Nathan Pritikin – McDougall`s Most Important Mentor

February 2013
The McDougall News letter
Volume 12, Issue 02
Nathan Pritikin – McDougall’s Most Important Mentor
The re are only two people in my lifetime whose words of wisdom I always eagerly awaite d* and one of
them was Nathan Pritiki n (1915 – 1985). Duri ng my final year of Inte rnal Me dicine Residency at the University of Hawaii in 1978 I was gi ven a se t of audiot ape le ctures. I felt a sense of relief as I liste ned and
realize d some one else had com e to similar conclusi ons to those that I had reached duri ng my time as a
sugar plantati on doct or on the Big Island of Hawaii bet wee n 1973 and 1976. As a young physician practicing gene ral medi cine, I wit ne sse d first-ge neration Filipinos, Japane se, Chi nese, and K oreans thrivi ng
on diet s of rice and vegetable s. I also saw their childre n and grandchildren abandon the traditi onal ways
for meat and dairy product s, and become fat and si ck.
Page 2
An Independent Critique of Low-carb Diets: The Diet Wars Continue (Part 3)
In the Septem be r and October 2012 McD ougall ne wslett ers, I present ed re ade rs wit h arti cles addressing
the dangers of low- carbohydrate di ets, which are also popularly known as Paleo and Primal diet s and as
Atkins-ty pe diet s. Please tak e this opport unity t o read the se articl es.
In thi s article I look at some spe cific populations who lived before the gl obalization of the we stern di et
and ex plore the health of a number of cult ures that lived both on low-carbohy drate (meat, poultry, fish,
egg, and milk) base d diet s and high carbohy drat e (rice, corn, and pot ato) diet s.
I pre sent findings on the health of the nom adic populations from t he Ste ppe s in Ce ntral Asi a and t he
Pampas in South Ame rica who live d the “low- carbers dream”, subsisti ng on enorm ous amount s of grassfed meat and milk. Their ways of eati ng di d not prote ct them from obesity, he art di sease, and cancer. On
the ot her hand, I pre se nt populati ons from Asia-Pacific and Africa, subsi sting almost e ntirely on plant
foods (up to 95% of calorie s from carbohy drates), which were lean, muscular and largely free of he art
disease, stroke and cance r.
Page 4
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Page 10
February 2013
The McDougall News letter
Volume 12, Issue 02
Nathan Pritikin - McDougall's Most Important Mentor
There are only two people in my life time whose words of wisdom I a lways eagerly a waited* and one of
them was Na tha n Pritik in (1915 – 1985). During my final year of Interna l Me dicine Residency at the
University of Hawaii in 1978 I was given a se t of a udiota pe lectures. I fe lt a se nse of re lief as I listene d
and realize d s ome one else ha d come to similar conclus ions to those tha t I had rea che d during my time
as a sugar plantation doctor on the Big Island of Ha waii between 1973 a nd 1976. As a y oung physician
practicing general me dicine, I witnessed firs t-genera tion Filipinos, Ja pane se, Chinese, and Koreans
thriving on die ts of rice and vege tables. I als o sa w their children a nd grandchildren aba ndon the traditional ways for mea t and dairy
products, a nd be come fa t a nd s ick.
Mr. Pritikin and I first met in May of 1979. During his visit to the is land of Oahu,
Hawaii, I inv ite d him to my humble tract home in Kailua for dinner. Mary served
him and his wife Ilene a s imple meal of whole-grain bread, pasta, red sauce, and
confetti rice sa lad. Peach pie was our dessert. He sa id he like d the meal a lot. He
autographe d a copy of his new book, The Pritik in Program for Diet & E xercise for
me.
On his next vis it to Ha waii in October of 1982, we spent two days toge ther. I was
able to have him substitute for a schedule d s peaker at the regular noontime doctor’s confere nce at S traub Clinic & Hospita l. He was we ll re ceived e xce pt for one
rude physician. I thoug ht this doctor mig ht have felt threate ned by a non-medically
traine d person trying to teach him a bout curing patients with food. The next m orning I arranged for a spe cia l breakfas t me eting in his honor with the medical sta ff
and medical stude nts at The Que ens M edical Ce nter. Only two doctors atte nde d.
One shovele d greasy bacon a nd eggs into his mouth. Ne ither see med interes ted in
this physica lly s mall man whose big idea was to wipe out heart diseas e.
That a fternoon, I brought Mr. Pritikin to the Hawa ii PBS TV s tation in Honolulu and made this remarkable recording. He has never
been see n more rela xed and revealing.
