I was trying to remember when low-fat became "the thing."

There was some concern, in the 70's, that the world was becoming overpopulated and we were all soon going to starve. There was some discussion that it might be more ecologically sound for people to stop eating meat, which requires many more acres per calorie produced, and switch to foods lower on the food-chain, such as grains and krill and blue-green algae. Sort of like soylent green only made from soy and lentils, not Edward G. Robinson. I don't know if anybody else ever read Diet for a Small Planet, one of the first books that I read that advocated this approach.

Then, later, after some heart studies came out suggesting that reducing dietary saturated fat could reduce heart disease (was that Framingham 1981?), we saw a renewed interest in low-fat diets. Pritikin was the big boy. We started seeing special low-fat foods in the stores, like Pritikin's awful bread. Pritikin diet/exercise resorts. It seemed to snowball from there with a faddish intensity. I'm surprised it has lasted this long.

This is no comprehensive history, just me assembling my scattered memories of events I recall.

About the ecological argument... It's probably the only argument that I find compelling in favor of low-fat, vegetarian diets. I love animals, but I'm a pragmatist about slaughtering and eating them, especially when they taste so good. It can be argued that eating meat, as we do in the developed countries, is wasteful of land and contributes in a vast way to pollution and topsoil erosion. There was an op-ed in the Guardian last year by Andrew Cockburn about this, and how it relates to the low-carb craze.

However, I still would rather be lean and healthy. So I'm not changing.

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"And so, in my State of the—my State of the Union—or state—my speech to the nation, whatever you want to call it, speech to the nation—I asked Americans to give 4,000 years—4,000 hours over the next—the rest of your life—of service to America. That's what I asked—4,000 hours."

LOL, I remember soylent green!!! "Soylent green is PEO-P-P-P-L-L-L-L-E!!!!!"

I will NEVER become a vegetarian or vegan. I LOVE my veggies, but I GOTTA have MEAT!!!!! I could easily flip over to being a carnivore. (as opposed to being an omnivore)

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It's very interesting to me that some of the people - even medical people and researchers - who do studies on low fat and veg. diets and recommend them are also pretty open about their "green" views.

Now, "sustainable" is very good. But I am beginning to wonder how many of these researchers are being influenced by their thought that veg. diets are the only "sustainable" ones...

In fact, I'm doing a little research on that right now.

Will be interesting to see how far the reach goes.

BTW, grass fed beef is much more "sustainable" - AND HEALTHIER - than grain-fed beef. There aRE ways to make meat production better for the environment.

I remember that movie...Ick!
You guys speak of flaxseed cereals...so how does one prepare it???

Here ya go, Violeteyes: Maggie's Cereal

There are other good recipes in the database (click "recipes" at the top of the page), but this one is my favorite.

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I use that basic flaxmeal recipe, but I add almond flour to mine too and other chopped up nuts. The soy protein isolate I use is in the form of Carb Solution's Vanilla shake mix. It adds a nice vanilla flavor. And I don't make huge amounts like Maggie's recipe, I just make it in one serving sizes, although making it in bulk would have it at the ready for you ANY time. I also will add a few thawed-frozen or fresh strawberries or a 1/2 cup of blueberries, some s/f syrup and a couple TBS. of cream or half and half. It makes it taste similar to the pre-packaged "quick" oatmeal packets that are some kind of "fruit and cream" flavor.

So MY basic recipe might go like this:
2TBS. Flaxmeal (Bob's Redmill is most readily available at most grocery stores.)
2 TBS. Almond flour
2 TBS. Wheat Germ (Krechmer's is good)
2 TBS. other nuts, - sometimes - ground (Pecans, Walnuts, Macadamias, Sunflower, etc.)
1 scoop of Carb Solutions Protein mix.
1 cup HOT water
2 TBS. s/f syrup (strawberry, blueberry, vanilla, etc.)
1/8 tsp. Stevia
1 packet of Splenda
TEENY pinch of salt

Mix that all up. Add a little more hot water if necessary or to get the consistency you like. Stir in the cream or half and half. YUM!!!!

I have also added a TBS of flaxoil to it after it cools down a bit. I wait until it's cooled off so the heat won't destroy the omegas in the oil.

This is VERY filling!!!!!

Andrea, I agree, grain fed cattle contains a compound in their fat called "eicosanoids" that will trigger an inflammation response in some people, so grass fed would be MUCH better. Kinda tells ya what grains do to US too!!!! If I remember.........I marinate my pot roasts in red wine for 24 hours (along with garlic, olive oil and onion) so it will draw the compounds out of the meat. I trim off ALL the fat I possibly can too. Then I throw the marinade out, because it contains all the icky stuff. I got this information from Protein Power - Lifeplan authored by the Eades.........EXCELLENT book!!!! BTW, you want to use a wine you would be willing to drink in a glass. Don't use the cooking wines since the are loaded with sodium. (Holland House, I think)

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Barb, thanks for alot of good info. I've quit using soy products after hearing and reading alot about soy "suppressing thyroid function".

Your recipe looks good and I have all the ingredients except wheat germ: I avoid wheat products as well. How do you think this recipe would turn out without the wheat germ? Would it be "funky" if I used chocolate protein powder instead? This would be a welcome change from eggs and bacon every morning.

