genes that encode carcinogen-metabolizing enzymes, and colorectal cancer risk. Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers and Prevention. 2008;17:3098-3107.

PCRM: Egg Consumption Linked to Risk of Type 2 Diabetes

In a new study including about 57,000 men and women from two large, completed randomized trials, researchers found that daily consumption of eggs increased the likelihood of developing type 2 diabetes. Daily egg intake was associated with a 77 and 58 percent increased risk for women and men, respectively.

Djoussé L, Gaziano JM, Buring JE, Lee I. Egg consumption and risk of type 2 diabetes in men and women. Diabetes Care. Published online ahead of print November 18, 2008. DOI: 10.2337/dc08-1271.

Dr. McDougall recently started putting video profiles of his Star McDougallers online. Here are the first two entries:

In the latest McDougall Newsletter, Dr. McDougall compares the health of the presidential candidates, based on reports of their diet, exercise routines, medications, and other factors. To be fair, the conclusion isn’t too surprising: “While it is impossible to predict with certainty any person’s future health, time of death, or degree of disability, the evidence at hand clearly says John McCain is in relatively poor health and Barack Obama is in excellent health. All politics aside, no one could conclude otherwise. To McCain’s credit he appears to be holding up well during this grueling campaign, but his current appearances do not negate the medical facts.”

McDougall also reviewed his recent Advanced Study Weekend, including a photo slideshow.

And, of course, some more recipes. The Garden Potato Medley sounds great.

Congratulations, Nettie!

Taylor says: “In September 2006 at age 58 I found myself sitting in the parking lot of my favorite fast food restaurant, crying to God to help me with my food addiction. I was stuffing down a sandwich, fries, brownies and a Diet Coke. I had failed again to keep the promise to myself to do something about my weight, but I felt helpless to do anything about it. I felt like I was 98 instead of 58. I weighed 282 pounds.”

Dr. McDougall says: “Like Nettie, until you discover the central role of starches in your life, you will remain out of control, and likely overweight and burdened with bad health. Once starch becomes your predominate calorie source, then the appetite correctly regulates the amount of calories consumed.”

By Jeff Walsh

Of all the McDougall DVDs, his latest is the one that I really want to carry with me at all times and whip it into DVD players everywhere I go whenever these questions come up.

“Dr. McDougall’s Common Sense Nutrition: The Truth About Protein, Soy, and Fish” is really a tour de force, and watching it will make it harder for soy burger-loving vegans, fish-eating vegetarians, and people whose defensive “But where do you get your protein?” to stay on these paths.

The disc features three individual lectures on the three main topic areas of protein, soy, and fish.

“When Friends Ask: Where Do You Get Your Protein?” does more than show the absurdity of this often-asked question, which wouldn’t take long to disprove on its own, but looks into why so many people believe what they do about the importance of protein. It also shows how long all of this information has been known, with studies dating back multiple decades coming to conclusions that hold up today but are still largely unknown. I’m not saying the “Where do you get” people will be converted by this lecture, but they’ll certainly have to look for new material after watching this.

“Soy Is Food, Not A Poison or A Miracle Drug” addresses a lot of the controversy and myth around soy that exist online. McDougall has always been consistent that he considers soy foods OK very sparingly and in small portions. On the McDougall plan, soy foods include tofu, edamame, tempeh, miso, soy milk, and other things that have a minimum level of processing. What he’s always been against (although he admits to having tried and loving a lot of) is the processed soy foods, where the soy protein no longer resembles its origins, because the protein has been entirely removed and reconfigured to make burgers, hot dogs, deli meats, and is also put into “health” bars and other stuff where the high amount of protein is used to help sell the product. Ifyou have any questions about soy, I can’t imagine it will be left unanswered after watching this lecture.

“Fish Is Not Health Food” is also nothing new as far as major topics go. We’ve overfished the oceans, it has no unique benefits for heart health, contains toxins, and we’ll run out of fish the way it’s available today in about 40 years. The major benefit given for eating fish is actually because the fish eat the seawood and algae which has the omega-3 fatty acids, so we’re eating the fish to get what the fish eats and, of course, there are other superior sources. McDougall also addresses the fallacy of fish being health food, better for you than other animal muscles, and necessary.

These are all topics that come up repeatedly and it’s good to know such concise, informative lectures are just a DVD away when they do. But the thing that’s really important to emphasize is that Dr. McDougall is an amusing lecturer, so a lot of what could be dry, boring medical study results are peppered with anecdotes, jokes, and even the occassional comic strip. So, showing these lectures to people will never be a bore.

If you want the complete word on these common themes, this is a great DVD to have on hand. If you don’t know the ins and outs of these topics, these lectures will be eye-opening, make you question your choices, and give you all the information you need to live a healthier life.

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You can find more information about this DVD on the McDougall website. It costs $24.95.