October 2006 The McDougall Newsletter …€¦ · · 2014-06-06A 20-ounce bottle with 300 calories of high fructose corn syrup was ... in order to make these powerfully-sweetened

October 2006 The McDougall Newsletter www.drmcdougall.com Page 1

Volume 5 Issue 10

Refined Carbohydrates for Food Addicts On a trip last week to the Pacific Coast with our (almost) 3-year-old grandson, Jaysen, Mary and I stopped at a general store for a beverage. I looked for one of my old favor-ites, cream soda. A 20-ounce bottle with 300 calories of high fructose corn syrup was all they stocked. Too sweet for me—after a couple of sips the rest of the bottle ended up in the trash. This experience left me believing that I had stumbled upon “sugar-addict’s heaven”—and there must be billions of sugar-dependent people in this world in order to make these powerfully-sweetened beverages top-sellers and 20-ounces the smallest size available. Page 2 Alternative to a Rock and a Hard Place On Tuesday October 17, 2006 headlines announced worldwide that “More benefits than risks in higher fish consumption." Clearly, this headline says you should eat lots of fish to be healthy. The controversy surrounding benefits and risks comes from the facts that fish provide “good fats,” also known as omega-3 fats—but fish are also contaminated with environmental chemicals like methylmercury, dioxins, and PCBs. As a result peo-ple don’t know the right choice to make. Some health and nutrition advisors worry that “confusing messages and inflated fears are keeping the public from getting the bene-fits that come from eating fish.” I worry that people are being oversold the benefits and undersold the risks. Page 7 Report on the September 2006 Advanced Study Weekend The advanced study weekend held September 29, 30, and October 1 was an out-standing success with more than 160 people enjoying each other’s company, the fabu-lous food and the nation’s top speakers on health. Page 9 Featured Recipes • Curried Squash and Tart Apple Soup • Colcannon Irish Potatoes with Cabbage • Caesar Salad Dressing • Corn Butter • Slow Chipotle Black Bean Soup • Corny Vegetable Torte

Page 11 Holiday Meal Planning by Mary McDougall I first shared this planning schedule with you in 2004 and I heard from quite a few peo-ple who used this schedule and shopping list for a successful Thanksgiving last year. Since I plan to use this same schedule, and mostly the same menu, myself again this year I am including it in this 2006 newsletter. Page 14


Refined Carbohydrates for Food Addicts

On a trip last week to the Pacific Coast with our (almost) 3-year-old grandson, Jaysen, Mary and I stopped at a general store for a beverage. I looked for one of my old favorites, cream soda. A 20-ounce bottle with 300 calories of high fructose corn syrup was all they stocked. Too sweet for me—after a couple of sips the rest of the bottle ended up in the trash. This ex-perience left me believing that I had stumbled upon “sugar-addict’s heaven”—and there must be billions of sugar-dependent people in this world in order to make these powerfully-

People naturally seek calories in the form of carbohydrate. When concentrated, carbohydrate delivers intense stimulation to the consumer—just like the alkaloids, cocaine and opium, purified from the coca leaf and the poppy plant, give the highest pleasure to their users. In their natural, unprocessed states—in the whole plants—all of these active ingredients are much less potent. My brief experience with the people of Peru, who chew coca leaves daily, led me to conclude that this habit was relatively harmless, and can be beneficial by helping them live in those high altitudes. Once purified, cocaine becomes a powerful, but often life-destroying, stimulant. Similarly, carbohy-drates in their natural packages of whole starches, vegetables, and fruits, are essential for life. When they are pu-rified, their stimulating properties are enhanced, as are their harmful effects.


Food Processing Raises Insulin Levels and More

When people consume significant quantities of unhealthy foods for prolonged periods of time their bodies show signs of distress, usually a rise in one or more risk factors—such as an elevation of blood sugar, cholesterol, triglyc-erides, blood pressure, and/or insulin. These values are called “risk factors” because they are associated with heart disease, diabetes, hypertension and obesity. The association is not one of “cause and effect,” but rather rich foods cause them to rise and concurrently cause people to become sick.

The refining of plant foods commonly results in elevations of insulin levels. When whole grains are ground into whole flours nothing is added or removed, yet the properties of the food have changed. The physical structure has gone from a nugget to a powder—as a result the surface area of the food exposed to the intestinal lining has in-creased and the natural fibers of the food have been disrupted. This simple grinding process results in a greater elevation in the insulin levels in a person’s blood after eating, than that which is caused by the whole grain.1 During the next step of purification the whole grain flour is sifted to remove the chaff, thereby eliminating dietary fiber, vita-mins, minerals and other important nutrients. The end product of this purification is white flour, which causes an even greater rise in insulin than the unrefined flour.

A classic experiment reported in 1977 showed similar effects on insulin production from the processing of fruit.2 Af-ter eating an apple, subjects showed a small rise and fall in blood sugar (glucose) and a small rise in blood insulin levels. Applesauce, made by simply grinding the apples, caused a greater rise in insulin and subsequent fall in blood sugar. The juice, made by removing the pulp, caused the largest rise in insulin and fall in blood sugar levels. These kinds of studies demonstrate that consuming grains, vegetables and fruits in their unprocessed form is healthiest for the body.


