Page 51 - Winter2010

All Thumbs Book Reviews

head is starting to hurt from the math, there is should have lost at least 78 pounds, not including One more
a reason why I’m doing this to you. The experts water. Actual loses were around 37 pounds and bullet:
like to use this equation as if it is an advanced, by week twenty they all reached a plateau and
high-precision tool that will tell you exactly how no further weight loss could be induced. obesity in
many calories you need to deprive yourself of to These men were miserable. They were six-month-old
lose a given amount of weight per week, month, constantly starved, depressed and weak. Some babies is also
or year. But if the equation is off by 316 calories literally contemplated gnawing on their own
per pound, when you start multiplying that out fingers. Several cheated and were kicked out increasing.
over one year, your results may vary by many of the study. Once allowed to eat as much as Do we have
pounds. One implication is that if your calorie they wanted again, they all quickly regained an epidemic
balance is off by even a few jelly beans you will the weight and put on more. They couldn’t get
either waste away in a few years or bloat up so enough food. Even when they were stuffed, they of laziness in
large you block out the sun. We have to admit were still hungry and wanted more. None of them babies?
that this equation is profoundly unhelpful. had any eating disorders or obsessions before the
This approach to calorie counting and weight experiment. It became clear that no one could
control was put to the test in the Minnesota Star- tolerate extended calorie deprivation outside of
vation Experiment done in the 1940s. Thirty-six captivity.
fit, healthy men were the test subjects, and the Numerous contradictions in dietary advice
goal was to reduce their weight by 25 percent in are pointed out in the book. The Dietary Guide-
24 weeks. The experiment started with a control lines for Americans published jointly by the HHS
period to determine how many calories were (Health and Human Services) and USDA has
needed to maintain a stable weight at a specific many recommendations concerning carbohy-
activity level. During the starvation period the drates. Two of them are: choose fiber-rich fruits,
test subjects were fed 1640 fewer calories while vegetables, and whole grains often; and reduce
trying to maintain the same activity level. When the incidence of dental caries by practicing good
weight loss did not meet the goal, their calorie al- oral hygiene and consuming sugar- and starch-
lowance was reduced even further. According to containing foods and beverages less frequently.
the formulas promoted by the experts, each man One says eat starch often, another says don’t

NUTRITION’S PLAyGROUND: It’s All About Food in a Round About Way
By Ben Pratt
Ben Pratt, who serves as chapter leader for southwest England, has put together an excellent book on the pitfalls of
the modern diet. Setting the compass with an opening chapter on the work of Weston Price, Pratt then provides a very
interesting historical discussion of the modern dietary killers—white flour, processed milk, refined sweeteners and modern
salt—followed by a description of the healthy traditional solutions: sourdough processing of bread, real (raw) milk, natural
sweeteners and unrefined salt. Pratt’s chapter on dietary fat is especially interesting, as he introduces new historic material
in the chronicle of the USDA dietary guidelines, whereby refined carbohydrates and vegetables oils were substituted for
animal fats, with disastrous consequences. Unlike most writers on obesity, Pratt wisely includes a discussion of isoflavones
in soy and xenoestrogens in his chapter on weight control. He concludes by urging an emphasis on food quality and a
balance of protein, fat and carbohydrate at every meal. This is an interesting, sensible and well-written book, highly rec-
ommended for beginners in the field of nutrition, with plenty of new material for those already familiar with the issues.
Published by Natural Food Finder, www.naturalfoodfinder.co.uk. THUMBS UP. Review by Sally Fallon Morell

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