The problem I find with most vegetarian cookbooks is that they are heavy on the pasta and rice dishes and big on the use of cheese. My dad was complaining about that recently and how he is getting a bit bored with his diet. The McDougall diet may be of some interest to him too.
I thought I saw a thread on this along time ago but all I could find was a few comments.
They are from a lady on the BFL forum - her name is Mrs. Jim if you want to private message her from 3fc or post in the BFL forum and ask her a few questions I am sure she won't mind helping you out. She is very nice, helpful and very knowledgeable.
Here are the quotes:
"As a veteran of the McDougall Maximum Weight Loss Plan back in 1996, I feel pretty well qualifed to answer your question.
Dr. McDougall has actually had pre-packaged foods for some years now. (they're marked as "Smart Foods"). For the most part (from what I've seen) they are the cups of dehydrated soups that you pour boiling water in and let sit for five minutes (I remember he had soups, hot cereals, mashed potatoes, etc.). I still see them in the stores around here - in the soup and/or cereal sections mostly.
The ones I've tried ranged from bland to nearly inedible... I was not a repeat buyer of them.
As far as his diet is concerned...unless he's changed it, it's a pretty drastic ultra-low fat, vegan plan...here's what you CAN'T eat on it:
1) No fats or oils of any kind
2) No animal products of ANY kind
3) No soy products, including tofu of ANY kind
4) No flour products (i.e. bread, tortillas, etc.) of ANY kind
Here's what you can have:
1) Fruit (limited to one a day)
2) Veggies - unlimited
3) Starches and grains such as potatoes, brown rice, quinoa, etc.
4) Decaffinated herbal teas and water
5) Sugar in moderation (i.e. on your oatmeal)
Needless to say I lost weight...I also lost some of my hair...and my skin was so dry and itchy all the time...and of course as soon as I started eating 'normally' again...I started regaining the weight very quickly.
Incidentally, I followed the McDougall plan in conjunction with a hypnosis center - this was the diet they advocated. Keep in mind that this was in 1996, when everyone was convinced that fat was evil and that the less fat you ate the better. I think my fat consumption got down to 5% of calories during that time!
Once I started eating animal products again...and added healthy fats to my diet - my hair and skin became MUCH healthier.
Just my two cents..."
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"Dr. McDougall's diet is probably the most well-known strict vegan diet. I've been on his Maximum Weight Loss plan a couple of times. Personally to follow his MWL plan is VERY difficult for me because of the fact that it excludes all flour products (including bread which I LOVE!).
Here's the basic Maximum Weight Loss plan:
Unlimited amounts of:
Most vegetables (except for the obvious fatty ones such as avocados [I KNOW that's a fruit!] and olives)
Starchy vegetables such as potatoes, sweet potatoes, squashes, etc. (this was my favorite part -- I ate BUSHELS of potatoes on this plan - usually with salsa !!)
Whole grains such as oatmeal, brown rice, millet, etc. (I used to have a huge bowl of oatmeal at breakfast each day - and made a pot of brown rice in my rice cooker to snack on when I got hungry)
Beans, as long as they are cooked without oil (fat-free refried beans and rice with some salsa and veggies were terrific!)
In moderation, you can have:
Fruit - limited to two servings per day.
Sugar - just enough for flavoring.
Here's what you can't have:
No animal products
No oils or fats
No flour products, including pasta and bread
No soy products, including soy milk and tofu
This is just from memory so you may want to check his website...
However, his 14-day plan is much easier to follow although it is geared more towards overall health (i.e. high cholesterol, heart disease, diabetes, etc) than weight loss (since McDougall doesn't usually have measured portions of a food -- rather you can eat as much as you want of the allowed foods). On the regular 14-day plan you can have flour products and soy, but no animal products and VERY few fats.
Anyone who is interested in this should be able to find his books in your local library. He also has a website
www.drmcdougall.com with more information. Definitely worth a look - Dr. McDougall is based in St. Helena Health Center, BTW - and his wife develops the recipes - many are quite good! "
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Hope this helps a little
mcdougall plan
