| When reading this...remember I have copied this from the book. I have not put in all the footnotes and verifications of the studies, or charts that are in the book. I was only trying to get the general information out of the book. This chapter used to be available to read online at amazon.com, but it is no longer there. GOD'S DIET A SHORT AND SIMPLE WAY TO EAT NATURALLY, LOSE WEIGHT, AND LIVE A HEALTHIER LIFE. COPIED FROM THE GOD'S DIET BOOK By Dorothy Gault-McNemee, M.D. IF GOD DIDN'T MAKE IT, DON'T EAT IT chapter 1 Now, if you want to spend good money for this book, go ahead. But if you understand the chapter title, spend your money for something else. I've made this book short for two reasons: because the concept is so easy it doesn't need a long book and because I want you to read the book and change your life. Since I was thirteen years old, I have bounced from one diet to another, spending far too much money on diet books and fad diets. I finally just gave up. The research was telling me that I was born with my fat genes and it really wasn't my fault that I was overweight. I was finally fed up (no pun intended) and decided to eat whatever I wanted and forget about my weight. (That little decision was good for another 15 pounds!!!) I am sure it comes as no surprise that even as I was eating with no restrictions, I still wasn't happy. So, over the next year I spent a lot of time thinking about the diets that worked, and those that didn't. I knew deep in my heart that pasta and six slices of bread a day wasn't good for me, no matter what the nutritionists were telling my diabetic patients. I knew that cutting out all of the fat in my diet would help me lose weight; however, I also knew that my body wouldn't have the building blocks it needed to make hormones, that my skin would get dry and my hair would get brittle if I didn't have fat. I also knew that I needed fat in my diet to feel full as well as to absorb the fat-soluble vitamins. I felt I no longer had the time nor the inclination to count calories, fat grams or carbs. I didn't want to weigh 2 ounces of this or 4 ounces of that. I had always had a hard time remembering how many bread exchanges, fat exchanges, vegetable and fruit exchanges are deemed "healthy." I couldn't remember which diet was better--the Asian or Mediterranean or American pyramid plan. I couldn't remember what was on any of their meal plans. And even if I could remember, I certainly threw out all of my knowledge the moment I stepped into a restaurant. Then one day the front page of the newspaper said that "XYZ" was good for you while the folks on TV said that is was bad for you...all on the same day! That was when I threw up my arms and said, "if God didn't make it, don't eat it." I realized that what I really wanted was to be healthy and trim. Logic said that I needed to go back to basics...and when I say basics, I mean back to 10,000 to 15,000 years ago type basics. I've often told my patients that we chubs come from good stock. We are the survivors. We are the ones whose ancestors stored body fat efficiently for the lean years. So, since we obviously hadn't evolved to be able to eat whatever and whenever, we were obviously going to have to go back to basics. We were going to have to go back and eat the way we did when we first appeared on the earth thousands of years ago--and the way we had eaten until the last hundred years. We were going to have to be logical. If God made us and made all of the animals, fruits, and vegetables, then that must be what we were intended to eat. Obviously, we've been around a pretty long time. So, I decided to disregard all of the information about low-fat diets and pasta being good for you. I decided that weighing food and counting calories or fat, or carbohydrates or anything else just didn't make sense. I didn't need to add more work to my life. Knowing that there really had to be a healthy way to eat good food and feel satisfied. I developed God's Diet. Actually, this easy, effective way of eating was there all of the time; I just read the signposts. It is really so simple. I call it God's Diet because a name like "all natural" implies that anything that isn't a manmade chemical would be okay. It is those very products that are often loaded with sugar and flour, and that is not okay. Once we begin to process food, we tend to take away all of its good, nutritional qualities and leave all that is bad. And for good measure, we'll add some sugar or corn syrup! Think of it this way: if it wasn't around 10,000 to 15,000 years ago, you probably shouldn't be eating it. I can't imagine Adam and