Purified Carbohydrates Raise Triglycerides

A common teaching is that carbohydrates are bad because they cause blood triglycerides to increase (higher triglycerides are associated with more heart disease). These findings are based upon experimental designs using simple sugars and refined flours (and/or the subjects were required to eat more food than they could comfortably consume – they were force-fed).3,4 The rise in triglycerides is caused primarily by an increase in synthesis of these blood fats by the liver.5 For example, when people with already elevated triglycerides were fed a diet rich in sugar for 6 weeks their levels increased by 45.2%.6 However, when starches, the complex form of carbohydrate found in whole grains, beans, potatoes, and green and yellow vegetables, rather than sugars, are fed to people, the triglyc-eride levels do not increase.7

My experience has been that people who are having problems getting their cholesterol and triglycerides under con-trol need to stop using refined flour products and simple sugars. Even fruit and fruit juices must be limited because they are high in sugars called fructose—this kind of sugar (fructose) causes a greater rise in triglycerides than any other kind of sugar.8

Purification of Carbohydrate Makes Weight Loss More Difficult

After observing human populations worldwide, the undeniable conclusion that must be reached is that carbohy-drates keep people trim, active, and young looking. Asians eating white rice and Peruvians eating white potatoes prove this point beyond any argument. This truth is confirmed by the observation of these people as they migrate to Western countries—as they eat less carbohydrate, they become fatter and sicker.

However, as the carbohydrate becomes more purified through refining, weight control becomes less efficient10,11 for several reasons:

1) Purification concentrates calories.

The calorie concentration of carbohydrate-rich foods can be quadrupled by purification processes.

Concentration of carbohydrates makes overconsumption of calories easier. Mixing water and other ingredients with the flour lessens their impact: pasta (spaghetti) is 1.4 calories per gram and whole wheat bread is 2.5 calories per gram. By comparison, there are 4 calories in every gram (1/30th of an ounce) of pure sugar.

2) The more carbohydrate available, the less fat that is burned off. Even though sugar does not readily turn to fat, the body will burn these sugar calories preferentially over fat calories, leaving the fat on the body.

3) Processing and refining increase insulin production. Insulin’s actions are to push dietary fats into fat cells and prevent them from being released.

4) Sugar plus fat makes a double whammy. Sugar is rarely eaten alone, but rather in combinations with fat as single foods, like cake, ice cream, pies and candy bars, or a combination of foods, like the standard American diet which is about half fat and half sugar. The sugar spikes insulin production, pushing the readily available fat from the spoonful of dessert right into the belly fat.

5) Sugar makes food highly pleasurable, causing people to consume more calories.

Calorie Concentration Increases with Refining

Whole food: Flour

Corn .56 3.6

Potato .87 3.5

Wheat .82 3.6


For these reasons people interested in more effective weight loss will minimize their consumption of purified carbo-hydrates—in addition to minimizing their fat intake. They will also make special efforts to avoid sugar-fat combina-tions, even commonly overlooked items, such as vegan cookies, soy yogurt, and tofu ice cream.

Fructose Promotes Obesity

Fructose is the most powerful sweetener of all naturally-occurring sugars; even table sugar (sucrose) owes much of its taste to fructose. (Sucrose is a disaccharide made of one glucose and one fructose molecule.) Corn is the most common source of this kind of sugar and is designated by the name high fructose corn syrup (HFCS). This cheap brand of sugar now represents 40% of the caloric sweeteners added to foods and beverages, and is the sole sweet-ener used in soft drinks in the United States. (Note: Coca-Cola in the old fashioned bottles from Mexico is made from the natural sugar, glucose.)

De novo lipogenesis, the synthesis of fat from sugar, occurs readily with fructose, whereas with other kinds of sim-ple sugars, like glucose, this synthesis does not commonly occur.11 Many experts blame the recent rise in obesity on high fructose corn syrup consumption.12 The use of this HFCS has increased by more than 1000% between 1970 and 1990.13 Fructose affects hormones very much like the way that fat does; it increases hunger, which re-sults in more dietary fat and food intake. In addition, fructose does not stimulate brain satiety, as glucose does.11

Sugar Rots the Teeth

Dental caries are the result of the interplay of cariogenic micro-organisms (bacteria), carbohydrates, and suscepti-ble teeth.14 Studies of ancient skeletons indicate widespread tooth decay has only recently occurred and is a result of the refining of plant-foods and the use of sugars.15 The more sugar is consumed, and the more often it is con-sumed between meals, the more likely the teeth will decay. Even today, the level of dental caries is low in countries where people eat less than 33 to 44 pounds (15 to 20 Kg) of sugar per person per year.16 (The average sugar in-take in US in 1999 was 158 pounds annually—72 Kg.)

