If You Stick to Primarily Eating the Foods Above the Red Line You'll Be Full, Healthy, & Not Overweight - Four Pounds of Food for Only 1500 Calories

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Yes, yes, I know.

"I don't know why anyone would take drugs when they could do something like this."

"..every day doctors are publishing hundred of papers on circulation research and medications that are lowering blood pressure or cholesterol by a small bit. And here we have such a powerful intervention that is basically cleaning out the arteries."

"In terms of cardiovascular diseases - the No. 1 cause of death: 4 out of 10 people die of it in the U.S. and Europe - we know that they (Calorie Restriction Society members) will not die of cardiovascular death."

They are among the healthiest people I've ever known. Their heart function is similar to people 15 years younger, they have very low levels of inflammation and very few get cancer."

"I didn't think calorie restriction worked in humans until I started working with people who'd been doing it for years.

If you missed my "put a smile on your face" video of exercising during a Farm2Forks break, you can watch it here.

But trust me, it doesn't come close to hearing Jeff in person. He's half stand-up comedian and half "the most engaging college professor" you ever had. If you ever have a chance to hear him speak in person--"just do it!".

In the meantime, Jeff Novick has his own excellent summary of a lot of the material he presented in his "Calorie Density: How to Eat More & Weigh Less" presentation. You can find it here.

This post, written almost 2 years ago after my first three months on a plant-based no-added oil diet, does a good job of explaining why "plant-strong" works for me. So, here you go!

And Fontana, is a really nice guy! He even wrote my daughter-in-law back recently when she asked him for a recommendation for a family doctor who supported a plant-based diet. Unfortunately, he didn't have one to recommend.

Fontana's research has led him to the conclusion that eating excessive animal protein increases prostate, breast & colon cancers--and eating a lower-calorie nutrient-dense diet will prevent the typical Western chronic diseases. You can read all about it below.

I had a chance to talk to Jeff, and I was excited to learn that he's a friend & a fan of Dr. Luigi Fontana's, the long-time caloric-restriction researcher at both Washington University in St. Louis & the Italian Institute of Health. And what does Luigi Fontana have to do with Farms2Forks ? Let me explain.

But, back to H.L. designed-chart above. It's based on data from one of Jeff Novick's Farms2Forks presentations, "Calorie Density: How to Eat More & Weigh Less," which sums up why switching to a nutrient-dense plant-based lifestyle will bring you health, prevent chronic disease, & help you to lose weight painlessly & effortlessly. Really.

And, just so you know--Rip's crew did put us to work. The Lab Rat helped to park cars, & I helped with registration. But, it was so much fun.

Just imagine a beautiful sunny 75 degree weekend on the Esselstyn farm, enjoying delicious plant-strong breakfasts, lunches, & dinners that someone else prepared, meeting HHLL readers & like-minded upbeat people from all over, & having the opportunity to talk with Dr. T. Colin Campbell, all the Esselstyns, Jeff Novick, and Lindsay Nixon (The Happy Herbivore). Beyond anything I could have imagined!

So much to share--so little time this month . I've got over 70 pages of notes & tons of pictures to somehow summarize into maybe 4 posts! I can't thank the Esselstyn's enough for inviting me & the Lab Rat to share the fun, food, friendships, & brain-expanding/motivating presentations at what Jeff Novick dubbed, "Plant-Stock" at Claverack!

Soon. Soon. I promise. I'm working on it. Busy, busy, until after Labor Day.

When am I going to post my summary of my fantastic Farms2Forks weekend at the Esselstyn Farm ?

9/21/10 update: Bill Clinton's CNN interview. Why he's eating plant-based. His stent wasn't going to cure his cardiovascular problems. He wanted a long-term solution. Click here.

Update 9/25/10: Click here for my latest post about Bill Clinton's Diet and Wolf Blitzer's Interview with Drs. Esselstyn & Ornish.

Back to October 11, 2009 - Revisiting the CALERIE Study

One of my all-time favorite posts was almost a year ago--about the CALERIE Study that's been ongoing at Washington University in St. Louis (a shout-out to Wash U!), Tufts University in Boston, and the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge.

I was totally intrigued by these 132+ people who were cutting their calories by 25%, eating a nutrient-dense diet, and getting super healthy all at the same time. But, honestly, it sounded like a whole lot of measuring, weighing, calorie counting, and constant hunger. Back then I didn't seriously think it was something I could ever do it.