That evening we held a potluck dinner for Mr. Pritikin
at the Kane ohe Yacht Club in Ka ne ohe, Hawaii. Over
225 people, many who were my patients, made
McDougall-style mea ls for him to tas te. He said he
loved the food. After dinner we walke d toge ther to
his car to say goodbye. Mary gave him approxima tely
100 of her recipes. A t that time the food served at
the Pritikin Ce nter in Santa Monica, Califor nia had a
reputa tion for being unimag ina tive a nd rather tasteless. He we nt on to use s ome of Mary’s recipes in his
book, T he Pritikin Prom ise (1983). An a cknowledgement in this book was to Dr. and Mrs. John A.
McDougall. T o be honest it s hould have bee n to Mary
only, for her re cipe contribution. I be lieve tha t it was
no coincidence that the food served at the
Nathan Pritikin: A Cas ual Conversation with Dr. John McDougall, 1982
Pritikin Center improve d greatly afterwards. The las t
time I saw this g iant in huma n nutrition was at his ce n-
February 2013
The McDougall News letter
Volume 12, Issue 02
ter in Santa Monica, Califor nia in 1983. My work stands s olidly on his s houlders and I offer this account of our brief rela tionship,
with my gratitude for the pr ofound differe nce he made in my life.
I greatly regret his untimely death in 1985 at ag e 69. T he world would have bee n a be tter pla ce if he had s urvived a nother decade
or two. For one, Dr. A tkins’ New Die t Re volution would have never become as big as it did in the 2000s. T he world would have never heard of the most popular diets these days, the low-carb, Pa leo Diets. His wisdom a nd streng th would have stopped this
“nutritional nonse nse” before it ever g ot starte d. We would not be suffering the current US financial fias co caused in large pa rt by
the wors t healthcare crisis ever known. People in the United States would not be k nown, as they are today, for being less healthy,
having more chronic disease and disability, and dying a t a younger ag e than pe ople living in other wea lthy na tions.” Maybe this
remarkable ma n could even have delaye d the earth’s inha bitants predicte d dem ise due to clima te cha nge.
But, there is no time for remorse; the world is in dire nee d of a re turn to our traditional s tarch-base d die ts.
A Brief History of t he Life of Nathan Pritik in
Born in Chicago in 1915, Na tha n Pritikin was diagnose d with near-fata l coronary artery disease in his early forties. His highest cholesterol was reporte d to be 280 mg/dL. Res earch to save his own life le d him to deve lop a low-fa t, low-cholesterol, highcarbohy drate die t to treat epide mic Wes tern illness es. He was a ble to lower his own cholesterol to be low 150 mg/ dL a nd relie ve all
signs a nd symptoms of hear t disease. His diet was very similar to the M cDougall Diet except for the use of small am ounts of s kim
milk products, lea n beef, chicken, and fish (very small am ounts). It was als o lower in salt and his program e mphasize d s trenuous
exercis e.
He s pent his early life as a n e ngineer and inve ntor, pate nting che mica l a nd ele ctrical products for corporations like Bendix a nd Honeywell. He never ha d formal medica l training. In 1958 he was diag nose d with a lym phoma (a blood cancer). His las t fe w months of
suffering, from this disease and the treatments, ca used him to take his own life at age 69 in 1985.
During his career he publishe d several national bes t-se lling books and his team publishe d over 100 scientific papers in some of the
world’s mos t res pected peer revie we d me dical journals. He founded his longevity ce nter in Santa Bar bara in 1974, then moved it to
the old Del Mar Hotel on the bea ch in Santa Monica in 1978. T housands of people a ttending his live-in pr ograms saw their he art
disease, dia bete s, arthritis, and obes ity reverse, almos t overnight. A variant of the original Pritikin Program is s till operating in Florida.
After his death a thoroug h a utopsy was performe d and the results were publis he d in the Ne w E ngland Journal of Medicine. His
heart was remarkably free of disease and the coronary arteries were com ple te ly open, proving one las t time that he was right.
One of my fav orite writings of Nathan Pritikin was the article High Carbohydrate Diets: Ma ligned a nd Mis understood, publis hed in
the Winter 1976 iss ue of T he Journal of Applie d Nutrition.
*The other person whose every word I hung onto was He nry Heimlich, M D, founder of the Heimlich maneuver. One of my gre atest
honors was that when he be came ill, Dr. He imlich ca me to my clinic for help.
February 2013
The McDougall News letter
Volume 12, Issue 02
An Independent Critique of Low-carb Diets: The Diet Wars
Continue—Part 3
In the September and O ctober 2012 McDouga ll news le tters, I prese nte d rea ders with articles addressing the dangers of lowcarbohy drate die ts, which are a lso popularly known as Pale o a nd Prima l die ts and as Atkins-ty pe die ts. Please take this opportunity
to rea d these articles.