Bacteria living in the mouth are able to convert simple sugars into strong acids which eat through the tooth’s enamel and begin the process of tooth decay. One kind of sugar seems to be as caustic as any other for producing acid and demineralizing the tooth enamel.14 Bottle feeding with formula and fruit juices results in the loss of the front teeth; a place in the mouth where exposure to sugars can be prolonged.17,18 This condition is commonly referred to as baby bottle tooth decay. Even the lactose sugar found in mother’s breast milk will cause tooth decay if the sugar has prolonged contact with baby’s teeth, which commonly occurs when the infant sleeps with the breast dripping milk sugar on the teeth all night long.19

The best solution to tooth decay is to reduce the exposure of the tooth enamel to simple sugars by avoiding proc-essed and refined foods. Secondary efforts should be to remove the sugars by tooth brushing and rinsing the mouth with water after eating.

Refined Sugars Are “Empty Calories” and They Rob Your Body of Nutrients

Fructose Promotes Obesity:

• Increases hunger

• Increases fat intake, food intake, and calorie intake

• Does not stimulate brain satiety

• Promotes De Novo Lipoge


Important ingredients naturally found in the plants include carbohydrates, dietary fiber, proteins, essential fats, vita-mins, minerals, and an abundance of other phytonutrients. These ingredients all work together in the body’s meta-bolic processes. When ingredients are missing from a food, then they must be borrowed from another source. Pure sugars have been stripped of all their nutrients, except for the simple carbohydrate—thus they are called “empty calories.” To metabolize the sugar, nutrients stored in the body or from other foods must be scavenged—in this sense “sugar robs your body of vitamins and minerals.”

Fortunately, foods are abundant in nutrients. Disease due to nutrient deficiencies from consuming even large amounts of refined flours and sugars is rarely obvious. However, on a subtle level, eating significant quantities of nutrient-poor food must hinder the general ability of the body to resist disease and to heal.

Is Sugar Really Food Heroin?

People who consume purified carbohydrates in the form of refined flours and simple sugars become habituated to their intense stimulation. Remember from last month’s newsletter (September 2006) that humans are anatomically and physiologically designed to seek and consume carbohydrates. The tip of our tongue tastes with pleasure only one calorie-containing substance, carbohydrate. These carbohydrates provide a reward to the person by producing opioid- and dopamine-mediated responses—changes in the brain’s chemistry which cause us to feel pleasure. For some people changing their diet seems to be harder then kicking an addiction to tobacco, alcohol, cocaine, or her-oin. Other people easily come to the conclusion that whole foods are tastier than the purified products and many of us do not enjoy the intense stimulation from high sugar foods and beverages—and that is why after two sips I threw my cream soda in the trash.

References:

1) Heaton KW, Marcus SN, Emmett PM, Bolton CH. Particle size of wheat, maize, and oat test meals: effects on plasma glucose and insulin responses and on the rate of starch digestion in vitro. Am J Clin Nutr. 1988 Apr;47(4):675-82.

2) Haber GB, Heaton KW, Murphy D, Burroughs LF. Depletion and disruption of dietary fibre. Effects on satiety, plasma-glucose, and serum-insulin. Lancet. 1977 Oct 1;2(8040):679-82.

3) Vidon C. Effects of isoenergetic high-carbohydrate compared with high-fat diets on human cholesterol synthesis and expression of key regulatory genes of cholesterol metabolism. Am J Clin Nutr. 2001 May;73(5):878-84.

4) Schaefer EJ. Body weight and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol changes after consumption of a low-fat ad libi-tum diet. JAMA. 1995 Nov 8;274(18):1450-5.

5) Schwarz JM, Linfoot P, Dare D, Aghajanian K. Hepatic de novo lipogenesis in normoinsulinemic and hyperinsu-linemic subjects consuming high-fat, low-carbohydrate and low-fat, high-carbohydrate isoenergetic diets. Am J Clin Nutr. 2003 Jan;77(1):43-50.

6) Reiser S, Hallfrisch J, Michaelis OE 4th, Lazar FL, Martin RE, Prather ES. Isocaloric exchange of dietary starch and sucrose in humans. I. Effects on levels of fasting blood lipids. Am J Clin Nutr. 1979 Aug;32(8):1659-69.

7) Hudgins CH. Human fatty acid synthesis is reduced after the substitution of dietary starch for sugar. Am J Clin Nutr. 1998 Apr;67(4):631-9.

8) Bantle JP, Raatz SK, Thomas W, Georgopoulos A. Effects of dietary fructose on plasma lipids in healthy sub-jects. Am J Clin Nutr. 2000 Nov;72(5):1128-34.

9) Saris WH, Astrup A, Prentice AM, Zunft HJ, Formiguera X, Verboeket-van de Venne WP, Raben A, Poppitt SD, Seppelt B, Johnston S, Vasilaras TH, Keogh GF. Randomized controlled trial of changes in dietary carbohy-drate/fat ratio and simple vs complex carbohydrates on body weight and blood lipids: the CARMEN study. The Car-bohydrate Ratio Management in European National diets. Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord. 2000 Oct;24(10):1310-8.