Eve throwing together a little pasta with Alfredo sauce (one of my personal favorites). I bet they didn't bake nicely crusted bread. They didn't have luscious donuts, or birthday cake with ice cream. They didn't make enchiladas or gorditas. They either killed it, picked it, or dug it up. If it was good enough for them, why not try it ourselves? It certainly seemed logical. (If I am nothing else, I am logical.) Of course, we also know that our ancient ancestors often died in their twenties and thirties. But they didn't die of heart attacks and clogged arteries or diabetes and obesity. Heck, they probably didn't have a word like fat in their vocabulary. They died because they were sick or wounded and couldn't go out and kill, gather, or pick. They died of deprivation and infections. So, why not buy what we need and eat just what God provided for us? He certainly didn't provide us with all of the lovely but harmful goodies that have become as much a part of our lives. Now, I can't imagine that there were pies, cakes, cookies, or candy around 10,000 years ago. But then, that one is easy--even I haven't found a diet that encourages any of that. When you start getting into bread, tortillas, and pasta you probably think you are okay. I contend that for us chubs, those things are not okay. I believe that sugar and flour are our enemies. I also think they are addictive. For example, have you ever been able to eat only one donut? Not I. I always had the second one and really wanted to finish off the rest of the box. Only guilt and a small amount of self-control kept me from doing that. So, just what did God create? Following is a list of what He made and one of what He didn't. I have also added a swing list--foods that are not okay but are not bad enough to never eat again. Obviously, the lists are not all-inclusive, but I think you will get the idea. As you read the lists, see if you don't grasp the simple logic in them. FOODS YOU CAN HAVE abalone alfalfa sprouts apples apricots artichokes arugula asparagus avocado bacon bamboo shoots bananas beans (all kinds) beef beets blackberries blueberries broccoli Brussels sprouts butter cabbage cantaloupe carrots cauliflower celery chard or Swiss chard cherries chicken chives cilantro clams corn cracked wheat cranberries cucumbers daikon dates dill pickles duck eggplant eggs endive figs fish (any kind) garlic ginger root goat grapefruit grapes green peppers green beans greens (beet, collard, dandelion, mustard, trunip) guava ham homemade salsa honey jalapenos jicama kale kelp kiwi fruit kohlrabi kumquats lamb leeks lemons lettuce (any variety) limes litchis liver lobster lotus root mamey mangos melons milk mushrooms mustard nectarines nuts oatmeal okra oil (olive or canola are best) olives onions oranges oysters papaya parsley parsnips passion fruit peas peaches pears pepper (black) peppers (chili) peppers (red and green) persimmon pheasant picante sauce Pico de Gallo pineapple plums pomegranate pork potatoes (sweet, Idaho, etc.) Prickly pear prunes pumpkin quail quince rabbit radishes raisins raspberries rhubarb rice (brown, long cooking) rutabaga salmon salt scallions scallops seaweed shallots shrimp soy spices spinach squab squash strawberries string beans tangerines tomatoes turkey turnips venison vinegar water chestnuts watercress watermelon whole wheat This list does not include all of the wonderful foods that God made. If you aren't sure about an item, ask yourself "did God make it?' Remember, God made every fruit, every vegetable, and every meat, fish, and fowl. If you can't pick it from a tree or vine, or pull it out of the ground or kill it, then you probably shouldn't eat it. If your friends and family quip and say that God made the sugar and the wheat that goes into your cake, then you can justify any food. And once you make those concessions, you'll be hooked on sugar and flour again and will start to gain weight instead of lose it. All that sugar and flour and processed food is the cause of the trouble for all of us chubs. The things you can't have follow. FOODS YOU CAN'T HAVE Alcohol (including wine and beer) bagels BREAD cake candy catsup cereals (except for those on the swing list) cold cuts (most of them) cookies corn syrup cornstarch crackers flour marshmallows PASTA pie pita bread salad dressing (except for those on the swing list) sugar (includes any added sugars, such as fructose, glucose, sucrose, maltose, lactose, dextrose, and galactose.) sweet pickles tortillas (flour) yogurt (most of them) Unfortunately, while labeling is now mandatory for all of our foods, the labelers have become very creative