In this article I look a t s ome spe cific populations who lived before the g lobaliza tion of the wester n diet and e xplore the hea lth of a
num ber of cultures tha t lived both on low-carbohydrate (m eat, poultry, fis h, egg, and m ilk) based diets and high carbohydrate
(rice, corn, and pota to) diets.
I present findings on the health of the noma dic popula tions from the Ste ppes in Central As ia a nd the Pa mpas in South America who
lived the “low-carbers dream”, subsisting on e normous a mounts of grass-fe d m eat a nd milk. The ir ways of ea ting did not protect
them from obesity, heart disease, and cancer. On the other hand, I present populations from Asia-Pacific and Africa, subsis ting almost entirely on plant foods (up to 95% of calories from car bohy drates), which were lean, mus cular and largely free of hear t disease, stroke a nd cancer.
The Nomadic Kirghiz and Dzungarian Plainsmen
In the 1920’s, Kuczynski reported on the nomadic pla insm en of the Kirghiz and Dz ungaria n Ste ppes in Central As ia a nd estima ted
that they cons ume d a n as tonishing 20 liters of ferme nted mare’s milk, and be twe en 10 to 20 pounds (4.5 to 9kg) of mea t per
day. 1 2 Lack of sys tema tica lly docume nted die tary da ta however suggests that these findings could have bee n slightly overestimated, as evidently has bee n the case for early researcher's estimate s of the Masa i's intake of m ilk, mea t, cholester ol a nd total e nergy. 3 Nevertheless, thes e noma dic plainsme n cons ume d e norm ous quantities of organic pa sture raised animals foods, perha ps
among the larges t ever docume nted.
Kuczy nski noted that the se noma ds, evidently largely as a res ult of the ir diet experience d a high incide nce of obesity, premature
exte nsive atherosclerosis, contracted kidney, apoplexy, arcus senilis, and gout. 4 5 In specific, Kuczynski a sserte d that:2
They get arte rios cle rosis in an intense de gree and often at an early age as shown by cardiac symptoms, nervous
disordes, typical changes of the periphe ral vessels, nephros clerosis and, finally, apoplectic attacks. Eve n in me n
thirty-two years old I frequently obse rved arcus se nilis.
The Nomadic Kirghiz Plainsme n
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The McDougall News letter
Volume 12, Issue 02
Kuczy nski compared the diet and health of these noma dic plainsme n with Rus sian peasa nts, who had a n a pparent low incide nce of
these conditions while consuming a vastly different die t. Their diet was base d on soup, brea d, pickles, potatoes, with very little
meat, but cons ume d large a mounts of alcohol. 5 In comparis on to the nomadic plainsm en, Kuczy nski asserted in regards to the se
Russ ian peasa nts tha t:2
Repeatedly I found at the age of about se venty years no s igns of arte rioscle ros is, no arcus senilis, e tc.; they we re
men of youthful appe arance, with no grey in their s till abundant growth of hair, and with the ir sexual functions
For more information regarding the health of nomadic populations, Don Ma tesz has previously pos ted an informative re vie w addressing the high rates of obe sity, car diovas cular dis ease a nd cancer am ong the m odern, s till largely noma dic Mongols cons uming
die ts rich in organic pa sture raised animal foods.
The Native Indonesians
In 1916, Cornelis D. de Lange n observed that the na tive Javanese, the indigenous pe ople of the Indones ian isla nd of Java who consume d a die t which was 'mainly vege tarian with rice as the sta ple, tha t is very poor in cholesterol and other lipids', ha d very low
levels of s erum choles terol and incide nce of coronary heart disease.6 Conversely, de La ngen observed tha t the ir Javanese counterparts who worked as ste wards on Dutch passenger s hips a nd consumed traditiona l choles terol la den Dutch food had much higher
levels of s erum choles terol and incide nce of coronary heart disease. 7 Black burn note d in regards to de Lang en's classica l findings
from Indonesia n hospita ls tha t: 6
Purs uing this clinical impression, he re viewe d 10 years of admiss ions charts and found only 5 cases of acute
gallbladde r disease am ong many thous ands of patients pass ing through the medical wards and only 1 case on the
surge ry service among 70,000 adm issions s urveyed.
Following these observations, de Lange n s tate d in regards to the rarity of vas cular dis ease am ong the Java nese tha t: 6
thrombosis and emboli, so se rious in Europe, are most exceptional he re. This is not only true of internal medicine,
but als o on surge ry, whe re the s urgeon needs take no thought of these dreade d possibilities among his native patients. Out of 160 major laparotomies and 5,578 deliveries in the wards, not a single case of thrombosis or embolism was seen.
