Bob Terwilliger wrote:
> This week on "Good Eats", Alton Brown talked about the diet he
> followed in dropping 50 pounds over a nine-month period. You can
> Google to find remarks about how he's now incessantly snacking on
> sardines and almonds, but here's what the show had to say:
>
> Every day, Alton has the following: fruits, whole grains, leafy
> greens, nuts, carrots, and green tea.
>
> Three times a week, Alton has: oily fish, yogurt, broccoli, sweet
> potato, and avocado.
>
> Only *one* time a week, Alton has: red meat, pasta, dessert, or
> alcohol.
>
>
> So, a few comments:
>
> 1. The program didn't mention that Alton runs four miles a day these
> days. That's a HUGE omission. If you run four miles a day, you can
> pretty much eat whatever you want and not gain weight.

I just watched that show last night. The running does explain a lot.
He has that runner look to him that I don't think you can get by diet
alone.

> 5. The program wasn't clear about whether the items listed on the
> "every day" and "thrice weekly" lists were the *only* things eaten on
> those days, and I thought the implication was that they were not. I
> thought the first two lists were intended to be inclusive (as in,
> "include these in what you eat that day") and the third list was
> intended to be prohibited (as in, "only eat these on special days"),
> but that was not specifically stated.

He has that smoothie every morning for breakfast, was that
included in his every day list? I don't see soy milk on his daily
list.

I don't know why broccoli is on the '3 times a week' list, why not
daily? Sweet potatoes and avocado 3 times a week, I get.

> 6. Where do chicken, pork, eggs, beans, and non-oily fish or
> shellfish fit in there?

I wondered that myself. I guess the theme of the show was how
he lost weight and he doesn't eat those things. I don't see where
beans fit in there, either.

> Other than those, I think the diet looks okay, and it's obviously
> worked wonders for him. Maybe it's time to buy whole grains (wheat
> berries, millet, quinoa, steel-cut oats, brown rice, barley, and wild
> rice) and leafy greens (collard greens, turnip greens, mustard
> greens, kale, spinach, cabbage, Chinese broccoli, and lettuce. I bet
> radicchio fits in there, too, even though it's not green.)

No question most everyone should be eating more of that kind of food.

nancy