Fast forward to June 18, 2010 when I decided to up the ante on my plant-based diet, and take Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn's challenge to cut out oils, nuts, and avocados from my already healthy diet. That was 3 months ago--my 4 week "experiment" is over, but I'm still going strong with this eating lifestyle. (update Aug. 2012: Still going strong with the plant-based no-added-oil diet, 2+ years later & cannot see ever changing)

Weight-loss is always a huge motivator. I got on the scale today and I was 121 pounds--unbelievable for me--and that's with plenty of muscles, I'll have you know! Down 10 pounds in 13 1/2 weeks, and I'm not counting calories or depriving myself one bit. (update Aug. 2012: I've stabilized at around 118 pounds, with plenty of lean muscles, a pretty flat belly & I eat a lot!)

I love how my clothes fit--I love that my blood pressure is consistently low normal--that my resting pulse is around 56--my cholesterol is just fine, I've got plenty of energy, the toxic belly fat is almost gone, as well as my extra tush cushioning--and guess what? I didn't set out on this diet to lose weight. I figured I was fine just the way I was--at 131 pounds--OK for a sixty-year old. (Update Aug. 2012: Now age 62.5 at 118)

I set out on this path for the same reason that Lisa Walford did. She's the 55 year-old daughter of the late Dr. Ray Walford, one of the first researchers to look at the benefits of caloric-restriction. Lisa has followed a 25% calorie restricted diet for over 20 years and at 4 foot 8 inches, she weighs in at a diminutive 80 pounds, and eats around 1500 calories a day. If Lisa wasn't trying to lose or gain weight--her "set point" would be 95 pounds and she'd be consuming 2000 calories a day.

"Personally, I don't do it in hopes that I live longer. I do it so that I can liver better now! If I do live longer, it'll be a nice bonus." Lisa Walford My Unintentional Calorie-Restriction Experiment

Without intending to, it turns out that I'm following many of the precepts of calorie restriction, as well as the guidelines of the CALERIE Study (the Comprehensive Assessment of the Long Term Effects of Reducing Intake of Energy).

Sticking to the most nutrient-dense foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes--although the CALERIE study is not vegan or vegetarian.

like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes--although the CALERIE study is not vegan or vegetarian. Eating foods that are filling, appealing, low in calories, and nutrient-rich.

Eating lots of fiber- -at least 50 grams a day (for me) without counting grams or even trying. Fiber is key to keeping satisfied and full--and it likely activates the satiety receptors in the lower intestine. My husband is a huge fan of eating a big bowl of high-fiber cereal (Uncle Sam's & Ezekiel's) with oat milk as a dessert, or when he craves a snack.

-at least 50 grams a day (for me) without counting grams or even trying. Fiber is key to keeping satisfied and full--and it likely activates the satiety receptors in the lower intestine. My husband is a huge fan of eating a big bowl of high-fiber cereal (Uncle Sam's & Ezekiel's) with oat milk as a dessert, or when he craves a snack. I 've easily cut my calories by 25% just by eliminating the high calories of oil, avocados, chocolate, sugar, and nuts. I'm consuming around 1400-1600 calories of very filling, nutrient-dense & high-fiber foods without counting a single calorie.

just by eliminating the high calories of oil, avocados, chocolate, sugar, and nuts. I'm consuming around 1400-1600 calories of very filling, nutrient-dense & high-fiber foods without counting a single calorie. Why I wasn't losing weight on a plant-based diet. To maintain my previous weight of around 131 pounds I was eating around 2000-2200 calories a day, and exercising around 5 days a week. Sure, I had been eating mostly plant-based since March 2008--but I still used olive & canola oils, salad dressings, ate avocados, nuts, nut butters, chocolate, and didn't scrutinize labels for added fat. I never lost a pound.

To maintain my previous weight of around 131 pounds I was eating around 2000-2200 calories a day, and exercising around 5 days a week. Sure, I had been eating mostly plant-based since March 2008--but I still used olive & canola oils, salad dressings, ate avocados, nuts, nut butters, chocolate, and didn't scrutinize labels for added fat. Eliminating high-calorie-low-nutrient foods. By just cutting out the added oils in my food and in my cooking, eliminating nuts (except for small amounts of walnuts in recipes), avocados, vegan mayo, my beloved Terrapin Ridge Chipotle sauce, my favorite Whole Foods prepared deli vegan fare, hummus with tahini, and chocolate--I've naturally cut my calories to about 1400 a day without counting a calorie, or missing a thing! Believe me, I never thought I could cook without oil, or live without nuts.