These findings clos ely resemble observations from over 15,000 operations carried out in Nor way during the period around W orld
War II, where the chang es in incidence of post-operative thr ombosis was consis te nt with cha nges in the availability of cholesterol
laden foods [reviewed previous ly]. Blackburn a lso note d in regards to de La ngen’s 1922 experime nt, which is regarded a s appa rently the first ever systematic fee ding experiment of diet in rela tion to serum cholesterol levels, that: 6
…he found an average 40 mg/dl increase in choleste rol in 5 Javanese natives who were shifted from a rice-base d
vegetarian cuisine to a 6-week re gime n high in meat, butter, and e gg fats.
These findings were reproduced de cades la ter in hundreds of tig htly controlled feeding experime nts, firmly esta blis hing that dietary choles terol and is oca loric replace ment of comple x carbohydrates a nd unsaturated fat by sa turated fat raises LDL and total
cholesterol in humans. 8
In 1908, Willia ms noted in regards to the findings of early doctors who practiced in Indonesia a nd the rarity of cancer among the
February 2013
The McDougall News letter
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Javanese tha t: 9
...a single e xample of a m alignant tumour in a native be ing esteeme d a great rarity.
The Okinawans
In 1949, a government s urvey found that in Okinawa, k nown to have the highes t conce ntration of ce ntenaria ns in the world, the
popula tion consumed about 85% of the ir tota l e nergy intake from carbohy drates, with the sta ple a t the time be ing the swe et pota to. T he die tary survey also showe d tha t the Okinawa ns derived about 9% of their energy intake from protein and less tha n 4% of
energy from a ll sources of a nima l foods combined (Table 1). 10 These findings were largely cons iste nt with previous dietary sur veys
dating back to 1879 and 1919. 11
In 1946, Steiner e xamined autopsies of 150 Okina wans, of which 40 were be twe en the age of 50 a nd 95. Ste iner note d only s e ven
cases of s light a ortic atheros cleros is, all of which were found in thos e over the age of 66, and only one cas e of ca lcifica tion in the
coronary arteries. In 1946 Be nja min reported similar findings from a s tudy of 200 a utopsies on Okinawa ns. 12
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Even in 1995 the observed ra tes of coronary heart dis ease a nd dietary related cancers, including tha t of the colon, pros tate, breast
and ovarian in Ok inawa were not only ma ny fold lower than that of the Unite d Sta tes, but even significantly lower than tha t of
mainland Ja pan. 10 This may be expla ine d by the likelihood that these diseas es are s lowly progressive disease s and therefore the
more tra ditional Ok inawa n die t consume d s everal de cade s prior would still have played a ma jor r ole in the development and manifestation of these diseases. 13 14 15
The Papua New Guineans
The Pa pua New Guinea ns traditiona lly s ubsiste d on a plant bas ed die t, of which a number of varieties of s weet pota toes typically
supplie d over 90% of die tary intake. They a lso gre w a number of other crops including corn, as well as sugar ca ne which was consume d as a de lica cy. Pig feasts are organise d a few times a year, but at which pork is not consumed in e xcess of 50 grams. A dietary
survey on the Pa pua Ne w Guinea ns highlanders es tima te d that carbohydrate accounted for 94.6% of total energy intake, among
the hig hest recorded in the world. Total energy intake was a dequate, however only 3% of energy intake was derived from protein
(25g for me n and 20g for wome n), yet there was no evidence of die tary induced protein deficie ncy or ane mia. Furthermore, this
surveyed popula tion was described as being muscular and mos tly very lea n, physically fit a nd in good nutritional sta te. 16 17 They
also drank 's oft' water which is considered a risk fa ctor for cardiovascular disease. It was e stimate d tha t toba cco was smoked by
73% of males and 20% females. Als o, the highlanders spe nd up to twelve hours a day ins ide a s moke-filled house due to centrally
place d ope n wood fires with little ventilation and no chimneys in the ir homes, resulting in a very hig h e xposure to hazardous
smoke in this popula tion. 16
Despite cardia c risk factors including hig h e xposure to sm oke and s oft drinking wa ter, a number of authors observed a grea t r arity
of incide nce of atheroscleros is, coronary hear t disease and str oke am ong the traditional Papua New Guineans, but als o noted an
increase in incide nce paralleling the Wes terniza tion of the nation. In 1958, Blackhouse reporte d on a utops ies of 724 individua ls
between 1923 a nd 1934 and found no evidence of heart a tta ck incide nce and only one case of slight narrowing of the coronary
arteries. However, it has be en s uggested tha t this s tudy was s ele ctive as only a sma ll portion of the autopsies were performed on
females or the elderly. In 1969, Magarey et al. publis hed a report on the a utopsy res ults of 217 a ortas a nd found a great rarity of
