The Nutrition Star

The Nutrition Star and 4◊Foods | Low-Carb vs. Low-Fat | Artificial Sweeteners | Nutrition Labels | Salt | Recipes

If you were to ask a thousand health care professionals about nutrition and weight loss, you may get a thousand different answers. Opinion is the average of messages received (all of us are victims) – so the more one pursues a line of thinking that seems right (or attractive, perhaps because of addictions or philosophy), the more one will believe it. In fact, I’ve often likened nutrition to religion – once one has done research and drawn an informed conclusion, it’s next to impossible to change one’s mind. However, let me present my case.

A reasonable place to start a discussion of nutrition is with what most call (America’s) “government guidelines” (the Dietary Guidelines for Americans), illustrated by the “My Plate” graphic:

And yet, notice that the consensus of those who contributed to these guidelines, according to the sizes of the portions in this graphic, is that the amount of protein needed for optimal health (at least in volume) is smaller than that of grains and vegetables.

Most people equate protein with animal products (I’m sure many thanks to advertising), but plants have protein – some have lots. Plant protein powerhouses include nuts and seeds, legumes (things that come in pods, e.g., beans, peas, lentils, peanuts), whole grains, and dark greens. One can get plenty of protein from plants – just ask a gorilla. The protein section of MyPlate includes both animal-based and plant-based protein – so don’t fall into the trap of equating protein with meat. Because the protein section should be divided into both animal-based and plant-based protein, all-in-all MyPlate represents about a 70% plant-based diet.

I also recommend (at least) a 70% plant-based diet, but it is quite different, summarized by my Nutrition Star:

The Nutrition Star also has five categories, two of which are the same (Fruits and Vegetables), two of which are similar (Whole Grains and High Quality Protein/Good Fats), and one is very different. Instead of dairy, my fifth section (“diamond”) is called “Whatever!”.

The major exception regarding the plants in the Nutrition Star is that they need to be “whole,” i.e., prepared healthily, with none of the micronutrients or fiber processed out. And since you can fill the Whatever! section with, I don’t know, Whatever! (including plants), more correctly, the Nutrition Star is a ≥70% whole plant-based (WPB) diet.

Of the more well-known diets, the diet that most closely resembles the Nutrition Star is probably the Mediterranean diet, the differences being that I categorize all oils (including olive), dairy/cheese, and wine as Whatever! (meaning they are not by any means prohibited – simply limited).

As previewed above, I call the four healthy “diamonds” of the Nutrition Star “Four-Diamond Foods,” or “4◊Foods” for short.

The Vegetables, Fruit, and Whole Grains sections:

ANY type of whole (non-processed, meaning all the original nutrients and fiber are preserved) vegetables, fruits, or grains can be used to fill their respective “diamonds.” It is important to note that any kind of plant within each of the exclusively plant categories can be included – as long you use the whole plant, and it is prepared healthily.

It’s always wise to try to get a good variety, for a variety of reasons – however, for simplicity’s sake (i.e. livability), and because I have found strong evidence that it does not matter that much from a health standpoint, I do not recommend stressing too much about which plant to choose within each category. It is true that certain fruits (especially berries) have more micronutrients than others, and that vegetables are usually the lowest in caloric density (most helpful for weight loss), but the more restrictions you place on your diet, the less likely you’ll be able to sustain it.

A perfect example is potatoes. They are packed with nutrition, but most people associate them with poor health. However, any poor health associated with them has nothing to do with the potatoes themselves, and everything to do with how they are prepared (50% consumed in America are deep-fried, and most of the rest are smothered with Whatever! (see below). The good news is that you get to choose what works best for you, and which of the 4◊Foods you eat.

The High Quality Protein and Good Fats section includes:

• Legumes (things that come in a pod, like beans, peas, lentils and peanuts)

• Nuts and seeds

• Fatty fruits (e.g., coconut, avocados, olives)

• Fatty seafood (e.g., salmon, tuna, trout)

• Up to 6 ounces of lean meat OR 2 eggs/day (or 3 ounces lean meat AND 1 egg/day)

“Lean meat” is defined as having no visible fat, but specifically:

• Beef or ham/pork with <10% fat (10 or fewer grams of fat per 100 g or 3.5 oz) and no visible fat

• Chicken or turkey breast that is skinless and has no visible fat

• Non-fatty seafood (including shrimp, crab, lobster, oysters)

The Whatever! section includes…to repeat, WHATEVER!, but generally refers to anything that is more counterproductive to our goals of health and/or weight loss than not.

• Plant waste. This is a term I use to describe all plant products with all (or almost all) of the nutritious components and fiber processed out, e.g., high-fructose corn syrup, sugar, white flour, oil, alcohol.

• Animal secretions. I understand what this term may conjure up, but I use it to refer to all dairy (milk, yogurt, cheese, sour cream, cream, and butter) and grease (meat drippings). Nonetheless, as a personal choice, you may choose to include (only) low-fat yogurt and milk (i.e., 1% or skim) in the High-Quality Protein and Good Fats section.

• Processed meats or meat with visible fat

• Any lean meat or eggs you consume above 6 ounces of lean meat OR 2 eggs/day (or 3 ounces lean meat AND 1 egg/day)

Whatever! foods are more counterproductive to our goals of health and/or weight loss than not because they are either 1) lower in (or have no) nutrient density, 2) high in bad fats and/or caloric density, 3) too addictive (and therefore cause you to crave and eat more), and/or 4) their potential harms outweigh their potential benefits.