10) Poppitt SD, Keogh GF, Prentice AM, Williams DE, Sonnemans HM, Valk EE, Robinson E, Wareham NJ. Long-term effects of ad libitum low-fat, high-carbohydrate diets on body weight and serum lipids in overweight subjects with metabolic syndrome. Am J Clin Nutr. 2002 Jan;75(1):11-20.

11) Teff KL, Elliott SS, Tschop M, Kieffer TJ, Rader D, Heiman M, Townsend RR, Keim NL, D'Alessio D, Havel PJ. Dietary fructose reduces circulating insulin and leptin, attenuates postprandial suppression of ghrelin, and increases triglycerides in women. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2004 Jun;89(6):2963-72.

12) Malik VS, Schulze MB, Hu FB. Intake of sugar-sweetened beverages and weight gain: a systematic review.Am J Clin Nutr. 2006 Aug;84(2):274-88.

13) Bray GA, Nielsen SJ, Popkin BM. Consumption of high-fructose corn syrup in beverages may play a role in the epidemic of obesity. Am J Clin Nutr. 2004 Apr;79(4):537-43.

14) Zero DT. Sugars - the arch criminal? Caries Res. 2004 May-Jun;38(3):277-85.

15) Cox TM. The genetic consequences of our sweet tooth. Nat Rev Genet. 2002 Jun;3(6):481-7.

16) Mann J. Free sugars and human health: sufficient evidence for action? Lancet. 2004 Mar 27;363(9414):1068-70.

17) Sheikh C, Erickson PR. Evaluation of plaque pH changes following oral rinse with eight infant formulas. Pedi-atr Dent. 1996 May-Jun;18(3):200-4.

18) Zeng X, Luo Y, Du M, Bedi R. Dental caries experience of preschool children from different ethnic groups in Guangxi Province in China. Oral Health Prev Dent. 2005;3(1):25-31.

19) Bowen WH, Lawrence RA. Comparison of the cariogenicity of cola, honey, cow milk, human milk, and su-crose. Pediatrics. 2005 Oct;116(4):921-6.

Alternative to a Rock and a Hard Place

On Tuesday October 17, 2006 headlines announced worldwide that “More benefits than risks in higher fish consump-tion.”1 Clearly, this headline says you should eat lots of fish to be healthy. The controversy surrounding benefits and risks comes from the facts that fish provide “good fats,” also known as omega-3 fats—but fish are also contami-nated with environmental chemicals like methylmercury, dioxins, and PCBs. As a result people don’t know the right choice to make. Some health and nutrition advisors worry that “confusing messages and inflated fears are keeping the public from getting the benefits that come from eating fish.” I worry that people are being oversold the benefits and undersold the risks.

The news reports do recognize some risk, “A few fish species — shark, swordfish, king mackerel and tilefish — have been found high in methylmercury, linked to learning disabilities and developmental delays in children. Women who are pregnant or likely to become pregnant and children under 12 have been advised to avoid these fish.”

However, the overall conclusion from news reports is that you can put this controversy behind you because of an evaluation of the risks and benefits of fish intake by Mozaffarian and Rimm which appeared in the October 18, 2006 issue of Journal of the American Medical Association. Their analysis of published studies to date caused these au-thors to conclude, “For major health outcomes among adults, based on both the strength of the evidence and the potential magnitudes of effect, the benefits of fish intake exceed the potential risks. For women of childbearing age, benefits of modest fish intake, excepting a few selected species, also outweigh risks.”


There Is More Wrong with Fish than Environmental Contaminants

Regrettably, this article disregarded many other adverse consequences stemming from consuming fish. This food causes a rise in blood cholesterol levels similar to the rise caused by beef and pork.2 The highly-acidic animal pro-teins accelerate calcium loss,3 contributing to osteoporosis and kidney stones. No dietary fiber or digestible carbo-hydrates are present in fish—thus, having a negative impact on bowel function and endurance. Although omega-3 fats “thin” the blood, preventing thrombus formation (heart attacks); this same anticoagulant activity can increase the risk of bleeding. These fats also have antiinflammatory properties, which can be beneficial (reducing arthritis pain) and deleterious (causing immune suppression, increasing the risk of cancer and infection).4 Fatty fish, recom-mended salmon for example, is half fat and loaded with calories, adding to ones risk for developing obesity and type-2 diabetes. Furthermore, omega-3 fats inhibit the action of insulin, thereby increasing blood sugar levels.5

Who Eats 6 ounces of Salmon a Week?

The authors believe the maximum benefits from fish are achieved by consuming 250 mg per day of omega-3 fats, which they translate into 6 ounces of wild salmon a week—more than this amount causes no additional health benefits. Unfortunately, when the public hears “fish is good,” many people exceed the 6-ounces per week recom-mended, replacing meat and poultry with seafood at many meals—so in real life, the hazards of fish-eating are magnified by health-conscious consumers trying to do their very best to avoid heart disease.