atheros cleros is. The authors noted tha t the prevale nce and severity of atherosclerosis was less than ha d been reported in any previous ly inves tiga ted population. 18 In 1973, Sinne tt and W hyte publishe d findings from a s urvey of 779 hig hla nders using electrocardiograms among other me thods, a nd found little probable evidence of coronary heart disease, and no clinical evidence of dia betes,
gout, Parkinson’s disease, or any previous incide nce of stroke. 16
For a population that cons ume d virtually the highe st intake of carbohy drates out of a ny population to a lso have v irtually the lowes t
incide nce of atheroscleros is and dia bete s ever recorded highlights the v ital impor tance of the hea lth properties of s pecific car bohydrate rich foods. T hese findings further question cer tain 'carbohy drate-induce d dyslipidem ia' hypothe ses, em phas ized by certain
researchers, who perhaps inte ntionally do not always take the quality of carbohy drate rich foods into careful consideration. 19
In 1900, Sir Willia m MacGregor reporte d in the La nce t in regards to the observed rarity of ca ncer a mong the native Pa pua Ne w
Guinea ns, asserting tha t: 20
For nine and a half years I ne ve r saw a case in British New Guine a ; but at the end of that time the re occurred an
example of sarcoma of the tibia in a Papuan, who had for se ven or eight years lived practically a E uropean life, eating tinned Aus tralian meat daily.
In 1974, Clezy brought to a ttention the rarity of mortality from colorectal cancer am ong the Pa pua Ne w Guinea ns, for which the
observed annual rate per 100,000 was 0.6 for me n and 0.2 for women. T hese rates were 100 fold lower than tha t of ma ny de velope d na tions during the same time period, althoug h this could have been in par t e xpla ine d by under diagnosis. 17
Even in more rece nt sta tis tics after modes t change s towards a western diet, the Pa pua Ne w Guinea ns s till had among the lowest
rates of hip fractures in the world, which Frasse tto e t al. obs erved was m ore than 50 fold lower than tha t of the Scandinavian nations. 21 Although these researchers as cribe d the worldwide differe nces in rates of hip fra ctures to the ratio of vegeta ble to animal
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The McDougall News letter
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prote in, evidence from prospective cohort studies and randomize d controlle d tria ls, as well as experime nta l animal mode ls s uggests that saturate d fa t may be a t least as great, if not an even greater contributor to poor bone health. 22 23 24 25 26
The Tokelauans and Pukupukans
In the video be low, Pla nt Pos itive reviews the die t a nd hea lth of the T okela uans and Pupukans whose die t is rich in coconuts, as
well as the diet and hea lth of other South Pa cific isla nd populations.
A 1908 Review on the Causation of Cancer
In 1908, Willia m Roger W illiams published a n e xtens ive review of the m edical literature and docume nta tions from a large number
of popula tions around the world be fore the wides pread use of intens ive farm ing practices. Williams observed tha t compared to the
nations with carnivorous dietary patterns there was a sig nificantly lower incide nce of cancer am ong the na tions subsis ting pre dominantly on a plant-bas ed die t. He als o noted that groups within na tions with carnivorous dietary pa tterns tha t largely a bsta ine d
from anima l foods, such as nuns, monks, s laves and prison inma tes had a similar low incide nce of ca ncer. 9
Williams reported on the cancer rates of the area inha bited by the Ga ucho of the Argentina Pa mpas, another noma dic popula tion
that subsis ted pre domina ntly on organic pas ture raise d a nima l foods, noting tha t:9
Cance r is comm one r in A rgentina which com prises the pam pas region inhabite d by the Gauchos, who for months
subsis t entirely on beef, and ne ve r touch s alt than in othe r parts of South America. O n the othe r hand, among the
natives of Egypt, who are of vegetarian habits, and cons ume immense quantities of salt, cancer is alm ost unknown.
The Nomadic Argentine an Gaucho
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These findings are largely cons iste nt with modern reviews from prom ine nt hea lth a uthorities, including the re port from the e xpert
panel of the World Cancer Res earch F und that produced convincing evide nce tha t re d mea t is a major risk factor for ca ncer a nd
that dietary fiber provides sig nifica nt protection [re viewe d pre viously]. However, these findings ra ise ques tions as to whe ther the
Egyptians plant-bas ed die t tha t is ce ntered on wheat provides s ignifica nt protection agains t sa lt sens itive ca ncers. In regards to the
cancer incidence among the different ethnic groups of Egypt, Willia ms quote d from a 1902 publica tion in the British Medical Journal a uthored by Dr. F. C. Madden of Cairo that: 9
The consens us of opinion am ong medical me n in E gypt is, that cance r is ne ver found either in male or female,
among the black races of that country. These include the Be rbe rines and the S udanese, who are all Mussulmans,
and live almost e ntirely upon vege tarian diet. Cancer is fairly comm on, howe ver, among the A rabs and Copts,
Williams also observed tha t the increases in incidence of cancer within popula tions coincide d with increases in a nimal food intake.
