I recommend organic foods for my weight loss patients because I want them to eat nutrient dense foods, thus you have to begin with the dirt. The overuse of pesticides, herbicides, and other chemical additives for the growth of monoculture genetically modified crops, including corn, soy, rice, canola, and others have wreaked havoc with the soil.
These grain and bean crops grown in this sterile soil are used not only to create overly processed foods, but are the basis for animal feed that is fed to factory farmed meats and farm raised fish. The results are food products with empty calories, unknown long term health effects, and almost certain capacity for making people fat.
Why is this? The ancient wisdom of mankind says you should eat until you are satisfied, and these foods simply don't satisfy us. Add to that the chemicals added to the so-called value-added foods which are put there to replace the natural goodness that has been lost and you have a real problem.
These food additives, with unpronounceable names and unknown derivatives are known categorically as excitotoxins. Did you ever wonder why Dad could sit down in front of the television to watch the ball game and eat an entire package of corn chips? It's the Dr. Strangelove additions designed in the lab to make that food so tasty, Dad's natural satiety switch is turned off.
Those added chemicals, which by the way, even show up on fresh produce that isn't organic by way of sprays and dips, and chemical baths, can derail any weight loss program. Chemicals can increase food cravings, cause water retention, and can actually cause weight gain. These same additives are often allergenic, and can cause insulin to spike, playing havoc with those people who are pre-diabetic, or diabetic.
When I go back to Italy, where my family is from, I am amazed at how much better the food tastes. Europe does not permit genetically modified crops, and, as a rule, does not support factory farming. Therefore, you can see with your own eyes and taste for yourself the fact that fewer people are overweight, and the food just plain tastes better.
But I am encouraged because a food revolution has begun in this country and people are demanding a more humane treatment of animals, are rejecting high fructose corn syrup, soy products made from genetically modified seed, and are calling for locally grown food products, the so-called locavore movement.
In an article I contributed to in January Men's Health, I have discussed the cholesterol problem and shown how saturated fat and carb avoidance increase ldl particle size and decrease risk for heart disease and stroke.
Some of my patients have asked why I don't support a vegetarian diet, given the risks of eating factory farmed meat. The answer to that can be seen in the test tube. I've had numerous vegetarian patients who had elevated blood sugars, type 2 diabetes, and other health problems.
The answer which I propose in Dr. Salerno's Silver Cloud Diet is to eat a nutrient rich diet made up of plenty of saturated fat, protein and fruits and vegetables which are organic, grass fed, and wild caught.
I get a lot of surprised looks from my patients when I tell them to eat more saturated fats to lose weight. They will start in telling me they've been eating a low fat diet for years. But they don't make the connection between this diet and their health problems, including overweight, type two diabetes, memory problems, and arthritis.
I explain to them that the body must have saturated fats for proper brain function, cell development, and satiety. Plus it just makes people look better. Fat carries flavor and makes people feel full and satisfied quicker.
I can spot the low fat dieter in a moment. Dry skin, wrinkles, and broken fingernails. Those are the telltale signs that show. Lab work reveals many more.
So I propose that people eat plenty of saturated fat, protein and organically grown fruits and vegetables for optimum health and weight maintenance. It works for my patients.
Dr. John Salerno is an internationally acclaimed physician specializing in weight control and anti-aging. His e-book, Dr. Salerno's Silver Cloud Diet, tackles the subject of organic foods and weight loss. For more information or to arrange an interview with Dr. Salerno, call Linda Eckhardt at 973 762 4857.
Follow Dr. John Salerno on Twitter: www.twitter.com/silverclouddiet
Organic food - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Organic foods: Are they safer? More nutritious? - MayoClinic.com
Organic food is no healthier, study finds - Diet and nutrition ...
DIY organic baby food on a budget
Whole Foods CEO talks about going back to roots
Organic products show resiliency in recession
The answer is to grow your own. I realize that this is not practical for many people. Still, even a few pots can produce enough greens, tomatoes and herbs to be worth the effort. And nothing is more satisfying and delicious as something fresh from your own garden.
For the record, I think the organic stuff in the stores is w-a-a-y overpriced. The standard stuff is pretty good. Most farmers are very responsible about fertilizers and pesticides; you can find good, fresh stuff without paying the organic surcharge.
Unfortunately, it is not always easy to find fresh produce, especially at this time of year. I notice that the organic choices are often rather old because they are transported from longer distances. In a taste test, fresh non-organic always beats stale organic.
In addition, the organic label refers to more than just the type of fertilizer. The absolute prohibition of GM products and synthetic pesticides does nothing but hurt taste.
1. Eat a balanced diet with fruits, vegetables, and nuts and try to avoid the processed crap. If I can buy it locally great, if not, then so be it.
