interview re vegan diet for health and fun, Suzanne Havala Hobbs, book "Get the Trans Fats Out", clinical assistant professor, UNC at Chapel Hill, in 56th Mad Cowboy Newsletter, Howard Lyman: Murray 2006.12.21

interview re vegan diet for health and fun, Suzanne Havala Hobbs, book
"Get the Trans Fats Out", clinical assistant professor, UNC at Chapel
Hill, in 56th Mad Cowboy Newsletter, Howard Lyman: Murray 2006.12.21
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1389


[ SH: "Saturated fats are a form of fat that's generally hard at room
temperature, and most saturated fats come from animal sources. So,
examples would be the fat you find in dairy products, butterfat, lard,
and bacon grease. Saturated fat, like trans fat, stimulates the body
to produce more cholesterol. Just as the IOM report concluded that
there's no safe level of trans fat in the diet, likewise, they also
concluded that there's no safe level of saturated fat in the diet.
When people evaluate foods, they should look at the both the trans fat
and saturated fat content of food -- combine those figures, and aim for
getting as little in your diet as possible."

MS: "So then trans fat is significantly worse than saturated fat in
the diet?"

SH: "Oh no, I'm not sure that's the case."

MS: "Really?"

SH: "I think it's almost splitting hairs to differentiate between the
two. I would lump them together, and for the sake of simplicity, call
them the "bad fats," and people should just avoid both." ]

www.amazon.com
Get the Trans Fat Out: 601 Simple Ways to Cut the Trans Fat Out of Any
Diet by Suzanne Havala Hobbs (Paperback - Oct 3, 2006)
Buy new: $11.16 Used & new from $7.19


Howdy! Welcome to the 56th edition of the Mad Cowboy Newsletter.

We a couple of special holiday treats today. First, a letter to
y'all from the Big Guy himself [ Howard Lyman ]:
http://www.madcowboy.com/02_HolidayLetter2006.html

As Howard mentions, the Mad Cowboy Documentary recently won an
Artivist Award. Here's the Press Release and a link to pictures
taken at the event:

http://home.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/index.jsp?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20061201005138&newsLang=en

http://www.madcowboy.com/06_1220_ArtivistPixF/index.html

Also in this issue, we've a new interactive "Mad Cowboy Interview"
with Dr. Suzanne Havala Hobbs. A well-known author, speaker, and
nutritionist, Suzanne has just published her 10th book: "Get the
Trans Fat Out: 601 Simple Ways to Cut the Trans Fat Out of Any
Diet." You'll see some snippets from the interview and a link to the
full two-parter below. If you aren't aware of Trans Fat in your
diet, you need to be.

Reading onward, there's a lot of activity in the Mad Cow Info
Round-up regarding BSE and related issues, several links to Veg'n
Holidaze Recipes, more articles about vegetables helping prevent skin
cancer, mental decline, and maybe cancers in general. There's
information about new surveys of bacteria in purchased chickens, the
infamous "Robo-Deer" and Singing Sheep, a disturbing new US law
affecting animal issues activists, South Korea having the world's
largest garbage-fueled power plant, a definitive study by the UN on
the global climate change impact of meat-eating, and a surprise about
what you can do with cell phones while shopping for food in Japan.

.... and, as always, a tip of the hat to our new subscribers. Y'all
can read past issues of the newsletter at:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Mad_Cowboy/

Best Wishes to Everyone for a Happy Holidaze, Warm Winter Solstice,
and Great New Year!

Mark Sutton msutton@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx,
[ personal vegan blog: http://www.soulveggie.com ]
***********************************************

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

00: Quote(s) from Howard Lyman
01: A Mad Cowboy Interview with Dr. Suzanne Havala Hobbs
02: The Vegan Mind-Bender Contest Winner/Challenge!
03: Veg'n Holiday Recipe Links
04: Mad Cow Info Round-up
05: Skin Cancer, Cancer, IQ, Mental Decline >> Eat Veggies
06: Bacteria in Chicken, Ham/Turkey Recall, 600 Ill, More Outbreaks
07: Robo-Deer, Singing Sheep, Rough Peek, Food & Cell Phones
08: Animal: Terrorism Act, Political Party, Law Suit, Root'n'Shoots
09: Garbage Fuels, Pesticides/Kids, GMO Fuzzy, Meat=Climate Change
10: Howard's Schedule
11: Quick Bytes
12: Closing Thoughts
************************************************

*00: Quote(s) from Howard

"...the smartest thing I ever did was to start down a path that
eventually led me to become a vegan. It was a process that took
years; I made some mistakes along the way, and I'm still learning.
But I have arrived now at a diet that leaves me with more energy than
I've felt since I was a kid, and leaves my doctor shaking his head in
wonder at all the glorious numbers in my blood work -- one hell of
an improvement over the ominous numbers that used to make me think
that my only hope was to buy more life insurance. I understand now
that no change could produce as much benefit for our land and the
water -- and our health -- than a shift among the American populace
toward a plant-based diet."