The Smart Choice for “Good” Fats

Animal systems lack the ability to synthesize omega-3 fats, thus fish cannot make essential fats. Seaweeds and algae synthesize these fats that are then stored in the flesh; along with contaminants, cholesterol, animal protein, and calories. To avoid all of the hazards, the practical alternative is to simply consume the original sources of these “good fats”—plants. The human body has no difficulty converting plant-derived omega-3 fat, alpha linolenic acid, into DHA or other n-3 fatty acids, supplying our needs even during gestation and infancy.6

End of the Good Fish-Bad Fish Controversy

When I was young people were told to eat “white fish,” because these varieties were low in fat—fatty fish like salmon and tuna, could make you overweight. Then the discovery was made that Greenland Eskimos had very low rates of heart disease.7 Fish fat was thought to be the reason because it thinned the blood, preventing the blood clots that cause heart attacks from forming.. Thus the only selling point for fish is their high concentration of stored omega-3 fats (eicosapentaenoic acid—EPA and docosahexaenoic acid--DHA). The easy answer for good health became fish oil capsules added to a daily diet of meat and dairy or replacing a few beef dinners with a fish-fillet sandwich. For most people these changes are much easier than adopting a vegetarian diet. The obvious truth is adding a little good fat cannot possibly negate the multitude of harms from the rich Western diet. The well-informed consumers will put the “good fat-bad mercury controversy” behind them and conclude fish-eating has an overall negative impact on human health when it replaces low-contamination, low-fat, no-cholesterol, starches, vegetables and fruits.

References:

1) Weise E. More Benefits Than Risks in Higher Fish Consumption. USA TODAY http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/health/news-article.aspx?ref=rss&storyid=67375

.2) Davidson MH, Hunninghake D, Maki KC, Kwiterovich PO Jr, Kafonek S. Comparison of the effects of lean red meat vs lean white meat on serum lipid levels among free-living persons with hypercholesterolemia: a long-term, randomized clinical trial. Arch Intern Med. 1999 Jun 28;159(12):1331-8.

3) Robertson WG, Heyburn PJ, Peacock M, Hanes FA, Swaminathan R. The effect of high animal protein intake on the risk of calcium stone-formation in the urinary tract. Clin Sci (Lond). 1979 Sep;57(3):285-8.

4) Meydani SN, Lichtenstein AH, Cornwall S, Meydani M, Goldin BR, Rasmussen H, Dinarello CA, Schaefer EJ. Immunologic effects of national cholesterol education panel step-2 diets with and without fish-derived N-3 fatty acid


enrichment. J Clin Invest. 1993 Jul;92(1):105-13.

5) Hendra TJ, Britton ME, Roper DR, et al. Effects of fish oil supplements in NIDDM subjects. Controlled study. Diabe-tes Care. 1990 Aug;13(8):821-9.

6) Langdon JH. Has an aquatic diet been necessary for hominin brain evolution and functional development? Br J Nutr. 2006 Jul;96(1):7-17.

7) Dyerberg J, Bang HO. Haemostatic function and platelet polyunsaturated fatty acids in Eskimos. Lancet. 1979 Sep 1;2(8140):433-5.

Report on the September 2006 Advanced Study Weekend

The advanced study weekend held September 29, 30, and October 1 was an outstanding success with more than 160 people enjoying each other’s company, the fabulous food and the nation’s top speakers on health.

Some people say they can’t follow the diet because the foods don’t taste good. After this weekend that is no longer a valid excuse for these folks. With meals consisting of two entrees, four salads, two soups, many side dishes and three different desserts, participants received a real education on what can be made fast, familiar and delicious.

A Few Representative Comments about the September 2006 Weekend

We enjoyed the weekend. I especially liked Cyril's presentation - he showed how difficult it is to mount clinical studies. My girlfriend, who likes cheese and crackers, was impressed with the Sunday lunch - perhaps there is hope.

Thanks again for a wonderful seminar! I really did drag my husband kicking and screaming but he changed his tune about half way thru the weekend. Dan really liked your closing remarks! He has talked of little else since we came back. It will make it easier to stay on track with both of us following the program. On the way home he suggested I invite one of our daughters to come with me next time.

I want to thank you from the bottom of my getting-healthier-every-day heart for providing me with the wonderful, very generous opportunity to attend the Advanced Study/Expo Weekend. Your program was truly a life-enhancing experience for me on many levels. To hear you and talk to you in person reinforced what I already knew to be true: the current model of medical treatment for chronic disease provided by modern medicine is way off track. The Food: I just had to see for myself what a buffet of all-you-can-eat healthy vegan food looked and tasted like! Unbelievable!!!!!!! What you and Mary have created is so unique and is truly invaluable. Also, I wanted you to know that the program originally caught my attention because of the word “Advanced” in the title. I don’t know if you know how many health care professionals were there, but I met two MDs, three RDs and one other advanced practice nurse.

