To the Editor:
I for one don’t believe there is an inconsistency with Emeril Lagasse using butter, cream and other fatty foods on his “Emeril Green” show on Planet Green. There is much research that says Ms. Stanley’s point of view is outdated and just plain wrong. See yesterday’s article in The Washington Post titled “The Great Divide, Who Says Good Nutrition Means Animal Fats? Weston A. Price” by Jane Black. Or read Nina Planck’s “Real Food,” Gary Taubes’ “Good Calories, Bad Calories,” and all of the books by Sally Fallon and Dr. Mary Enig. Even Walter Willet at the Harvard School of Public Health is starting to come around on the subject of fat in the diet.
The fact is that since the American public was told to go low fat, there’s been an exponential rise in obesity, diabetes, and many other chronic diseases. The French never gave up the fat in their diet – copious amounts of butter, cream, and fois gras just for starters. Julia Child was aghast at the low fat movement. The French people have far lower rates of obesity than Americans, lower rates of heart disease, cancer, and diabetes and a longer life-expectancy. Although they are starting to move in the same direction as Americans as they start to adopt our fast food, junk food lifestyle. Fast food and junk food contain lots of empty calories and very little nutrition – fat is loaded with nutrients if it’s derived from healthy sources.
No, Emeril has absolutely the right idea – prepare fresh food from scratch with wholesome ingredients as close to the way Mother Nature intended (ever see a cow that dispensed low-fat milk?), eat moderately following your body’s natural instinct not to overeat, and stop depriving yourself of all the foods you love. Deprivation always leads to cravings and bingeing. And overweight and chronic illness. Bravo Emeril!
Lynn M. Klein
Certified Holistic Health Counselor
Filed under: Letters Tagged: | Deprivation, Fresh food, Low fat, Obesity, Overweight