in hiding the truth of what is in their products. Packaging that says "sugar free--sweetened with fructose" is criminal. For those who didn't know that fructose is still sugar, this particular food item becomes poison for diabetics and for other people who are trying to limit the amount of sugar in their diets. The latest trick is to sell "dehydrated cane juice." (Sugar by any other name is still sugar.) Heck, it is enough to make one paranoid! Another ingredient found in some food, modified food starch, is a poison for us. If you find it on your packaged food ingredient label, don't eat that product. It has no nutritional value and acts just like sugar to make us crave more. Beware of any canned or packaged food. Read the ingredients, not the amount of calories, fat, protein, and carbohydrates. Why the ingredients and not the number of grams or calories of each item? Because grams of sugar or carbohydrate are not always equal. For example, the natural sugar in an apple is fructose. If you have an apple in one hand and fructose from another apple in the other hand, we've been told that those two fructoses are equal. They are NOT equal. The fructose in the apple has to be eaten and then digested as well. The body will not be 100 percent efficient in getting all those grams of fructose out of the apple. We will use calories to do the digesting. Then the apple will act like the fiber it is, to help with good bowel movements. That processed fructose, on the other hand, can be easily and totally digested and utilized and won't act as fiber, either. Minimal calories will be utilized to process the 'processed' fructose. So you see, it is the sugar that is added to our food that is so bad, rather than the sugar that is in the food naturally. That is not to say that having unlimited naturally packaged sugar is okay. For example, eleven bananas a day is not intelligent eating. You can eat only fruit all day and not lose weight. If our kids are drinking orange juice all day instead of water, they will get fat. Beware of any food product that says "low fat" or "all natural." Those are often the worst for added sugar, corn syrup, or cornstarch. Marketing people have convinced us that "low fat" and "all natural" products are good for us. However, when they take out some or all of the fat or the preservatives, they often add sugar or cornstarch. If you think that you are going to suffer on God's diet, then you aren't reading carefully enough. How could anyone feel deprived while eating a steak and a baked potato with butter? As you start to read the labels of the foods you've been eating, you'll get longer and longer lists of things you shouldn't have been eating. But you will also get longer and longer lists of food you can eat and haven't been. If you don't understand the words on a package label, then don't eat it. You must start to think of any food that is packaged as being potentially contaminated with sugar, flour, corn syrup, and cornstarch. The package the manufacturer provides must convince you otherwise. Your new motto is: IF GOD DIDN'T MAKE IT, DON'T EAT IT. Now, there are a few foods I am sure you noticed weren't on either list. These foods I am going to put on a swing list. These are the foods that are not recommended when you are being a purist. These are foods that should be used rarely. We'll talk a little more about why these foods are not good, but not totally bad either. SWING LIST artificial sweeteners cheese corn tortillas cottage cheese cream cheese Grape-Nuts honey Jell-O (diet) Marie's Blue Cheese Dressing Paul Newman's Vinegar and Oil Dressing popcorn Shredded Wheat soda pop (no more than one a day) sour cream (pure) tea and coffee (no more than two a day, and decaf would be better) yogurt (some) Cheese, cream cheese, cottage cheese, and sour cream should be used sparingly. While they are nutritionally good, when man processed them, he compacted those calories so we don't have to work hard to extract the calories. Do not use these as a main meal, but rather as a garnish. Yogurt is like cheese in that it is nutritionally sound but is really dense with calories. However, the bigger problem with yogurt is that practically all of them have had sugar added to them. When you buy yogurt be very careful when reading the label. (When I was in medical school I went on an 800-calorie-a-day diet of just yogurt--and didn't lose weight.) It is not only the calories we eat, but where those calories are coming from that dictates how much weight we lose. That is why counting calories or counting anything else just doesn't work. While Marie's blue cheese