I am writing to tell you what a great experience the advanced study weekend was for me. I commend you and your staff for putting together a diverse and interesting panel of speakers as well as running a very well organ-ized event.


Here are some animated pictures of our speakers: Photos by Bill Lawton

The next weekend will February 2,3, and 4, 2007.

Speakers so far are John Abramson, MD—author of Overdo$ed America; Lorna Sass, award-winning au-thor of 13 cookbooks, and Dan Pi-raro, creator of Bizarro the daily comic-commentary strip. Other speakers will be an-nounced.

The 10-day live-in pro-gram runs nearly every month—this is the safest and most effective way to get off of all your un-necessary medications and get your life back un-der your con-trol. See

www.drmcdougall.com for more details.


Costa Rica for February 2007 is sold out, but we are taking names for the waiting list. We hope to repeat a similar ex-perience in July of 2007.

For information on weekends, 10-day live-in programs, and adventure vacations please write Carol at [email protected] or talk to Carol at (800) 941-7111 or (616) 874-8155.

Featured Recipes

Curried Squash and Tart Apple Soup By Kevin Dunn, culinary instructor, Grand Rapids, Michigan

This is a recipe based on a squash dish that my Mother used to make every fall when I was a kid. I thought the flavors were so good; I made it into this soup. I remember the first time I made this recipe I was attending The Culinary Institute of America. A chef instructor was so amazed with my culinary ability due to this simple recipe. Now after more than 25 years in the food service business, I realize that sometimes simple flavors are the best.

Yield: Serves 6 to 8 people

1 large Butternut Squash, peeled and seeded, cut medium dice 1 large Delicata Squash, peeled and seeded, cut medium dice 2 shallots, fine diced 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 ½ ounces lemon juice 1 cup orange juice 3 tablespoons madras curry 2 quarts vegetable broth 2 Granny Smith apples, peeled and diced salt and white pepper, to taste 4 tablespoons chives, fine sliced for garnish

Method: 1. Sweat the shallots in a little of the vegetable broth, then add garlic and cook until the garlic perfumes. 2. Add curry and cook briefly. 3. Add vegetable broth and juices. Bring to a boil. 4. Add squash, cook until tender, approximately 10 minutes. 5. Add apples, cook until flavors blend. 6. Total cooking time 20 minutes, place in bowls and garnish with chives. Mary’s Note: This would be wonderful served as a first course for Thanksgiving dinner. Kevin served this during our last McDougall weekend and it was a big hit!

Colcannon Irish Potatoes with Cabbage By Kevin Dunn, culinary instructor, Grand Rapids, Michigan

This is a classical Irish Mashed Potato dish and a true favorite in the Dunn household. Sometimes you will see it with wilted kale in it too.

Yield: 6 portions

6 Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut in quarters ½ head green cabbage, cut julienne


2 leeks, whites primarily, cut julienne 1 medium onion, diced 4 ounces Silk soy milk, heated 3 tablespoons roasted garlic 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast 1 bunch chives, chopped 1 quart vegetable stock Method: 1. Cook potatoes in water until tender. 2. Cook the cabbage, onions and leeks in vegetable stock until tender, then strain. 3. Put the potatoes through a food mill. 4. Add hot soy milk, nutritional yeast, roasted garlic and cabbage mixture. 5. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Mary’s Note: Try these in place of your traditional mashed potatoes for Thanksgiving this year. The addition of the vegetables really makes them special!

Caesar Salad Dressing One of our cooking instructors at the McDougall Program, Colleen Patrick-Goudreau, makes a delicious creamy Cae-sar Salad Dressing that everyone loves. Whenever I make it, I always like to make extra because it keeps in the refrig-erator for about a week or so. Then I have a dressing always ready when I want a salad. I have modified her recipe slightly to make a larger amount.

Preparation Time: 10 minutes Servings: makes about 2 cups

1 12.3 ounce box silken tofu ½ cup lemon juice ¼ cup water ¼ cup nutritional yeast ¼ cup capers 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard 1 tablespoon minced garlic ¼ teaspoon salt ¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Place all ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth and creamy. Pour into an airtight container and re-frigerate until using.

Corn Butter I have had several requests for this recipe lately from people who used to make it and loved it, but somehow lost the recipe. So here it is again. This is a wonderful spread for toast or muffins, and it also works on vegetables. It keeps for about a week in the refrigerator.

Preparation Time: 10 minutes Cooking Time: 5 minutes Servings: makes 1 ½ cups

¼ cup cornmeal 1 ¼ cups water 1-2 teaspoons lemon juice ½ teaspoon salt OR 1 teaspoon no-salt seasoning mixture

Place the cornmeal in a saucepan with 1 cup of the water. Cook, stirring constantly until mixture is smooth and thick. Place the cooked cornmeal in a blender jar. Add the remaining water, 1 teaspoon of the lemon juice and the season-ing. Process until very smooth, adding a bit more water, if necessary, to reach the desired spreading consistency. Taste and add more lemon juice if desired. Place into a covered container and refrigerate.


