Table of Contents
PUBLISHERS NOTE
Neither the publisher nor the author is engaged in rendering professional advice or services to the individual reader. The ideas, procedures, and suggestions contained in this book are not intended as a substitute for consulting with your physician. All matters regarding your health require medical supervision. Neither the author nor the publisher shall be liable or responsible for any loss or damage allegedly arising from any information or suggestion in this book. The recipes contained in this book are to be followed exactly as written. The Publisher is not responsible for your specific health or allergy needs that may require medical supervision. The Publisher is not responsible for any adverse reactions to the recipes contained in this book.
DUTTON
Published by the Penguin Group (USA) Inc., 375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014, U.S.A.
Penguin Books Ltd, Registered Offices: 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England
Penguin Books Australia Ltd, 250 Camberwell Road, Camberwell, Victoria 3124, Australia
Penguin Books Canada Ltd, 10 Alcorn Avenue, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M4V 3B2
Penguin Books (NZ) Ltd, Cnr Rosedale and Airborne Roads, Albany, Auckland 1310, New Zealand
Published by Dutton, a member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
First printing, May 2003
Copyright Dr. Joseph Mercola, 2003
REGISTERED TRADEMARKMARCA REGISTRADA
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA
Mercola, Joseph.
The no-grain diet : conquer carbohydrate addiction and stay slim for life / by Joseph Mercola,
with Alison Rose Levy.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references.
eISBN : 978-0-452-28508-8
1. Low-carbohydrate diet. 2. Reducing diets. 3. Grain. I. Levy, Alison Rose. II. Title.
RM237.73.M47 2003
613.283dc21
2003001278
Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.
The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book via the Internet or via any other means without the permission of the publisher is illegal and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions, and do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the authors rights is appreciated.
This book is printed on acid-free paper.
http://us.penguingroup.com
PART ONE
WHY A NO-GRAIN DIET?
CHAPTER
THE OBESITY EPIDEMIC
After more than three decades of consuming less fat and more carbohydrates, the average American is gaining weight at an alarming rate. We are eating sixty pounds more grain and thirty pounds more sweeteners than we did twenty-five years ago. The effects are clear: over two-thirds of Americans are overweight or obese. With excess weight the single, most important factor in the onset of cancer, heart disease, and diabetes, we now face an epidemic with health costs skyrocketing to $1.5 trillion. As medical experts desperately seek answers, I am thankful I can offer an effective and time-tested solution in The No-Grain Diet.
For over a decade, the No-Grain Diet has been the centerpiece of my medical practice, used by hundreds of thousands of patients who visit my wellness center and my website at www.mercola.com. While the medical debate has simmered below the surface of media attention, Ive been quietly refining my dietary strategy with nearly miraculous results. And finally, both doctors and the general public are recognizing a growing body of scientific evidence that supports what Ive advocated all along. Eating certain kinds of carbohydrates, not fats, causes escalating weight gain and wide-ranging health problems.
According to writer Gary Taubes, in his cover article in the July 7, 2002, New York Times Magazine, new research confirms that the USDA food pyramid, the low cholesterol heart disease diet, and the medical recommendations to eat less fat and more carbohydrates are the cause of the rampaging epidemic of obesity in America.
The Culprits in Weight Gain
Fats arent to blame for weight gain! In studying our endocrine system, new research Ill detail more fully in the next chapter finds that the real culprits are grains, starches, and sweets. These foods trigger a hormonal cycle of grain and sugar addiction, weight gain, and diabetes. Thats why eliminating all grains, starches, and sugars for a limited period of time is the best way to reprogram your cells to burn fat. Erasing the signals that prompt you to eat will help you overcome cravings and addictive food urges. Combining these two approaches, the No-Grain Diet provides a comprehensive strategy that will help you rewire your physical and emotional hardware so you can lose weight and conquer carb cravings forever.
Whats in a Grain?
In your body, grains, grain products, starches, and sugars have one thing in common: they rapidly turn to glucose, promote addictive eating habits, and trigger insulin release, all of which contribute to weight gain and other health problems.
Carbohydrates from grains and sugars produce a very different effect from the ones found in vegetables, which youll enjoy on this diet. Thats why its very important to learn to distinguish between them.
Grain and sugar carbs = unhealthy foods. Vegetable carbs = healthy foods (in most cases).
Grains and grain products, including bread, flour, chips, and baked goods, are not the only sources of these detrimental carbohydrates. They are also found in:
Many starchy vegetables, like potatoes and carrots, as well as their products
Concentrated fruit products, like fruit juices or syrups
The vast majority of sweeteners, and all foods containing them
Throughout this book, when I use the term No-Grain, Im not only speaking about grains. Instead, Ill use the terms No-Grain and grains inclusively to cover all forms of grains, starches, and sugars that promote weight gain, addictive eating patterns, and health threats. Its just like, on the highway, when you first near an upcoming exit, the signs will announce that you can find food, gas, and/or lodging at the exit, but as you actually approach the exit, only the exit number will be posted. In just the same way, when you take the No-Grain exit off the super highway of weight gain, obesity, and an array of health problems, youll leave behind all detrimental carb foods, whether they come from grains, grain products, starchy vegetables, sweets, or desserts. So follow the No-Grain sign to health!
My program comes complete with:
The No-Grain Food Plan: A twenty-first-century diet in which youll learn how to eat healthy foods amply while burning off poundage.