For example, in regards to the observed marked increase cancer incide nce a mong the Na tive A merica n’s after gaining easier means
to hunt buffaloes, W illiams a sserte d: 9
In this conne xion it should be borne in mind, that in their prim itive condition these savages had no horses and no
firearms ; consequently it was no e asy matte r for the m to kill the flee t buffaloes, on which they m ainly depe nded
for s ubs istence ; hence, in the ir primitive condition, they were gene rally less we ll nouris hed than when, afte r contact with whites, they had, by the acquire ment of horses and firearms, be come assured of a cons tant s upply of
their favourite food [coinciding with an increase in cance r incidence].
Histor ica l Overv iew of the Reversa l of Chr onic Diseas es
In 1903, John Harvey Ke llogg, the founder of the Kellogg Compa ny asserte d:
Dr John Bell, who was, about a hundred years ago [now two hundred years ago], profess or in a leading colle ge in
London, wrote that a careful adherence to a vegetarian die tary te nded to preve nt cancer. He also stated that in
some cases pe rsons who had alre ady acquire d cance r had been cured by adhe rence to a non-fles h dietary. Whe n I
firs t read this book, I did not agree with the author; I thought he was m istaken; but I have gradually come to believe that what he s ays on this subject is true.
These findings are consis tent with Dr. Dean Ornis h’s on-going Prosta te Cancer Lifesty le Tria l which has a lready produce d s trong
suggestive evidence of reversal of prosta te cancer growth. 27 These findings are a lso consis te nt with experime nts showing tha t die tary restriction of methionine, ty pica lly found in higher qua ntity a nd bioavaila bility in protein rich a nima l foods com pared to unprocessed plant foods ca n inhibit and even reverse human tumor growth in a nimal models and in culture [re vie wed pre viously].
Publica tions producing evidence of regression of atherosclerosis in huma ns dates ba ck to the periods following both the W orld
Wars in Scandinav ia and the low countries of E urope, where a num ber of researchers found a trend betwee n changes in intak e of
cholesterol laden foods thr oughout periods of food s carcity in the war and changes in the severity of a ther osclerosis at a utopsy
[reviewed previously]. Several decades la ter during the 1960's a nd 70's experime nts involving m odest dietary and lifes tyle cha nges
or drugs produce d the firs t ang iographic evidence of m odest regression of atheros cleros is.28
In experime nta l anima l mode ls, the first s uggestive evidence of regression of atheroscleros is ca me fr om rabbit m ode ls produced by
Anichkov and colleag ues during the 1920’s. Beginning fr om 1957 much more substa ntial ev ide nce of regression was produced in
rabbits and the n la ter replicate d in a number of other s pecies, including non-huma n primates. 29 30
In 1970, Armstrong e t al. publishe d the first study producing s ubs tantial evidence of regression of atherosclerosis in non-human
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primate s. Armstrong e t al. induced severe autopsy prove n a theros clerosis in Rhesus m onkeys rese mbling tha t of human a theroscleros is by fee ding a die t with 40% of energy from egg yolks for 17 months. The egg yolks were then remove d from the die t of the
remaining monkey’s and re placed by either linoleic acid rich chow or sugar rich low fat chow for three years reducing serum cholesterol to 140 mg/dl a nd res ulting in a marked regression of a ther osclerosis. 28 31 These results were la ter repr oduce d in well over a
doze n e xperiments in various prima te s pe cies in which s evere atherosclerosis was induce d ty pica lly by fee ding diets rich in dietary
cholesterol and saturate d fa t and the n reversed the process either by rem oving these a theroge nic com ponents, or by other means
which significantly reduce serum cholester ol. 30
During the la te 1980’s, Dr. Dean Ornis h and Dr. Caldwe ll E ssels tyn began reversing a theros cler osis, and more importantly gre atly
decrease d the number of re occurring cardia c events in participants who adhered to a pla nt-based diet and ofte n other lifesty le
modifications. 32 33 34 35 More recently Dr. Essels tyn has replicate d his initia l findings in around 200 participa nts over the period of a
deca de, with publica tion pe nding res ults showing a phenome nal success rate of a 99.5% reduction in re occurring cardiovascular
events [re vie wed pre viously].
