Book blames weight-loss struggle on chemicals in food, packaging
There are oceans of weight-loss diet books available; many with seas of ardent supporters who've lost weight by following the touted lower-fat, lower-calorie or lower-carb plans no matter how bizarre (the blood-type diet comes to mind).
And then there's a new diet book from the same publisher of the phenomenally successful and useful "Eat This, Not That" series: "The New American Diet" by Stephen Perrine, with Heather Hurlock.
Unlike some diets based on shaky theories, "The New American Diet" cites authoritative university research to make the case that gaining weight, or having a hard time losing weight and keeping it off, may not be the dieter's fault. That blame, writes Perrine, may lie in food commonly thought of as weight-loss friendly as well as some plastic packaging and even tap water.
Chemicals called "obesogens" - things like antibiotics, pesticides, hormones and the components in some plastics - have changed our food and work in tandem to trigger our bodies to store fat and lose muscle even when we're restricting calories. Perrine also points a finger at the reduction of some nutrients in some foods as a component of this phenomenon.
For example, Perrine notes that skinless chicken breasts, a mainstay of many lower-calorie, lower-fat food plans deliver more than twice as much fat and one-third less protein than they did in 1971. And, since we are what we eat, what causes a chicken's elevated fat and lower protein (muscle) is passed along to the person eating that chicken. Surprised? I was.
Here's another example: Perrine describes the "old" American diet as one where, an apple was considered a healthy way to satisfy hunger. But, in the "new" diet, that same apple ranks second on the "dirty dozen" list of fruits and vegetables contaminated with the most pesticide residue (peaches are number one).
Those pesticides are one of many "obesogens" that are thought to hijack the systems that control body-weight, says Dr. Frederick Von Staal, professor of biological sciences at the University of Missouri.
Perrine loads his food plan with whole-grain foods, fresh fruits and vegetables, sustainable fish and seafood, organic free-ranging chicken, healthy pork and grass-fed beef, beans, black and green tea and filtered water free of obesogens.
According to Perrine, when you eat wholesome, unprocessed or minimally processed foods it becomes obvious when you're full and you stop eating - naturally.
No calorie or fat gram counting with this food plan.
Sorry, but Perrine's plan doesn't let you off the hook when it comes to exercise. He devotes 32 pages to exercise, including easy-to-do exercises with pictures showing exactly how to do each routine.
Of course, there are recipes, 40 of them with complete nutrition analysis, that cover the day's meals and snacks. With a clear understanding of Perrine's principles you can adapt some of your favorite recipes to fit his plan.
There's also section on feeding youngsters, as well as grocery shopping, eating on the road and dining out.
Many of the scientifically grounded ideas Perrine presents make healthy sense. Stories shared by folks who've gone on the New American Diet for six weeks will inspire you to give it a try. And here's a recipe to try as well.
• Don Mauer welcomes questions, comments and recipe makeover requests. Write him at don@theleanwizard.com.
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<h1>Recipes</h1>
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<li><a href="/story/?id=358485" class="mediaItem">15-Minute Black Bean Soup </a></li>
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