Why I Quit Plant-Based "Programs"

 

A few years ago I tried the McDougall Maximum Weight Loss Program. It is a starch-centered plant-based diet. I was very overweight and needed to lose 100 lbs. I lost 35 lbs. on it, but it was not only hard work, it was BORING with a capital “B.” Almost every meal was the same old thing. Rice, potatoes or beans with a few vegetables. When I tried the less restrictive form of the program I began to gain weight again. I searched for other ways to lose weight, but nothing seemed to work. In fact I kept gaining and eventually re-gained the 35 lbs. I had lost. I tried the Eat to Live program and liked it, but it too was very restrictive. I’ve also stopped going on message boards hosted by various diet doctors. While I respect the doctors who host them, many of their adherents tend to be fanatical and that comes through as judgmental towards other members of the message board. If you don’t follow the rules you are in for it. Some say you have to eat starch at every meal, while others say to avoid starchy foods. Some say don’t drink fruit smoothies, while others say you can have as many smoothies as you like. Some say not to eat nuts, while others say eat nuts every day. Some allow juice, while others say drinking juice is bad for you. Some say no snacking between meals while others say eat as much as you want including snacks.  It can get confusing and drive you crazy. Finally I said to heck with "rules oriented" weight loss programs.

As I said in a previous post on my blog, I'm not searching for a silver bullet, but for a middle ground. I finally have found it and it’s so simple anyone can do it. I simply follow a plant-based diet with no junk food or fast food and minimal packaged food. There are no food lists to follow, no off-limits plant foods and no “plan” to adhere to. I eat rice and potatoes when I want to, but if I don’t feel like having them I don’t. Same with bread and pasta. If I feel like eating a lot of fruit or having smoothies every morning I do. I don’t like oatmeal, so I don’t eat it. I also don’t like quinoa so I never buy it. I love veggies, so I eat a LOT of them. However I don’t like having a salad with every meal, so I don’t. As far as hard to find things like goji berries, pomegranates or fresh figs--forget about it. 

I have gleaned a lot of information from the diet programs I’ve tried and incorporate some of the information into the way I eat now. However for me anyway, trying to adhere to a strict program doesn’t work

Beanie-Mac

Beanie-Mac

1/2 c. chopped onions
1/2c. chopped bell pepper
1/4 c. water
1 medium can diced tomatoes with jalapenos *
1 medium can tomato sauce
1 can beans (black, pinto or kidney) or a combo of all three (drained)
1/4 -1/2 c. sliced black olives (drained)
2 cups cooked macaroni
shredded veggie cheese or crushed tortilla chips (or both)

Heat oven to 350 degrees

Saute' onions and peppers in water just until tender in a large skillet. Add diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, beans and olives. Heat through on medium heat. Add macaroni and heat until warm but not mushy. Pour into a casserole dish. Sprinkle on shredded veggie cheese. Bake just until cheese begins to melts. If not using cheese you don't have to bake it unless you want crisper tortilla chips.

*If you can't find diced tomatoes with jalapenos, use regular diced tomatoes and 1 small can of roasted, diced jalapenos.

Meniere's Disease and Diet

I have been having problems with hearing loss and tinnitus for the last 15 years. About four years ago I developed severe vertigo. When I have an attack of vertigo it is much more than simple dizziness. It feels as if the entire world is spinning out of control. It's the most helpless feeling I've ever had. After an attack I have to lie down and am usually so exhausted I sleep for several hours. Initially the vertigo attacks were infrequent (about once a year), but nonetheless incapacitating. I once had a vertigo attack while in a movie theater with my husband. I told my husband we had to leave immediately even though we had only watched a little of the movie. I barely made it out of the theater with the help of my husband and then got sick all over the parking lot. Even though I had three previous attacks of vertigo, this one was so violent I told my husband I thought I had food poisoning from the movie snacks (I had cinnamon donuts and coffee). So we rushed to the hospital. After determining I wasn't dying of a heart attack,  stroke or food poisoning I sat for 2 hours in the ER waiting to see a doctor. She gave me some anti-nausea medicine and sent me home. I made an appointment with my family physician who ordered an MRI which showed nothing wrong. However my vertigo continued and increased in frequency. I thought it might be connected in some way to my hearing loss and tinnitus so I made an appointment with an ear, nose and throat (ENT) doctor. After more tests he determined I had Meniere's Disease.

Although many theories have been postulated as to what causes Meniere's Disease, it's origin is still unknown. The symptoms are tinnitus (roaring or wooshing sound in the affected ear), vertigo and hearing loss. It is diagnosed by a review of the patient's medical history and by ruling out other causes. Also in my case tests showed I had an undiagnosed inner ear weakness from birth which may have been a contributing factor. I also have thyroid disease and it is also thought that there is a connection between autoimmune disease like hypothyroidism and Meniere's Disease.

While what a person eats does not cause Meniere's, symptoms may be alleviated or lessened by reducing the amount of sodium in the diet. Caffeine should also be eliminated. My doctor also told me to drink cranberry juice as a diuretic since excess fluid may cause the symptoms to worsen.

Doctor Joel Fuhrman's Eat to Live program is an ideal way to eat for people with Meniere's Disease as well as other medical problems because unlike highly starchy diets which can cause water retention and bloating, the Eat to Live program with all it's fruits and non-starchy vegetables helps release water from the body. Dr. Fuhrman also encourages a low-salt diet of about 1000 to 1500 mg. of sodium a day. He also discourages drinking coffee.

Although I will have to live with hearing loss and vertigo for the rest of my life, I feel the Eat to Live plan by Dr. Joel Fuhrman will help me to cope with my symptoms.