dressing, Paul Newman's vinegar and oil dressing, and other dressings may be LEGAL, use them sparingly. They are also jam-packed with concentrated calories. So what do I mean when I talk about LEGAL? LEGAL means that God made it or that when it was being processed by man, at least man didn't add sugar, flour, corn syrup, or cornstarch. Example: God made strawberries. ILLEGAL (or sinful) means that it wasn't made by God or that sugar, flour, corn syrup, or cornstarch has been added to it. Example: man packaged the strawberries but added sugar before freezing the strawberries. That is why this way of eating is really so easy. If you go to a restaurant and you are trying to decide what to order, just ask yourself if God made it. This way of eating is just plain old logical. Honey is pure sugar. Yes, God made it. If you want it in unlimited quantities, then you had better be prepared to go out and gather your own, not pour it from a bottle. Think about it. You are an ancient ancestor, wearing your animal skins, and you come across a beehive. You take a big stick and knock the hive down. Assuming you survive the hundreds of bee stings, you will treat the honey as if it were really precious. When you put that honey on your cereal or in your tea, is that the way you are thinking about it...that it is so precious that it was worth dying for? If it isn't worth dying for, then I suggest that you cut way back on the honey. Now lets' talk about coffee and tea. No calories, right? Should be able to have in unlimited quantities, especially if you don't add anything to it. That was the old thinking when you and I used to count calories. We know more now. We know that caffeine stimulates the pancreas to produce insulin, which grabs onto the glucose running around in our blood and deposits it onto our hips as fat. So why would we want to do that? Doesn't compute. While most people think they can't survive without the caffeine, we really can. Yes, you can have one or two cups of caffeine a day if you feel you must, but you will lose weight faster and actually feel better if you get that caffeine way down...to zero if you're really motivated. As for soda, even when it is sugar free and caffeine free, you should limit it to a maximum of one a day...again, to rarely or not at all is the best. When we have too much artificial sweetener, it seems to really slow down the weight loss. As for those artificial sweeteners, if you can eliminate them it would be wonderful. If you can only stick with this way of eating because you can have some artificial sweeteners, then have them...but be stingy with them. God didn't make them. Tortillas are on the swing list, as is popcorn. I often hear about tortillas being just corn, so why can't the person have it. After all, they can have plain corn. Good question. (Obviously, flour tortillas will never pass your lips again.) Lets' go back to plain corn before moving onto the corn tortillas and the popcorn...since I've told you that you can have plain kernel corn. When you have plain corn or corn on the cob, and then you check your stool (poop) the next day, what do you see? Corn! It seems that we human beings just aren't all that efficient when it comes to digesting corn. However, when we pop the corn, we open up the outer coating, which now makes the corn easily digestible and fattening. The same thing happens when we make mesa for corn tortillas. We dissolve that outer coating off of the corn (in lye, no less) and now the mesa is made into an easily digestible and fattening tortilla. That is why corn is used to fatten up cattle. They chew their cud and have four stomachs. They are able to digest the corn without having to make it into popcorn or mesa first. When we make it into popcorn or mesa, then the corn is as fattening for us as it is for the cattle. Diet jell-o is all processed food. However, it opens up a lot of variety into our meals, so you can have some. Once again, it should not be a staple in your daily eating because it can slow down the weight loss. There will always be more items that haven't been listed. Remember to use common sense and logic if you don't know about an item. Could you pluck it off a tree or vine? Could you kill it? Could you dig it out of the ground? If the answer is no to all of those questions, then you probably shouldn't eat it (unless it is eggs or milk, which don't fit into any of those categories; but then you already know about eggs and milk...you can have them). Speaking of common sense and logic, while God made some poisonous plants and poisonous fish, He didn't mean for us to eat them. End chapter 1. |