By just cutting out the added oils in my food and in my cooking, eliminating nuts (except for small amounts of walnuts in recipes), avocados, vegan mayo, my beloved Terrapin Ridge Chipotle sauce, my favorite Whole Foods prepared deli vegan fare, hummus with tahini, and chocolate--I've naturally cut my calories to about 1400 a day without counting a calorie, or missing a thing! Believe me, I never thought I could cook without oil, or live without nuts. I eat whenever I'm hungry and as much as I want.

If you had the chance to stay healthy and lean as you aged--free from the diseases of aging, like diabetes, cancer, and cardiovascular diseases--and all you had to do was cut out 25% of your daily calorie intake--would you do it? Oh--and if you could also fit into cool clothes, drop to your high school weight, & enjoy super energy? Would you be willing to do it?



Why Is Calorie Restriction on My Mind Right Now?



A few weeks ago I picked up the Sept/Oct 2010 issue of Natural Health and zeroed right in on their cover story "Eat Less, Live Longer" by Catherine Guthrie.

And then I watched the 2010 Milken Institute panel, "The Science of Longevity", that featured my favorite calorie restriction expert from Washington University, Dr. Luigi Fontana. I highly recommend viewing this video if you ever have 70 minutes to spare. Right!

August 2012 Update: I just watched the 2012 Milken Institute Panel, "Getting to 100: Your How-To Guide" with Dr. Luigi Fontana & others. Excellent 1 hour presentation. That summary will appear in a future post. Dr. David Heber, admittedly, can be a tad annoying & overbearing!



If you aren't seeing the 2012 Milken Institute video on your screen, click here.

Here's what I learned from the 2010 Milken Institute:





1. Your body has a natural set point weight. That's the weight your body would naturally gravitate to if you weren't trying to lose or gain weight. If you want to lower your calories by 25%--you first need to know how many calories you typically eat to maintain your "natural set point" weight.

2. Short-term pleasure vs long-term benefits. To make this work, you have to be willing to sacrifice the short-term pleasure of chocolate cakes for the long-term benefit of good health. Easier said than done. It's also not just a calorie-cutting game--it's eating the most nutrient-dense foods possible. Otherwise you end up malnourished.



3. Why does calorie restriction confer good health? Most researchers in the field believe it's because low-calorie nutrient-dense foods stave off oxidative stress, which is the damage caused by free radicals--a natural byproduct of the body's metabolism. Catherine Guthrie offers an elegantly simple explanation of the process.





"Think of free radicals like the carbon dioxide produced when you burn gas driving a car. By restricting the amount of calories entering the body, cellular engines are forced to be more efficient (hybrid vs SUV), and the entire body hums like a well-oiled machine. More efficient cellular engines mean less metabolic waste and fewer free radicals spewed into the body. Since free radicals (and inflammation) play a role in nearly all age-related diseases, especially cancer, heart disease, and diabetes, the result is healthier aging."



4. Caloric restriction slows aging. According to Dr. Luigi Fontana, caloric restriction is the most powerful tool we have to slow aging, and reduce disease. All the cardiac risk factors are reduced significantly, type 2 diabetes is reduced to zero, arteries are clean, and cancer causing hormones are down-regulated. Right now the average life span in the U.S. is 80 years. The average health span is 50 years--after that it's doctor visits, prescriptions & treating disease. We need to bridge that gap. Fontana's latest article on "Extending Healthy Life Span--From Yeast to Humans" is published in Science 2010 Apr 16;328(5976):321-6. Click here.

5. Animal protein & cancer. Reducing the amount of animal protein we eat to 10% of calories eaten reduces risk factors for prostate, breast, and colon cancers, and neurodegenerative diseases. Animal protein increases IGF-1, a growth factor associated with these diseases. (Fontana) Click here to read more.



6. A Flat Belly Means a Healthy Body. BMI is a crude way to measure health. Waist circumference is better. A flat belly means you are eating just the right amount of calories you need. Yikes! A round belly means you are eating too much. (Fontana)



7. If you have a family history of cancer, eating a high animal protein diet is not a good idea. (Fontana)



And now for the original post from Oct. 11, 2009. It will explain a lot.





CALERIE: The NIH Calorie-Restriction Experiment. Lessons for Health, Slowing Down the Aging Process, Longevity, and Disease Prevention