Kid-Friendly Snacks, Dips and Spreads
By Hea ther McDougall
Below are some of my children’s favorite s nack foods. T hey are growing boys and ea t ofte n, so I always
have at leas t of couple of these dip a nd spread recipes rea dy-to-go in the fridge. All of these ca n be
served with carrots, s ugar sna p peas, red bell pepper, stea med broccoli, boile d and chille d re d pota toes, crackers, or whole whea t brea d or bagels, which I als o a lways have on hand. All of these re cipes
pack well for s chool lunches or for any outdoor a dventure. I find that if I a m prepared there is less
chance for requests of not-so-healthy foods whe n we are out. Next m onth, I will feature kid-friendly
lunchbox recipes.
Favorite Pre-pa ckaged Snacks for K ids
Pretzels
Corn Thins
Baked T ortilla Chips
Popcorn with Bragg’s and Nutritional Yeast
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The McDougall News letter
Volume 12, Issue 02
Dried Fruit without Sulfur
Fruit Leather swe ete ned with fruit juice
Some of our fav orite crackers:
Mary’s Gone Crackers
Whole Foods 365 Baked Woven W heats
Edward & Sons Baked Brown Rice S naps – Ta mari Seawe ed, Tamari Sesame, Bla ck
Sesame
Real Foods Corn Thins
Eggless Egg Sala d
Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Chilling T ime: 2 hours
Servings: Makes 1 ¾ cups
12.3 ounce package e xtra firm s ilken tofu
¼ cup tofu mayonnaise (se e below)
¼ cup mince d celery
¼ cup finely diced white onion
2 teas poons apple cider vinegar
½ teas poon turmeric
¼ teaspoon onion powder
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon dill weed
¼ teaspoon salt
Place the tofu in a bowl and ma sh with a fork or bea n mas her until crum bled, but not smooth. A dd remaining ingre die nts and mix
well. Cover and chill a t least 2 hours be fore serving.
Tofu May onna ise
12.3 ounce package firm s ilken tofu
1 ½ ta ble spoons le mon juice
1 teas poon sugar
½ teas poon sa lt
¼ teaspoon dry mustar d
1/8 teaspoon white pepper
Com bine a ll ingredients in a food process or and pr ocess until s mooth. Cover and refrigerate.
This will kee p in the refrigerator for a t least 1 week.
Red Pepper Aioli
Use this as a dip for raw veggies, or as a s pread for crackers or bread.
Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Chilling T ime: 1 hour or longer
Servings: makes 2 cups
February 2013
The McDougall News letter
Volume 12, Issue 02
12.3-ounce pa ckage s oft silke n tofu
2 ta bles poons lemon juice
1 ta bles poon cider vinegar
dash sa lt
½ cup roas ted red peppers
Place the tofu in a food processor a nd process until fa irly smooth. A dd remaining ingredie nts and pr ocess until very smooth (this
may take several minutes). Refrig erate a t least 1 hour for flavors to ble nd. Note, you may either buy the red peppers a lready roasted in a jar (jus t be s ure they are not pa cked in oil) or you ca n make your own.
Hummus
There are ma ny variations of Humm us in mos t s upermarkets and natural food stores. Many of the m have added olive oil and most
have ta hini. Some people are convince d that Humm us without ta hini is jus t not Humm us. However, I have be en making no ta hini
Hum mus for years a nd it is delicious, plus it is healthier for your body. If you can’t sta nd the thought of Hummus without tahini,
the n add 1 ta bles poon of it to this recipe, realizing tha t you are als o a dding s ome fat to the recipe.
Preparation Time: 5 minute s
Servings: makes 1 1/2 cups
1 15 ounce ca n garba nzo bea ns, drained and rins ed
3 ta bles poons lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, crus he d
1-2 tablespoons wa ter
dash s ea salt
Place all ingredie nts in a food proce ssor a nd process until very smooth. Add additional wa ter to chang e the consis tency of the hummus, if des ired.
Hints: A dd other ingredients to this basic Humm us, for flavor a nd varie ty.
1/2 cup roaste d re d peppers plus 1/2 teas poon ground cum in
1/2 cup choppe d parsley or cila ntro
1-2 teaspoons chopped jala peno pepper
Mock Tuna S pread
Servings: makes 2 cups
Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Chilling T ime: 1 hour
1 15-ounce ca n garbanz o beans, drained a nd rinse d
1 sta lk ce lery, fine ly choppe d
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1/4 cup finely chopped green onions
1 ta bles poon lemon juice
1/4 cup Tofu Mayonna ise
salt to tas te
Place the beans in a food proces sor and proce ss until coarse ly choppe d, or mas h with a bea n masher. Don’t le t the m get to a
February 2013
The McDougall News letter
Volume 12, Issue 02
smooth consiste ncy.
