Day Thirty-four, Differing Opinions

Okay, so there are three doctors with diet plans who are big in the healthy vegan diet world: Dr. Neal Barnard, Dr. John McDougall, and Dr. Joel Fuhrman. They all seem to agree that a plant-based diet is the key to health and that keeping the fats very low are equally important. However, how much of each food group (fruits, vegetables, grains, and legumes) each doctor thinks a person should eat is a different story.

Each of the doctors would be in favor of a person eating a huge green salad with a fat free dressing. In fact, Dr. Fuhrman would be particularly in agreement with this choice. His recommended food plan is probably the toughest for me. Do not get me wrong, I am a huge fan of salads and vegetables in general, but he really wants you to eat a ton of them. As I have mentioned in prior blog posts, he suggests making it a goal to eat one pound of raw non-starchy vegetables and one pound of cooked non-starchy vegetables a day (Eat To Live). 

I have not been able to consume nearly that much produce in a day (think of how lightweight lettuce is), and contrary to his claims, even a high quantity of non-starchy vegetables does not keep me full. Sure right after eating a huge salad and a big serving of cooked vegetables I feel full, but it does not last until the next mealtime. I completely respect Dr. Fuhrman and the science he provides to back up his recommendations, however, I find my hunger is better satisfied by starches and grains. 

Dr. Barnard and Dr. McDougall are probably very similar. Unlike Dr. Fuhrman who recommends a mere one cup serving daily of grains/ starchy vegetables, they suggest eating them throughout the day. I have not yet read one of McDougall's books (picking up The Starch Solution from the library today), but I have looked at the free program posted on his website. Aside from the elimination of caffeine, this program is looking pretty good and doable. 

One thing I love about amazon.com is that I can peruse the inside of some books, and I was able to read a little from McDougall's book, The McDougall Program for Maximum Weight Loss. Two chapters I clicked on and read from were, "Women Are Slow Losers," and "Alcohol, Coffee, and Your Weight." Bottom line, women can efficiently lose weight on his program and coffee is not good for weight loss. McDougall says people tend to overeat with caffeine in the stomach in an effort to absorb the acid burning which many mistake as hunger. 

I have not read all of Dr. Barnard's books, so I cannot say where he stands on my morning friend, coffee. His plan is also accessible for free online: 21-Day Vegan Kickstart. He does not list coffee as something one should be drinking, but I have not seen him say to avoid it. Animal-based products seem to be the only things he would place in the "avoid" category, next to added oils and fats. 

I am navigating my way, trying to find the right balance for my body between the food groups. Here are the doctors' recommendations summed up: Barnard recommends 8 servings of grains, 3 servings of legumes, at least 4 servings of vegetables, and "aim for" 3 servings of fruit; Fuhrman says to eat an unlimited amount of non-starchy vegetables, fruits, and legumes, one cup from the starchy vegetables and grain group, 1 ounce maximum serving of unprocessed, raw seeds and nuts, 2 ounces maximum of avocado, 2 tablespoons max per day of dried fruit, and 1 tablespoon max of ground flaxseeds; and McDougall says starchy foods should be the center of a meal (included in this group are starchy vegetables, grains, and legumes), non-starchy vegetables can be eaten in unlimited quantities, and fruits should be kept at 3 servings a day. He also warns to go light on soybeans as they are high in fat and do not qualify for the legume serving suggestion, which may be unlimited, I am not certain. 

As promised, here are photos of Dr. Barnard's recipe for Italian Greens and Beans that I made from his book, The Get Healthy, Go Vegan Cookbook (recipe follows):   

I put this deliciousness over plain brown rice and gobbled it up. 

Italian Beans and Greens

makes 4 servings

1/4 cup vegetable broth

1 small onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

6 cups baby arugula, washed

2 (15-ounce) cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1 (10-ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained, or 2 medium tomatoes, chopped

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

Pinch of sugar

Kosher or sea salt to taste

Freshly ground pepper to taste

1. Heat the broth in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and saute for 3 minutes. Add the arugula and lower heat to medium-low. Cook until the arugula is almost wilted. 

2. Add the chickpeas, tomatoes, oregano, basil, sugar, salt, and black pepper. Cover and cook for 5 minutes until all ingredients are cooked through.

I have to add that I did not drain my can of diced tomatoes, and it was lovely. I also used the white part of green onions instead of a regular yellow onion simply because I needed to use them before they go bad. They seemed to work just as well. 

And now on to live day Thirty-four of my vegan diet...