Slow Chipotle Black Bean Soup This wonderful soup is so easy to make in a slow cooker. Put all the ingredients in the pot in the morning and by the end of the day you have a delicious soup to serve your family.

Preparation Time: 10 minutes Cooking Time: 8 hours Servings: 8-10

2 cups dried black beans 6 cups water 2 16 ounce cans fire-roasted chopped tomatoes 1 4 ounce can chopped green chilies 1 onion, chopped 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 teaspoon chili powder 1 teaspoon ground cumin ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper ⅛ teaspoon chipotle powder ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro

Combine all the ingredients, except the cilantro, in a slow cooker. Cover and cook on high for 8 hours. Stir in the ci-lantro just before serving.

Corny Vegetable Torte This is easy to prepare the night before and refrigerate until ready to bake. Top with salsa, a simple bean dish, or open a can of healthy chili beans, heat, and pour over this torte. Preparation Time: 15 minutes Cooking Time: 30 minutes Resting Time: 10 minutes Servings: 4

2 cups frozen corn kernels, thawed 1 4 ounce can chopped green chilies ⅓ cup chopped green onions ¼ cup chopped pimientos 10 ounces silken tofu ¼ cup cornmeal 2 tablespoons white whole wheat flour 1 teaspoon chili powder 1 teaspoon organic sugar 1 teaspoon baking powder ½ teaspoon salt dash chipotle powder

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine the first 4 ingredients in a bowl and set aside. Place the tofu in a food processor and process briefly. Add remaining ingredients and process until smooth. Pour tofu mixture over the corn mixture and combine well. Lightly oil a 10 inch deep dish pie plate. Transfer vegetable mixture into pie plate and flatten top with spatula. Bake for 30 minutes until set. Let rest for 10 minutes before serving.


Holiday Meal Planning By Mary McDougall A Reprint from the McDougall Newsletter - October 2005

I first shared this planning schedule with you in 2004 and I heard from quite a few people who used this schedule and shopping list for a successful Thanksgiving last year. Since I plan to use this same schedule, and mostly the same menu, myself again this year I am including it in this 2005 newsletter. This year I am adding the Squash But-ter (newsletter October 2005) as a spread for the rolls. This may be prepared 2 days ahead and refrigerated until serving time.

We usually have a large crowd of friends and family with us every year to celebrate, and my menu doesn’t vary much from year to year. Many of the recipes that are a tradition in our home I have shared with you over the past several years, either in one of the cookbooks or in a newsletter. The following recipes will be part of our holiday meal again this year. The starred (*) items are ones I suggest for a basic meal plan, and then add as many more dishes as you feel your Thanksgiving dinner needs to fit your celebration.

MENU:

Creamy Pumpkin Soup (newsletter October 2004)

Success Tip: Prepare this up to two days ahead without the soy milk and refrigerate. Reheat in microwave or on stovetop. Add the soy milk after the soup is heated through.

Tossed Green Salad with assorted dressings

Success Tip: Prepare dressings three to four days in advance and refrigerate. Or buy your favorite non-fat salad dressings. Buy organic baby greens in bags and toss in a bowl just before serving.

* Holiday Stuffed Pumpkin (newsletter October 2004)

Success Tip: Buy pumpkin in October or early November for the best selection. Keep in a cool place. Buy extra pumpkins for use at other times during the winter months. Choose one of the many varieties available at this time of the year. One of my favorites is the “ghost” pumpkin with its white skin and orange flesh. The traditional pumpkin for carving a jack-o-lantern is not the tastiest choice for use as a stuffed pumpkin, although I have used them when nothing else was available. Clean the pumpkin the day before use and refrigerate, but do not stuff until just before baking. If you do not have enough room to refrigerate the cleaned pumpkin then clean it just before stuffing. Cube the bread the night before and allow it to sit out overnight so the bread dries out slightly. This step helps to make the stuffing mixture nicely moist, but not mushy.

* Mashed Potatoes (newsletter July 2004 & October 2004)

Success Tip: Peel potatoes in the morning and store in water to cover until cooking time. Drain off all cooking water. Use a handheld electric mixer and add warmed soymilk while beating. Place mashed potatoes into a warmed bowl before serving. For garlic mashed potatoes, add some of the Elephant Garlic Spread to the potatoes while mashing.

Maple Mashed Sweet Potatoes (newsletter October 2004)

Success Tip: These may be made two days ahead of time and refrigerated in a covered casse-role dish. Reheat in microwave just before serving.


SHOPPING TIPS:

Shop for the non-perishable items about a week ahead of time. These are the canned and packaged products, such as vegetable broth, canned pumpkin, flour, silken tofu and any dried herbs and spices that you may need. Potatoes, sweet potatoes and garlic can be purchased ahead of time as long as you have a cool place to store them (not the re-frigerator). Choose the menu items that you want to include for your Thanksgiving feast, then look through the reci-pes. Check over this shopping list as you go through the recipes, and make sure you also have the pantry items avail-able. Shop for your perishable items no more than 2 days before the holiday, if possible.

