Dr. John & Mary McDougall
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Nutritional Foundations a Lesson in Basic Nutrition
By John A. McDougall, M.D.
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Starches contain sufficient calories to easily meet the energy requirements of the active person, and they are abundant in proteins (with all their essential amino acids), essential fats, fibers, and minerals required to meet our daily dietary needs, Many starches, such as the maligned potato, have a full complement of vitamins as well. (Grains and legumes need the help of fruits or green and yellow vegetables in order to provide adequate vitamin A and C.)
You have probably heard that marathon runners and other endurance athletes "load up" on carbohydrates before an event, devouring large meals of spaghetti, rice, and potatoes in order to store energy-providing carbohydrates for the long race. Carbohydrate-loading several times a day will give you too the energy to race through your busy life.
The only food from animals in which a carbohydrate is found in significant amounts is milk, which contains a simple sugar called lactose. However, lactose cannot be digested by most adults,* and consequently, when they drink milk, they suffer assorted evidences of indigestion, such as diarrhea, stomach cramps, and hurtful amounts of gas. In the sense of total amount of carbohydrates in their diet, Americans eat far too few calories from this source — only about 40% of their diet is carbohydrate. To make things worse the kinds of carbohydrates eaten are mostly "empty calories" in the form of white sugar, corn syrup, and fructose. A healthy diet, like the McDougall diet, is more 80% carbohydrate from nutritious foods—starches, vegetables and fruits.
Percent of calories found as carbohydrates in various foods
| Almonds | 13 | Beans (kidney) | 72 | Beef | 0 |
| Bread (whole wheat) | 75 | Brussels Sprouts | 74 | Cabbage | 85 |
| Carrots | 92 | Cheddar Cheese | 2 | Chicken | 0 |
| Corn | 94 | Eggs | 2 | Grapefruit | 93 |
| Lobster | 1 | Milk (whole) | 30 | Oatmeal | 71 |
| Oranges | 88 | Peanuts | 16 | Peanut Butter | 15 |
| Pork | 0 | Potatoes | 90 | Rice (brown) | 89 |
| Spaghetti (whole wheat) | 81 | Sugar* | 100 | Sweet Potatoes | 92 |
| Tofu | 23 | Tomatoes | 85 | Turkey | 0 |
*When we hear or read the word sugar most of us think of granular white table sugar. Unlike the simple sugars found in ripe fruit, this kind of sugar should be eaten only in limited quantities. After the refining process, it contains no fibers, proteins, essential fats, vitamins, or minerals. It is purely concentrated sugar. Nothing could better deserve the descriptive term "empty calories," because calories is all it provides. Although refined sugar can provide energy, too much refined sugar in the diet can lead to tooth decay, contribute to obesity, and raise triglycerides. A nutritional imbalance, weakening the body's defense and repair system making us susceptible to disease processes from infection to cancer, may result when "empty calories" make up a substantial part of the diet.
Fibers are made only by plants and FOUND ONLY IN VEGETABLE FOODS. There is no fiber in beef, pork, chicken, lobster, cheese, egg, or other animal-derived foods.
Grams of fiber present in portions of food that yield 100 calories
| Beans (kidney) | 1.5 | Bread (whole wheat) | 0.7 | Brussels Sprouts | 4.4 |
| Cabbage | 4.3 | Carrots | 2.3 | Cauliflower | 3.7 |
| Corn | 0.7 | Green Beans | 4.0 | Grapefruit | 0.8 |
| Kale | 3.4 | Oatmeal | 0.3 | Oranges | 0.9 |
| Peas | 2.4 | Peanuts (with skin) | 0.8 | Peanuts (without skin) | 0.3 |
| Potatoes | 0.6 | Radishes | 4.1 | Rice (brown) | 0.2 |
| Scallions | 2.0 | Soybeans | 1.4 | Spaghetti (whole wheat) | 0.6 |
| Sweet Potatoes | 0.6 | Tomatoes | 2.3 | Tofu | 0.1 |
| Yams | 0.9 | | | | |
Copyright © 2007 John A. McDougall, MD. All rights reserved.
Page printed from: http://www.drmcdougall.com/medical_nutrition.html
John A. McDougall, M.D.
Physician and nutrition expert who teaches better health through vegetarian cuisine. John A. McDougall, MD. has been studying, writing and "speaking out" about the effects of nutrition on disease for over 30 years.
Dr. McDougall believes that people should look, feel great and enjoy optimal health for a lifetime. Unfortunately, many people compromise their health unknowingly through poor dietary habits.
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