I'm willing to try anything at this point. My thyroid "test" came back "normal" which I was sure it would. I have 25 out of 30 symptoms of low thyroid, yet the tests continue to come back in the normal range.

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Max, I suppose the chocolate shake mix might be fine, and you might want to add a TB.S of cocoa powder and a bit more sweetener to make it more chocolaty. Do you remember chocolate Maypo?? or something like that. It was chocolate flavored cream of wheat. I haven't actually tried doing that, but I have thought about it.

I think there are two types of thyroid tests, one is more complicated and probably more expensive. I would imagine your doctor does the cheaper, easier one.

You don't HAVE to use wheat germ in this recipe. I just use it to add more fiber. I don't always use it, and it tastes fine without it. You may want to add an extra TBS. of almond flour or flax to increase the amount. But try making it without it first and see if it makes enough to satisfy your appetite. It's especially good with a bit of ground up sunflower seeds thrown in..........gives it a REALLY nice, nutty flavor. I've also made this cereal without the protein powder mix too.......work just fine. I just might decrease the liquid amount a little and just keep adding hot water until it's the consistency you like.

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you can make the cereal WITHOUT the protein isolate? no way! i wish i had known that MONTHS ago... wait... yours is DIFFERENT than maggies ... wonder if i could make MAGGIES without the protein isolate....????

anybody???

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Sure, Kim. You can use some any kind of protein (as long as it's low carb) for the soy protein isolate. Whey, milk & egg, whatever. Just, to have the true versatility of my cereal, make sure your protein has no added flavor. If you use something flavored, make sure you like the taste of it, because it will be hard to overpower most of the flavors I've found in other protein powders.

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but.. but... i thought she meant that i could make it TOTALLY without the protein ... *sigh*... just trying to make it more easily available... i have a good amount of the protein isolate that some kind soul on this forum took pity on me and got for me..*grin*.. but when its gone... i STILL need to find some... i guess i could use the yucky shake crap... *ick*... of course i have NEVER used the yucky shake crap period... so i have no CLUE how it would taste...

i gotta tell ya tho... your recipe is AMAZING... i SOOOOOOOOOOOO love it!

whey? milk? egg? *scratching my head*... is that some CODE? *L*

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You could skip the protein if you like, Kim. When I developed this, it was just to 1. beat the cost of "Flax-o-Meal" but retain the nutritional balance and 2. make it so flexible that you could change flavors each day.

It just turns out for me, that this is a good balance (once I add some cream, which I always do, ) of fat, protein, carbs to get me through the morning. There's no reason that any certain amount of protein (from whatever source) is required.

There are protein powders from various sources now available at health food stores or on-line seller, like netrition. They come from different food sources. For anyone who has soy issues, they're a good alternative for a cereal ingredient.

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I like Milk and Egg protein powder too!!! It's expensive stuff, but a little goes a long way. I find mine at Trader Joe's for a lot less than at my local rinky-dink health food store. I have found it in the "supplements" aisle where they put the power shake mixes.

Kim, try this:
2 TBS. flaxmeal
2 TBS. almond flour
2 TBS. wheat germ
2 TBS. of some other ground up nutmeat, like pecans, walnuts, etc. (toasted are better)
And whatever else you want to augment it with.
Leave out the SPI and see how you like it. If you like it without and you run out of it, you can still have something similar.

The 8 TBS all together will yield a half cup of cereal.

All this talk of flaxomeal is making me want to whip up a large batch and have it ready. Better get in the kitchen!!!

I REALLY like the Carb Solutions Vanilla shake mix. And when I add strawberry s/f syrup and strawberries, it makes a nice strawberries and cream flavor.

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Thanks for such a funny thread! I've only read through the first page, but one thing that kept popping in my head the entire time: the closer one works toward his or her weight loss goal, and especially the longer he or she maintains that goal, the less people will curl their lip or roll their eyes ... and the more people will start asking you, "How on earth do you stay so thin?!?"

Like many low-carbers, I eat a lot: big portions of healthy, whole foods, lots of calories, and plenty of fat. In fact, I eat more than most men I know. At Outback & Texas Roadhouse, I special-order my rare filet at 12 ounces, and enjoy with it a double order of Caesar salad, along with the steamed vegetables that come with the filet. Whenever an unaware runner (not the server) brings my food to the table, they usually almost give whatever I've ordered to my husband by default because my portions are always so hearty. lol

Eating less calories with higher carbohydrates NEVER worked for me, even with consistent, diligent daily cardiovascular activity. Even moderate-sugar diet causes my weight to elevate, regardless of my fitness regime. In short, when I began Atkins almost 4 years ago, I maintained the same cardio I'd done since the age of 10, nixed the processed/starchy/sugary carbohydrates, doubled my calories & fat, and boom, in 5 months, over 30 pounds & 4 dress sizes were gone. My trilyceride, LDL, and HDL levels are each at 60, and I maintain a body fat of 13.13% (via a recent hydrostatic weighing at the Cooper Clinic).

I KNOW I'm preaching to the choir here, but even after over 3? years at goal, it still excites me to talk about the many benefits of a restricted-carbohydrate lifestyle. If I'm partial or biased, I don't care - Atkins rules!!