Hidden Calories and Inflammation

A critical point to make is that Whatever! foods are responsible for the grand majority of hidden calories and inflammation. Unless you make food yourself (or watch it being made), it is rarely “WYSIWYG” (a term you’ll know if you’re old enough, used in computing: What You See Is What You Get). Despite nutrition labels and lists of ingredients, you have no idea how much certain types of plant waste (primarily sugar and oil) and animal secretions (primarily cream, butter and grease) are truly present, as they are often or almost always invisible to the naked eye – especially in restaurants, where they only list the ingredients you see. Indeed, what’s hidden or unclear are among the most addicting, inflammatory (disease-causing), and/or obesogenic (obesity-causing) parts of the meal!

Important points to remember:

• Instead of sugar to satisfy your sweet tooth, use whole fruit. Foods can be sweetened with whole fruit such as Medjool dates, bananas, and raisins.

• Artificial or processed plant-based sweeteners/syrup/honey, including things sweetened by them, are not 4◊Foods. I recommend sweetening things as above. We’re trying to break addictions (see Chapter 1.4), and just like sugar, artificial and processed plant-based sweeteners perpetuate one’s addictions to sweets. Some argue, “What’s healthier – sodas sweetened with sugar or artificial sweeteners?” NEITHER! The latter is calorie-free, but that doesn’t mean they are healthy, for various reasons. Default to water whenever possible.

• To make foods creamier, try using puréed cashews (which are especially great for salad dressings and plant-based sour cream!) and potatoes.

• Whole herbs, spices, and low-calorie plant products (e.g., plant-based “milk” – excluding coconut milk, which is not low-calorie) are considered 4◊Foods and can be used at will.

• I am comfortable with you using spray butter instead of butter and margarine, although if you are vegan, know that it’s usually made from milk products.

• If you are hung up on the fact that I consider all oils to be categorized as Whatever!, think about it. Oils of any type are processed out of plants and are devoid of water, fiber, and almost all micronutrients. They provide nature’s most efficient way to store fuel, thus increasing the risk of weight gain (imparting nine calories per gram). Therefore, any type causes more harm than good. Don’t confuse the fats in plants as being synonymous with oils. They aren’t oils until they are processed out of the plants. The moral of the story is: Don’t consume olive oil – eat the whole olive. Get the picture? If you don’t think you can cook anything (or most things) without oil, think: Grill, steam, bake, boil, broil, roast, sous vide, even microwave. You can also sauté using non-stick spray and/or vegetable broth.

• The internet is full of ideas and recipes that are oil- and/or sugar-free.

I feel strongly that the use of these terms is a waste of breath and time, since I feel they are next to irrelevant in the discussion of nutrition. The relevant, meaningful distinction is not classifying something is “low-carb” or “low-fat,” or arguing which is a better dietary approach – it is whether or not a carb or fat is good or bad. And the answer is simple: If the carb or fat comes from a whole plant or fatty seafood, it is good. If it comes from plant waste or animal secretions, it is counterproductive to health and weight loss. So the best diet is low in both bad carbs and bad fats. If someone follows a low-carb or a low-fat diet, if they are cutting out good carbs or fats, they are damaging their health. So the next time someone says they are on a low-carb diet, feel free to instruct (especially since most who are on a “low-carb diet” are on a high-bad fat diet).

I am not in the camp that believes that all artificial sweeteners are dangerous, or directly cause weight gain, despite popular belief. However, I can’t guarantee that they are healthy, either. Besides possible other harms, I often call them “gateway drugs” – they perpetuate the sweet tooth, i.e., the addiction to sweets. Then imagine adding caffeine – let’s addict everybody! However, if you must have sweets (cannot resist the craving), I think that indulging in a small amount of something that is artificially sweetened (e.g., soda) is far less damaging than sugar-sweetened treats.

In January 2018 the U.S. Food and Drug Administration released its new-and-improved Nutrition Facts label, which has begun to appear on some products. Manufacturers with $10 million or more in annual sales were supposed to start using the new label by January 1, 2020, and manufacturers with less than $10 million in annual food sales had until January 1, 2021 to comply.* I feel it’s a good step in the right direction, since it now clearly identifies the grams of added sugar (yummy, but a plant waste).

If you have read the section above about Low-Carb vs. Low-Fat, however, you would understand how I might be highly disappointed that the new label does not do anything to distinguish between good and bad fats. Hopefully it won’t take decades before that change occurs. For now, we are stuck reading the ingredients and trying to guess – which is very difficult when products contain both oil (bad fat, a plant waste) and good fats, like nuts and seeds. It also does not distinguish between good and bad types of cholesterol (HDL, or high-density lipoprotein, which protects against heart disease, vs. LDL, or low-density lipoprotein, which contributes to the development of heart disease).

In addition, the listing of vitamins or added fiber present can either give you a false sense of nutritional value or ignore the fact that there are likely hundreds, if not thousands, of other ignored or yet undiscovered micronutrients contained in whole plant foods.  It would also be nice to know the source of the protein, i.e., animal- vs. plant-based.  The reality (and good news) is that the more you move towards a diet of predominantly healthily-prepared plant- and fatty seafood-based foods, the less you have to worry about labels.

I learned in medical school that a significant portion of the population has adequate mechanisms in place (well-functioning kidneys) to handle a fair amount of salt, and although a lot has changed since then, over the years the debate has not been settled.  The problem is that we don’t have a great way of predicting who can and who cannot tolerate a lot of salt.  As such, it is wise to do your best to avoid excessive salt, and follow the guidelines on product labels (see the “% daily value” column on the right – I agree with looking at that) – especially if you have found that you are sensitive to salt (blood pressure goes up, fluid collects in your lower legs, etc.) or are at high risk (personal or strong family history of high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, etc.). It is also my very strong opinion that what you put the salt on is far more important than whether or not you use salt (in other words, it’s the “fry” in French fry that hurts you, not the salt on it). If nothing else will make you eat broccoli and other vegetables, for Pete’s sake, add some salt! Consider reading Dr. John McDougall’s take on it.