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  #1   ^
Old Mon, Dec-22-03, 09:40
gotbeer's Avatar
gotbeer gotbeer is offline
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Posts: 2,889
 
Plan: Atkins
Stats: 280/203/200 Male 69 inches
BF:
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Location: Dallas, TX, USA
Default "...I don't care what the Dr. Atkins groupies say, I refuse to believe... "

Here are some Christmas presents for my loyal readers

By Debra LoGuercio

Monday, December 22, 2003


link to article

see highlighted section below

If only I was a cartoonist. I thought up a corker: Frame One: A doctor pokes around inside the mouth of a ratty, disheveled Saddam with a tongue depressor.

Frame Two: The same doctor meticulously picks through Saddam's filthy hair. Above both frames is a banner: "The last place where they haven't looked for weapons of mass destruction."

Frame Three: Another doctor, underneath a sign that says "Proctologist," grins evilly and wields a huge plunger. Above his head is a bubble that says "Almost!"

I know, I know, columnists are supposed to be churning out serious commentary on Saddam's capture, but it's Christmas. I'm just not in the mood. Besides, the roving "reporter" on Comedy Central's "The Daily Show" summed up my perspective perfectly: "After months and months of searching, we finally caught the guy who had nothing to do with Sept. 11!"

I could only improve on that by adding, "After months and months of searching and spending $87 billion, we finally caught the guy who had nothing to do with Sept. 11!

But there'll be plenty of time to discuss that next year. It's an election year and you can bet the farm that Bush's re-election slogan will be "We Got Him!" Not the right "him," mind you, but no one seems to be paying any attention to that. So let's not think about it now. Let's think about Christmas.



They aren't wrapped in pretty paper, but I do have gifts for all the wonderful people who read this column each week: better health, more time, gratitude and a tender heart. Bet you're wondering how I'll pull that off in one lowly little column. Just you watch.

My gift of health is Better Butter. After foregoing butter for decades, the health police informed us last year that the trans-fats in margarine are more damaging to your arteries than real butter. But butter is pure animal fat, and I don't care what the Dr. Atkins groupies say, I refuse to believe that all that animal fat is healthy in the long run.

The human body didn't evolve on a high-fat diet, and evolution is pretty smart. Besides that, it's a pain to scrape shavings off cold, hard butter, only to have it dig holes in your toast.

The quick, healthy solution is to use olive oil instead of butter or margarine. But some foods, like corn on the cob or English muffins, just aren't the same smeared in olive oil. For those foods, make some Better Butter.

Soften a cup of butter to room temperature, then blend it with a cup of olive oil. Pour it into a Tupperware-type container and refrigerate. When it hardens, it's the perfect consistency for spreading, and you've replaced half the unhealthy fat with healthy fat.


The next gift is time. You'll get it by eliminating a step in doing the laundry. When you take laundry from the dryer, stop at the linen closet, fold all the towels and linens, and put them directly into the closet rather than piling them up somewhere and then putting them away.

Do the same with children's clothing at each bedroom, and save even more time by teaching children to do their own laundry. (Hint: If they're old enough to baby-sit, they're old enough to do their own laundry).

As for an attitude of gratitude, the next time you're stuck in a traffic jam, don't curse your rotten luck - thank your lucky stars. You've been delayed for a reason. Whenever I'm stuck in traffic, I thank the universe for protecting me. If I'd been farther down the road, I'd surely have been in an accident, and my eventual safe arrival is evidence of that.

Think of all the traffic jams you've been in, and yet you're here to tell. Don't you feel more grateful already?

Now for that tender heart (which is thanking you for switching to Better Butter). Get yourself a copy of the Amy Grant Christmas CD that has "Grown-up Christmas List" on it, take a quiet moment and listen carefully. (Note: Kelly Clarkson's horrid rendition, currently in release, won't do. She took a piece of perfection and ruined it. A pox on her.)

"Grown-up Christmas List" as sung by Amy Grant is, hands down, the most beautiful Christmas song ever, and puts the whole season in perspective.

I can't listen to it without blubbering like an idiot. If these lyrics don't touch your heart, maybe yours is like the Grinch's - two sizes too small:

"So here's my lifelong wish,

My grown-up Christmas list.

Not for myself,

But for a world in need.

No more lives torn apart,

That wars would never start,

And time would heal all hearts,

And everyone would have a friend,

And right would always win,

And love would never end.

This is my grown-up Christmas list."

Jeez, I can't even type the words without blubbering.

Merry Christmas, everyone.

Debra LoGuercio is the editor for the Winters Express and writes a weekly column for McNaughton Newspapers. Reach her at debra~wintersexpress.com.
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  #2   ^
Old Mon, Dec-22-03, 09:47
Kristine's Avatar
Kristine Kristine is offline
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Plan: Primal/P:E
Stats: 171/146/150 Female 5'7"
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Location: Southern Ontario, Canada
Default

Gimme a break: what kind of fat does he *think* we evolved with? Admittedly, cavemen probably didn't churn butter, but I seriously doubt they pressed olives, either.

