Hi folks! I've decided to officially open a new set of lists in
addition to FATFREE. There is some overlap with FATFREE, but distinct
differences as well.
WHY I STARTED POWER FOODS
These lists are an outgrowth of my frustration with a common popular
misunderstanding of what a healthy low fat diet should consist of.
Although nearly all promoters of low fat diets (including
Ornish, Pritikin, McDougall, Shintani, and Mirkin) have emphasized
whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and beans, this emphasis often goes
unnoticed by those who try low fat on their own without really reading
the advice and by those who criticize low fat diets. All too often,
Westerners adopting a low fat diet try to subsist on pasta with a skim
milk sauce, potatoes with fat free cheese sauce, skinless chicken
breast, and fat free sugar-filled desserts. These foods can be enjoyed
in moderation if one is so inclined, but a diet based almost solely on
them is not a particularly healthy or enjoyable one, in my opinion.
The Power Foods List is intended to help correct this problem by
promoting lower fat recipes that are extremely high in nutritional
value per calorie. To this end, many popular dishes are totally left
out: pastas, baked goods, most desserts.
BASIC PHILOSOPHY BEHIND THE POWER FOODS RULES:
The basic approach starts with a vegan diet, excluding meat and dairy
products and eggs. But it then further eliminates low nutrient foods
such as ground grains and sugars (which are high in caloric density
with few goodies such as various good phytochemicals and vitamins and
minerals). Although not eliminated, oils and higher fat vegan items
such as nuts and seeds are to be used in limited moderation. But,
then it moves away from a vegan diet but permitting fish and seafood
(generally because such foods are high in omega-3 fatty acids). And
even further from a vegan diet by permitting meat products such as
meat stocks since these add flavor for few calories. Finally it
focuses on specific categories of "powerfoods", foods which are
particularly high in certain nutrients. So basically you say the
approach is vegan minus ground grains and sugars limited fat plus
non-vegan and non-vegetarian meat stocks and seafood.
These restrictions represent a highly personal and subjective approach
to food. It does not represent any diet promoted by anyone, including
me, and is not even intended to define any ideal or recommended or
nutritionally complete diet. It does not even represent a diet I
follow, not even for short periods of time. It is merely meant to
highlight a certain subset of dishes which meet certain subjective and
not entriely consistent criteria. It is to be expected that every
reader and contributor will have quibbles and disagreements with the
scope of the list. And given that the scope might not seem reasonable
or totally understandable, I realize that it may, at times, require
effort to determine if a recipe meets the scope of the list and is
appropriate for posting. But, it is my hope there are folks out there
who will find the list's scope of enough interest to be useful.
NOTES:
Please also note that this list is not based upon Stephanie Beling's
book _Powerfoods_. Although there are significant similarities
between the recipe focus here and that of the book (just as there is
between the recipe focus here and books of Bob Arnot, Pritikin, or
Ornish), there are also significant differences. I recommend her book
highly nonetheless.
Because of the inclusion of fish, seafood, and meat stocks, this is
not a vegetarian recipe list. For those who may be unaware, here
are short definitions of 'vegetarian' and 'vegan' as they apply to
diet:
vegetarian diet: a diet that excludes all animal flesh, including
beef, pork, poultry, birds, fish, and seafood. Someone who eats fish
is NOT vegetarian and it is considered misleading to call oneself a
'vegetarian' if you do eat fish. It is more polite and accurate to
say "semi-vegetarian' or 'almost vegetarian' instead. Vegetarians may
eat egg and milk products.
vegan diet: a vegetarian diet that also excludes milk and egg products
and usually honey.
THE LISTS:
There are currently 2 PowerFoods associated lists:
PF-RECIPES: a moderated recipe-only list featuring recipes meeting the
powerfoods rules
To subscribe to this list, send email to:
pf-recipes-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
with SUBJECT: subscribe
To unsubscribe to this list, send email to:
pf-recipes-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
with SUBJECT: unsubscribe
pf-chat: an unmoderated discussion list
To subscribe to this list, send email to:
pf-chat-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
with SUBJECT: subscribe
To unsubscribe to this list, send email to:
Please note: there will be no changes to FATFREE -- It should continue
its merry way.
--
Michelle Dick artemis@xxxxxxxxx East Palo Alto, CA
Owner, FATFREE Vegetarian Mailing List