European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - August 17, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Improve your diet with by Denise Webb new York times most people s diets fall far Short of the. Ideal set by organizations like the National Academy of sciences the National cancer Institute and the american heart association cutting Back on fat. Eating More fiber reducing cholesterol eating More fruits vegetables and whole Grain foods. Nutritionists say one reason americans fail to meet dietary goals is that they cling to traditional diets in which High fat meat is the focus. But there Are differences of opinion on How to go about making changes. A some advocates of vegetarianism say that the Only Way to follow modern guidelines for healthful eating is to switch to a vegetarian diet or at least a vegetarian a style diet in which  the role of a condiment or a Side dish rather than a main course. On the other Side Are those who insist that healthful eating is simply choosing Low fat meats arid Dairy foods and eating More fruits vegetables and whole grains. Or. John Mcdougall an internist in Santa Rosa calif., his wife and three children have been eating a strict vegetarian diet for 15 years and he recommends the regimen for his patients. Mcdougall directs a 1. Residential health program in Deer Park. Calif., offering Only vegetarian cuisine. A people Are supposed to eat a diet entered around starch Quot he said Quot like pastas potatoes Rice and breads with the addition of fruits and  he said Many people who follow such diets experience decreases in. Blood pressure and cholesterol that would not be possible on a diet based on meat. ,. Suzanne Havana a registered dietitian who is a consulting nutritionist in Charlotte n.c., has been a vegetarian for 13 years but she said it was not necessary to follow a totally vegetarian diet to be healthy. Quot but you have to try a lot harder to meet the dietary guidelines if you re eating a typical american diet and not a vegetarian kind of  she said she believed that moving toward a More vegetarian diet is a Good Way of putting dietary recommendations into practice. Switching to a vegetarian diet to meet dietary goals is Quot absurd and unnecessary Quot said or. Jack m. Lacono director of the Western human nutrition research Center in san Francisco who has been studying the effects on health of reducing fat in the typical diets of americans finns and italians for 17 years. A he said that reducing one s intake of fat to less than 30 percent from 40 percent would be easy if Consumers chose leaner grades of meat and Low fat cuts of Moat and if they carefully trim visible fat from meat and use Low fat Dairy products Low fat cuts of beef include top round Eye of round and Chuck roast. The leanest Grade of beef in the United states is labelled  if fruits vegetables and grains Are substituted for the fats that have been removed Lacona said the character of the diet is unchanged but the Vitamin and Mineral Content is dramatically improved. Choosing the right foods is not always easy without the help of a nutritionist. A simple approach said or. Paul Lachance professor of nutrition and food science at Rutgers University is to adjust the distribution of Plant foods vis a vis animal foods in the diet. Currently about 60 percent of the american diet comes from Amman food beef fish poultry pork milk cheese eggs and 40 percent comes from Plant food fruits vegetables cereals and Grams the u s department of agriculture says Lachance recommends that these percentages to sets us it Sihu it to vegetables fresh from the Garden Are now available at outdoor markets throughout Europe. Reversed so that 60 percent of the american diet is from plants and Only 40 percent is from animals. Though nutritionists disagree on whether a vegetarian style diet is necessary to meet dietary guidelines few of them argue against the evidence that people who follow vegetarian diets have a lower Rale of chronic illness a heart disease cancer obesity it diabetes and Gall bladder disease Quot the nutritional benefits of vegetarian diets Are very Well established Over time with an enormous body of literature Quot said or Marion Nestle chairman of the department of Home economics and nutrition at new York University. Vegetarian diets Are healthy provided calories Are adequate and the diet is varied said Nestle who was the managing editor of the surgeon general s report on nutrition and health for 1988, a Havana agrees that even vegetarian diets can be nutritionally unbalanced. Sodas and potato chips Are vegetarian foods she says but if consumed excessively they make a vegetarian diet High in fat and Low in nutrients just As a meat based junk food diet is. She offers several suggestions for those who want a diet that emphasizes Plant food Over animal food. First she says done to expect to make changes overnight the evolution from one s current eating habits should be. Gradual. She recommends limiting meat intake to 4 ounces a Day or in practical terms no More than one meat based meal meat consumption now averages about 6 to 8 ounces a Day. To accomplish this she advises that people consider vegetables Rice and grains As the main course and meat and Dairy products As the Side dish or condiment during the transition to a More vegetarian diet Havana suggests experimenting with vegetarian cookbooks. But she says be forewarned that some vegetarian recipes Call for a lot of cheese sour Cream oils or vegetable Margarine making the dishes High in fat. Cookbooks or cooking classes for such ethnic cuisines As chinese thai japanese and Indian she says May also provide meatless options that Are Good starter dishes Tor those new to vegetarian style eating . We he d Forl Insp War her dii<1 in Mir. N Rij ohm a him vegetable info new York times the vegetarian resource group a not for profit educational organization offers information on vegetarianism and vegetarian cooking write to the vegetarian resource group p o Box 1463, Tai timbre my. 21203. Two vegetarian cookbooks Are i he new t arc s Kitchen by Laurel Robertson Carol f Imdars arid Brian Ruppenthal 1986 $16 95, and St la life with menu a Mollie Kat Cri 1988 $21 96. Both from ten Speed press p Foj Box 7123, Berkeley Calif 94/0/ you can also write Wood Bridge press. P o Box 6169, Santa Barbara Camii 93160, for bean  by Patricco Gregory 1964 19 96 Friday August 17, 19s0 the stars and stripes Page 13