SHOPPING LIST

The following shopping lists are for the complete menu above. You will have to adjust the items needed depending on what you plan to prepare.

CANNED AND PACKAGED PRODUCTS

These may be purchased ahead of time and stored in your pantry or refrigerator.

4-5 boxes (32 oz.) vegetable broth 2 cans (15-16 oz.) pumpkin 1 jar (12 oz.) applesauce 3 containers (32 oz.) soy or rice milk 1 jar (8 oz.) pure maple syrup 5 packages (12.3 oz.) Lite Silken Tofu-Extra Firm 2 cups non-dairy chocolate chips 1 bag (16 oz.) Sucanat 1 jar (16 oz.) Wonderslim Fat Replacer 1 bag (16 oz.) frozen raspberries 1 cup unsalted roasted cashews 1 cup sliced almonds 1 container (32 oz.) orange juice 1 jar (4 oz.) capers

* Golden Gravy (newsletter October 2003) Success Tip: This may be made a day ahead of time and reheated slowly on the stovetop, stirring frequently.

Rich Brown Gravy (newsletter October 2004) Success Tip: Brown the onions and flour a day or two ahead of time, then cover and refrigerate. Finish the recipe as

Whole Wheat & Sourdough Rolls with Elephant Garlic Spread (newsletter October 2004) Success Tip: Order your rolls from Whole Foods or a bakery about one week early, then pick them up the day before

* Cranberry Sauce (newsletter October 2004) Success Tip: Make two to three days ahead of time and refrigerate until just before serving.

* Green Beans Success Tip: Trim beans the day before and store in the refrigerator. Wash just before steaming. I usually serve theBrussels Sprouts with Creamy Caesar Salad Dressing (newsletter July 2003) Success Tip: Trim these a day or two before cooking and store in the refrigerator. Wash before cooking. Most peop

* Pumpkin Pie with Vanilla Cream Sauce (newsletter October 2003) Success Tip: Make the pie and the sauce one day ahead and refrigerate until just before serving. We like this pie be

Wicked Chocolate Pie (newsletter October 2004) Success Tip: Make this one day early and refrigerate. The toppings may be made two days ahead, if desired. This


FRESH INGREDIENTS

The first nine ingredients may be purchased ahead of time. Buy the fresh vegetables and bread products the day be-fore, if possible.

4 onions 1 bunch celery 1 head garlic 2 heads elephant garlic 5 pounds potatoes 3 pounds yams or sweet potatoes 1 bag fresh cranberries 1 small pumpkin (to serve the soup in-optional) 1 medium-large pumpkin Bagged organic baby greens 2 pounds green beans 2 pounds Brussels sprouts 1 large loaf whole wheat bread 6-8 whole wheat or sourdough rolls

PANTRY ITEMS NEEDED

These are used in several of the recipes and are things that you probably already have in your pantry. Check over this list and purchase anything that you don’t have.

Tabasco sauce Curry powder Soy sauce (at least 1 cup) Tahini Vanilla Whole wheat flour Unbleached white flour Cornstarch Salt Black pepper Golden brown sugar Sugar Dijon mustard Pumpkin pie spice Cinnamon Ground ginger Ground cloves Parsley flakes Sage Marjoram Thyme Bay leaves Poultry seasoning Rosemary Soy Parmesan cheese Lemon juice TIME SCHEDULE


1 week ahead: Shop for non-perishable items and some of the perishable foods listed above. Order rolls from bakery.

3 days ahead: Make salad dressings. Make cranberry sauce.

2 days ahead: Shop for vegetables and whole wheat bread. Make Creamy Pumpkin Soup. Bake sweet potatoes or yams and prepare Maple Mashed Sweet Potatoes. Make Elephant Garlic Spread. Make Creamy Caesar Salad Dressing. Make the raspberry sauce and the almond topping for the chocolate pie.

1 day ahead: Pick up the pre-ordered rolls. Make the pumpkin pie and vanilla sauce. Make the chocolate pie. Trim the green beans and Brussels sprouts. Make the Golden Gravy. Partially make the brown gravy. Cube the bread and allow to sit out overnight

Thanksgiving (Morning):

Peel potatoes and place in cold water to cover. Clean out pumpkins. Make stuffing mixture and stuff pumpkin.

Thanksgiving (Afternoon):

Take sweet potatoes and soup out of refrigerator. Place pumpkin in oven and bake as directed. Cook potatoes and mash. Wash vegetables and cook. Finish brown gravy and slowly reheat Golden Gravy. Reheat mashed sweet potatoes. Finish soup and heat. Place baby greens in bowl. Serve with dressings. Heat rolls and garlic spread.

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October 2006 The McDougall Newsletter …€¦ · · 2014-06-06A 20-ounce bottle with 300 calories of high fructose corn syrup was ... in order to make these powerfully-sweetened