Last edited by Kristine : Tue, Dec-23-03 at 09:04.
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  #3   ^
Old Mon, Dec-22-03, 10:21
adkpam's Avatar
adkpam adkpam is offline
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Posts: 2,320
 
Plan: Atkins
Stats: 185/151/145 Female 67 inches
BF:
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Location: Adirondack Mountains, NY
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If we didn't evolve on a high fat diet, what's with the Better Butter?
That's pure fat.
Once I started eating MORE fat, and losing weight, I figured if they had gotten this principle so fundamentally wrong, I didn't have to listen to these people at all anymore.
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  #4   ^
Old Mon, Dec-22-03, 10:34
black57 black57 is offline
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Posts: 11,822
 
Plan: atkins/intermit. fasting
Stats: 166/136/135 Female 5'3''
BF:
Progress: 97%
Location: Orange, California
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Animal fat was easier to access than plant food. It is easy to believe that a human body which is fat, protein and water in composition must have evolved that way from animal fat. I think that if I were put in a desolate area and had to fend for myself, I would have to hunt meat and gather nuts and berries before I would plant wheat!
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  #5   ^
Old Mon, Dec-22-03, 10:53
Jbbrennan's Avatar
Jbbrennan Jbbrennan is offline
Nequaquam Vacuum!
Posts: 2,019
 
Plan: The Zone, Fat Flush
Stats: 178.5/147.5/147.7 Female 64 inches
BF:more than enough
Progress: 101%
Location: El Cerrito, CA
Talking olive oil corn!

Although I do agree with many of the things Ms. LoGuercio says in her column (especially the part about the plunger!) I think the one thing she has wrong is that olive oil doesn't taste good on corn (on the cob). It does! It needs a little help, though, but it does:

Skillet Corn on the Cob with Parmesan and Cilantro
fr: Epicurious Food Epicurious-dot-com

4 ears fresh corn

6 T. olive oil
1/3 cup freshly grated parm cheese
1 garlic clove, minced
1 T. fresh lime juice
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp hot pepper sauce
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Cook corn in pot of boiling satled water until tender, about 5 minutes. Drain.

Whisk 5 T. oil, cheese, garlic, lime juice, cumin and pepper sauce in medium bowl to blend. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Heat remaining 1 T. oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add corn and suate until heated through, turning frequently, about 2 minutes. Brush corn with some parm mixture. Turn corn and bursh with more cheese misture. Cook until coating behins to color, about 3 minutes. Transfer corn to platter. Mix cilantro into any remaining Parm. misture and brush over corn.

Bon Appetit
August 2003
Tracey Medeiros, Atlanta, CA
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  #6   ^
Old Mon, Dec-22-03, 11:14
gotbeer's Avatar
gotbeer gotbeer is offline
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Posts: 2,889
 
Plan: Atkins
Stats: 280/203/200 Male 69 inches
BF:
Progress: 96%
Location: Dallas, TX, USA
Default

I just emailed her the following:

Dear Ms. LoGuercio,

Regarding your article: "Here are some Christmas presents for my loyal readers".

I know you said you don't care what the Atkins folks say about fat, but in the interest of your own appeal to evolutionary science, perhaps a review of the science will cause you to think again.

Olives have been cultivated and consumed for perhaps 5000-6000 years. That sounds impressive, but it pales in comparison to the millions of years involved in human evolution. During those millions of years, humans and pre-humans ate animal fat and protein in abundance - even the leanest game animals and fish have quite a bit of fat on average. What humans DIDN'T eat during those millions of years - and didn't have time to evolve protection against - were concentrated vegetable oils, breads, high-fructose corn syrup, and refined sugar.

When one overloads on starches and sugars, the body burns them first, and converts the excess to fat for storage. It is this sugar-to-fat storing process that causes the obesity and the elevated blood lipids that have been associated with heart disease.

The Atkins diet is designed to send the body into ketosis - fat burning, rather than fat storing. Up until modern times it is now believed that ketosis was the most common, "normal" physiological state.

Instead of clogging arteries, dietary fat consumed during ketosis is either burned, or wasted. The side effects of ketosis - a leveling of blood glucose fluctuations, and a reduction of hunger - serve to help people control their eating habits. The end result is that people on the diet lose weight while their blood profiles improve - regardless of whether they're eating butter, olive oil, or some combination of the two.

That being said, I actually use something like your "better butter" to cook with - the smoking temperature of the mixture is higher than that of butter alone, and I like the flavor of both fats.

Now, if someone is eating a lot of sugars and starches, your "better butter" might be a marginal improvement, but the real heart-healthy solution is to control the sugar and starch.

I've posted your article on a low-carb discussion board at this link: http://forum.lowcarber.org/showthread.php?t=155028.

