Archives
- May 2012
- April 2012
- March 2012
- February 2012
- January 2012
- December 2011
- November 2011
- October 2011
- September 2011
- August 2011
- July 2011
- June 2011
- May 2011
- April 2011
- March 2011
- February 2011
- January 2011
- December 2010
- November 2010
- October 2010
- September 2010
- August 2010
- July 2010
- June 2010
- May 2010
- April 2010
- March 2010
- February 2010
- January 2010
- December 2009
- November 2009
- October 2009
- September 2009
- August 2009
- July 2009
- June 2009
- May 2009
- April 2009
- March 2009
- February 2009
- January 2009
- December 2008
- November 2008
- October 2008
Meta
Analysis of the 'Healing Foods Pyramid’: (follow the links down on the left margin of the site).
Accompaniments: It is great to see strong support for tea drinking. There is a problem with the references listed as none of the resource notes were actually viewable under the listed URLs. In other words, the topic listed would have to be ‘dug out’ of the site if one was interested in the particular subject noted.
The cancerdecisions.com website was one of the hardest to read I have seen.
There is a very curious affirmation repeated throughout the site. This excerpt from the ‘Facts About’ document indicates the degree of their committment to the professionals in the other healing fields. Their program: “makes use of all appropriate therapeutic approaches to achieve optimal health and healing.” Their faculty guide lists MDs, PhDs and one ND. The question remains, how many DCs do they have on staff, massage therapists, nutritionists and acupuncturists (etc.)? This is a typical marketing statement (which sounds good in print) by a medical establishment. Is this really an ‘holistic’ team?
Lean Meats: They do consider animal protein as an ‘optional’ source of nutrition, this is good. I am not sure if the fat content for lean meats can be so consistent at 3 g per 1 oz.. A person may have 17 g of saturated fat per day, which means a small steak (6 oz.) is it for the DAY!
Fish and seafood: More information on mercury levels in the listed fish would be nice. This is not an area to take casually and some hard hitting facts or statistics regarding it's prevelance in the environment and toxicity levels should be presented.
Eggs: The intake at one/day is too conservative. Who could only have one egg for breakfast, and none the rest of the day? The breakdown between the whole egg, yolk and white is useful.
Dairy: There could be much more information here on the food sensitivity issue, which is a field in itself.
Seasonings: It’s good to see some support of these categories.
Healthy Fats: 6-9 servings per day with a serving size for olive oil at one teaspoon! It would be very difficult to Wok with that amount. There seems to be a practicality issue here, I don't think foods cooked with these levels would be very appealing.
In addition, there is a strong recommendation against safflower oil here. That contradicts Dr. Bland’s (prominent PhD biochemist) established recommendation for use of this oil in salads. This viewpoint difference will have to be resolved.
Legumes: My view would be that the serving size recommended here is too low. This could be doubled by eating at a Tex-Mex restaurant. This would not be a bad thing, doubling this recommendation would greatly improve one's macronutrient composition in the diet (carbohydrates/proteins/fats percentages). This is the first place where the glycemic index is cited. This should be referenced more in discussions of foods other than beans.
Soy: They are leaving the soy controversy up to the discretion of the practitioner, in regards to breast cancer and phyto-estrogens. This is passing the buck in the medical field.
Grains: The ‘choose less often’/ ‘choose more often’ category heading in the chart is a handy distinction. I referenced this link specifically in another blog post to encourage healthier snacking.
There is too little information on fiber here and throughout the entire site. Fiber should be heavily referenced as it is an important component in every food, and sufficient quantities in the diet are critical to timely waste elimination.
Fruits and Vegetables: More of these should be listed beyond the ‘limited selection’ they have here. There should be a list provided of any and all that one would commonly find in a large grocery store.
Why not try some new ones to add variety to your diet? You'll be eating five vegetable servings per day, so the variety will be helpful.
This link was broken:
Water: 3 liters per day, is this practical?
Overall, the Michigan site has most of what a typical person needs to know about improving their diet. Follow their recommendations and apply the material to your daily dietary patterns, you'll be well on your way to greatly improving your health!
Dr. C