2. What I do eat I try to eat in moderation. No second helpings.
3. Eat meat but less of it all the time.
4. Drink more water than any other liquid.
5. Exercise like my life depends on it, because well, it does. Hit the gym 5 or 6 times per week.
So far it seems to be working out for me, as I have maintained a relatively constant weight for the past 10 years and have the physique of many men half my age. That being said, I could get hit by a bus tomorrow, so I will have and enjoy my one big vice, beer, on a regular basis (in moderation of course)!
Linda West Eckhardt co-author, Dr. Salerno's Silver Cloud Diet
Infact our food pyramid in the Silver Cloud diet suggests just what you are practicing.
Keep up the good work
Linda West Eckhardt, co-author Dr. Salerno's Silver Cloud Diet
Organic potatoes I can generally find on sale every so often, stock up, & store in a cool, dry cabinet, but apples? I've just stopped eating them.
When I eat non-organic, I notice my depression increasing. So while that $0.99/lb apple is not worth it for me, I just can't afford $1.50 or more for one piece of fruit!
And thinking about fats, just so we all remember to choose organic evoo as Rachel Ray calls it, as well as coconut oil, cold-pressed expeller nut oils. No processed vegetable oils, no Wesson, or Canola, or any of the other highly processed oils that began the enexorable rise in heart disease in this country. Did you know that heart disease in the USA was practically unheard of at the turn of the twentieth century, when all our great grandparents were chowing down on bacon, eggs, and lard-made biscuits. Makes you wonder doesn't it? The source of much of our overweight and ill health in this country can be laid squarely at the feet of industrial farming. Yikes. Keep spreading the word. We'll be talking more about cholesterol and fats in our next post. Stay tuned. Linda West Eckhardt, co-author, Dr. Salerno's Silver Cloud Diet.
Yes, organic farming is better for the soil, but the food itself is not any better (and is sometimes worse). The controversy over GMOs is ridiculous. Seriously, talk to an actual *scientist* (which I have - one of my best friends is just finishing up her degree in enviro. science with a focus on plants and soils, and she's gearing up for grad school) and learn about what these things actually mean before denouncing them.
Thanks to these intimate links between Monsanto and government agencies, the US adopted GE foods and crops without proper testing, without consumer labeling and in spite of serious questions hanging over their safety. Not coincidentally, Monsanto supplies 90 percent of the GE seeds used by the US market. Monsanto’s long arm stretched so far that, in the early nineties, the US Food and Drugs Agency even ignored warnings of their own scientists, who were cautioning that GE crops could cause negative health effects. Other tactics the company uses to stifle concerns about their products include misleading advertising, bribery and concealing scientific evidence.
http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/the-world-according-to-monsanto/
Sounds like the pharmaceutical practices.
Appreciate your insight.
We are in the process of writing a Silver Cloud Diet Book for Vegetarians that takes into account the ancient wisdom of traditional cultures. Stay tuned.
Linda West Eckhardt, co-author, The Silver Cloud Diet
I toyed with raw food but couldn't quite manage that one though I eat most of my fruits and veggies raw as i prefer them that way. And if you want to cut down on the cost of organic fruits and veggies., try the vast array of beans out there as they are bulk/fiber very tasty and a great addition to a plant based diet and fill you up quickly.
I think you need a reference for this statement. It makes no sense and without one it looks like meaningless hand waving!
Fresh > Organic.
Locavore as much as possible. That's sustainable. As for me, I've had an organic garden for 10 years in the back yard and ripped up the grass in the front and planted it in veggies this year. Although the neighbors turned me into the city for having a "messy" yard, the truth is, if you have 6 hours of sunshine, grow some of your own. To heck with the neighbors.
Folks, nobody is forced to buy seed from Monsanto or any corporation. Any farmer who wants to grow his own seed is free to do so. Farmers aren't stupid. The public ignorance about agriculture is just awful.
They pay the extra price for GMO seeds for very sensible reasons. Don't you wonder why they would pay for seed when they can get non-GMO seed for free? Does anybody really think that the growing popularity of GMO ag is based on some kind of dark conspiracy?
The fact is that genetic modification technology has some staggering dangers, but they have nothing to do with GMO ag. GMO ag is part of the solution, not part of the problem.
And before some paranoid asks: No, I do NOT have any connection to any ag corporation. My only allegiance is to facts and evidence - something in short supply in this debate.
http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/?p=385
I see that someone following this post is tearing it down and that had to happen also. But Campbell gives all the statistics and documents and backed up by many professionals including highly respected doctors from the Cleveland Clinic and Harvard. And this study was not just done by one person or country but by University of China, Oxford U and Cornell U and has been ongoing for over 20 years.