Happy holidays,

Frank Edwards
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  #7   ^
Old Mon, Dec-22-03, 11:20
RosaAlta's Avatar
RosaAlta RosaAlta is offline
100% pork rind free
Posts: 457
 
Plan: Atkins-ish
Stats: 215/182.5/180 Female 5 ' 10 1/2"
BF:
Progress: 93%
Location: USA
Default

I actually think "better butter" sounds like a good idea. I'll try it. It couldn't hurt to replace some of the butter in my diet with olive oil. They're both pure, natural fats, and olive oil has many health benefits. I wonder how that would work for frying my eggs in the morning? Probably pretty well.

I know you posted this because she knocks Atkins and animal fats, but she's entitled to her opinion. Clearly she's not claiming to be a medical expert, just a rambling columnist.

ETA: Hey, gotbeer, we posted at the same time. I like your response. Well said. (And it answers my question about cooking with it.)

Last edited by RosaAlta : Mon, Dec-22-03 at 11:22.
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  #8   ^
Old Mon, Dec-22-03, 11:23
gotbeer's Avatar
gotbeer gotbeer is offline
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Posts: 2,889
 
Plan: Atkins
Stats: 280/203/200 Male 69 inches
BF:
Progress: 96%
Location: Dallas, TX, USA
Default

I do love my eggs over-easy in that "better butter" mix. A sprinkle of spicy pizza herbs and some melted cheese and I'm all set.
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  #9   ^
Old Mon, Dec-22-03, 13:38
gotbeer's Avatar
gotbeer gotbeer is offline
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Posts: 2,889
 
Plan: Atkins
Stats: 280/203/200 Male 69 inches
BF:
Progress: 96%
Location: Dallas, TX, USA
Default

Here is what the author wrote back to me...

Dear Frank,

I totally agree about the carbs and sugars, particularly processed foods containing bleached white flour. I think the healthiest way to eat is to eat "close to the ground"... if it walked on the ground, came from something that walked on the ground or grew from the ground (in its whole form), it's a better choice. I like Jack LaLane's saying: If a man made it, don't eat it. Good strategy to follow, if you ask me.

My personal food pyramid has vegetables on the bottom, and processed carbs up at the top. I avoid carbs like the plague. In fact, nothing will make me ill faster than a donut. I'm shaking within a half hour. But I still can't swallow that high fat angle. We'll see in a few decades if all the Atkins groupies have healthy hearts.

And... evolutionarily speaking, roots, nuts and plants figured highly in human diets in addition to meat. There's a reason why we don't have teeth like carnivores. Or herbivores.... we need a balance.

I'm familiar with the Atkins theory, and to some extent, I mimic it. But I don't eat high-fat meats, I choose low-fat meats, nuts, eggs and fish.

Thanks for taking the time to read my column and to write.

Happy Holidays!
Debra
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  #10   ^
Old Mon, Dec-22-03, 15:45
Ghost's Avatar
Ghost Ghost is offline
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Plan: Atkins
Stats: 190/147/145 Female 5'5"
BF:
Progress: 96%
Location: Southern Ontario
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I also like the idea of the "Better Butter". DH like margarine because it spreads easier than refrigerated butter, but I won't buy it because of the trans fats. I think I will make a small batch of the "Better Butter" and see if he will eat that.
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  #11   ^
Old Mon, Dec-22-03, 16:12
Angeline's Avatar
Angeline Angeline is offline
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Posts: 3,423
 
Plan: Atkins (loosely)
Stats: -/-/- Female 60
BF:
Progress: 40%
Location: Ottawa, Ontario
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I agree, I was quite taken with the "Better Butter" idea. I am going to implement it right away. I like the idea of it's more spreadable consistency and also the idea of incorporating more olive oil into the diet.

Good find Gotbeer
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  #12   ^
Old Tue, Dec-23-03, 13:23
judyr's Avatar
judyr judyr is offline
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Posts: 587
 
Plan: Atkins
Stats: 230/201/140 Female 5'7
BF:
Progress: 32%
Location: Fillmore, Ca
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I have used a similar mix to better butter for many years. It is wonderful for sauteing vegetables.
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  #13   ^
Old Tue, Dec-23-03, 15:02
MyJourney's Avatar
MyJourney MyJourney is offline
Butter Tastes Better
Posts: 5,201
 
Plan: Atkins OWL / IF-23/1 /BFL
Stats: 100/100/100 Female 5'6"
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Location: SF Bay Area
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  #14   ^
Old Tue, Dec-23-03, 23:24
zedgirl's Avatar
zedgirl zedgirl is offline
Say cheese!
Posts: 555
 
Plan: Carb'n negative + IF
Stats: 123/106/111 Female 163
BF:
Progress: 142%
Location: Western Australia
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MyJourney

Thanks for providing those links. They are a must read for all low carbers and anyone interested in general health. I haven't read it all yet but I'm up to the part about hydrogenated oils and how they make margarine..........yuck!!
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