Place in a bowl a nd add remaining ingredients. Mix we ll. A dd a bit more Tofu Mayo if y ou want a creamier spread. A dd salt to taste.
Chill to blend flavors.
RECIPE HI NT:
Two tablespoons of pickle relish may be a dde d to this s pread to jazz it up.
Creamy Dill T ofu Dip
I always have a ba tch of this in the refrigerator. My boys love it with steam ed broccoli.
1 package Creamy Dill Dip by S imply Organics
3 cups T ofu Sour Cream
Tofu S our Cream
2 12.3 ounce pa ckages silken tofu
4 ta bles poons lemon juice
3 teas poons sugar
1 teas poon salt
Com bine a ll ingredients in a food process or and pr ocess until very sm ooth a nd creamy. Refrigerate at leas t 2 hours to a llow flavors
to meld, one day is even better.
Spinach Dip
My mom a nd I have bee n making this dip for many years. We like it on crackers or as a dip for fresh vege tables -- artichokes a re
my boys’ favorite. T his can als o be served in a bread bowl.
Preparation Time: 5 minutes
Chilling T ime: 1-2 hours
Servings: makes a bout 2 cups
12.3-ounce box silken tofu
1 package (1.1 ounce) Fantastic F oods Vege table Soup & Dip mix
½ package (10 ounce ) froz en chopped spinach, thawe d & squeeze d dry
¾ cup tofu s our crea m (recipe above)
Place the tofu in a food processor a nd process until very smooth. Scrape into a me dium sized bowl. Add the soup mix and s tir
well. Add the spinach a nd stir aga in until well mixe d. Stir the tofu s our crea m into this m ixture, cover and refrigerate for a t le ast
one hour to a llow flavors to ble nd.
Simple Bean Dip
This is s uch a s imple dip tha t you won’t be lieve it ca n taste so good. Make it a day a hea d of when you plan to us e it s o the fla vors
can ble nd. Serve with baked tortilla chips, baked pita chips or on brus chetta or crackers. We a lso like it with cold, boiled pota toes
as a sna ck.
Preparation Time: 5 minutes
Servings: variable
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2 - 15 ounce cans black or pinto beans, draine d a nd rinse d
1 cup fresh mild sa lsa
salt to tas te
Place the beans and salsa in a food processor a nd process until sm ooth. Refrigera te overnight for be st flavor.
Hints: Vary this dip by using different sa lsas or bea ns. T o make brus che tta, s lice brea d quite thin, rub with a cut clove of garlic, if
desired, a nd toast in the oven or on a grill until crisp.
Pumpk in Muffins
I bake these in silicone muffin cups, medium size. I le t the muffins cool for about 10
minutes, the n jus t pop them out of the muffin cups. No s ticking ever!
Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Baking Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 12 muffins
Dry Ingredients:
1 cup whole wheat pas try flour
3/4 cup unbleached white flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teas poon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon bak ing powder
1 1/2 teas poons cinna mon
1 teas poon nutmeg
1/2 cup choppe d wa lnuts
1/4 cup raisins
Wet Ingre die nts:
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1/2 cup Lig hter Bake fa t re placer
1/4 cup molasses
1/4 cup non-dairy milk
2 teas poons Ener-G egg repla cer mixe d in
4 ta bles poons warm water
Preheat ove n to 375 degrees.
Com bine a ll dry ingre die nts in a large bowl and se t aside. Com bine a ll we t ingredie nts in a medium bowl and mix well until s m ooth.
Pour wet ingredie nts over dry ingredients a nd mix well (do not over-mix). Spoon ba tter into muffin cups. It will fill 12 medium muffin cups. Bake for 30 minutes.
Hints: Use a whisk whe n mixing the egg replacer with the wa ter a nd bea t until frothy. The n add to the other we t ingredients. EnerG egg re placer is a flour product, available in many natural food s tores. It is use d for leavening and binding. T est for donenes s by
inserting a toothpick into the center. If it comes out clea n, it is done. If you don’t have s ilicone baking pa ns, these may be made in
any non-s tick muffin tins or baking pans. A llow to cool before re moving from pa ns. Lighter Bake is a fat repla cer ma de by
Sunswe et. I t ca n be found in ma ny supermarkets or online a t www.suns wee t.com.
February 2013
The McDougall News letter
2013 John M cDo ugall All Right s Reserved
Dr. Mc Douga ll's Health a nd Medica l Cente r
P.O. Box 1 403 9, Sa nta Rosa, CA 954 02
http://www.drmcdo ugall. com
Volume 12, Issue 02