[From: "No More Bull!" by Howard Lyman, pp. 08]
************************************************

*01: A Mad Cowboy Interview with Dr. Suzanne Havala Hobbs

[some snippets from the Mad Cowboy Interview with Dr. Suzanne Havala
Hobbs, author of: "Getting Trans Fat Out: 601 Simple Ways to cut
the Trans Fat Out of Any Diet."]

M: "Now, you've written 9 books, which is amazing in itself, I don't
know how you find time to do so much. And now, you've just published
your tenth book: "Get the Trans Fat Out: 601 simple Ways to Cut the
Trans Fat Out of Any Diet." This begs the big question: what are
trans fats and why should we be worried about them?"

S: "Trans fats are primarily a man-made fat, created when vegetable
oil is bombarded with hydrogen, and the chemical nature of the liquid
oil is changed. Trans fats stimulate the body to produce more
cholesterol, and they are associated with greater rates of coronary
artery disease. A recent report by the Institute of Medicine (IOM)
concluded that there's no safe level of intake of trans fat, and that
people should minimize their exposure to trans fats."

[snip]

M: "If you were the Food Czar of the United States, and had complete
authority over all aspects of diet, nutrition, the food supply, what
we eat, how we eat, and so on... what would you do, Madam?"

S: [snip]... I would make sure that people in all neighborhoods had
access to fresh seasonal locally grown produce, and to meal programs.
I would have universal free meals for kids in schools, and I would
put greater restrictions on advertising that targets children with
junk food, and I would integrate nutrition education into the public
school curricula, from the very earliest age, from kindergarten on
up. I think nutrition and health, just like personal finance should
be integrated into the curriculum. We should be giving kids
practical life skills

S: [snip -- regarding her new book]...I think so often, people get
fixated on one aspect of diet and they lose sight of the bigger
picture, so I always try to put information in perspective and in the
context of the total diet. I also think that it makes people see
that it's easier to pull this off if they see that all this advice is
interrelated, and that the net result is that you can eat one way and
address all of the various recommendations that people are hit with
all the time. Get more fiber, eat less saturated fat, avoid trans
fat, moderate your protein intake, lower your sodium intake -- ALL
of that advice can be achieved by eating the same way."

[You can read the full interview (with embedded links) at:
http://www.madcowboy.com/02_MCIview04.000.html
************************************************

*12: Closing Thoughts

"Be easy on yourself: Lifesyle changes can be difficult, and life
introduces hurdles along the way including holidays, illnesses, and
other distractions. You don't want to delude yourself into thinking
you're making progress when you're not, but there's also no need to
be too harsh on youself if you have a setback now and then.

Be positive: Some people see the joy in a challenge, and others just
see the challenge. When you embark on a diet change, think about the
many appealing foods you have to choose from rather than what you're
leaving behind. It's all about attitude. Don't waste time thinking
about what you need to eat. Move on and look ahead."

--- Dr. Suzanne Havala Hobbs, p. 182, "Getting the Trans Fat Out"
******************************************************************

Mark Sutton, Webmaster@xxxxxxxxxxxxx http://www.madcowboy.com
To subscribe, send a blank e-mail to:
Mad_Cowboy-subscribe@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
******************************************************************


http://www.onthetable.net/bio.html
On the Table blog, Suzanne Havala Hobbs suzanne@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx,
220 Glade Street Chapel Hill NC 27516
919.969.8376 fax 919.969.1615

http://www.onthetable.net/news.html links to reliable sources

"Newspapers
Several newspapers do a particularly good job of reporting on issues
involving diet, health and food policy. Notable ones include stories by
Marian Burros and Kim Severson of The New York Times, Tara Parker-Pope
of The Wall Street Journal, and Elizabeth Weise of USA Today."

Suzanne H Hobbs
E-mail: suzanne_hobbs@xxxxxxx,
Address: 1103D McGavran-Greenberg Hall,
Dept of Health Policy & Administration Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7411
Telephone: (919) 843-4621 Fax: (919) 966-6961
Homepage: http://www.sph.unc.edu/hpaa/drph.htm
www.sph.unc.edu/?option=com_profiles&profileAction=ProfDetail&profileId=2369
havala@xxxxxxxxxxxxx,
http://www.sph.unc.edu/images/stories/academic_programs/hpaa/documents/hobbs.pdf
12-page Curriculum Vitae and publications
suzanne_havalahobbs@xxxxxxx,
[ 2004-present Associate Director, Doctoral Program in Health
Leadership, Department of Health Policy and Administration, School of
Public Health, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

2004-present Clinical Assistant Professor, Department of Health Policy
and Administration, School of Public Health, The University of North
Carolina at Chapel Hill. ]
Title: Clinical Assistant Prof.
Department: Health Policy & Administration (4610)
Home Address: 220 Glade Street Chapel Hill, NC 27516
Telephone: (919) 969-8376


http://www.madcowboy.com/02_MCIview04.000.html

Mad Cowboy Interview 04: Dr. Suzanne Havala Hobbs [ photo ]

"Here's the issue: when you have a substance that is known to
harm health, it's ubiquitous in the food supply, you don't have a real
choice. In situations like this, I think it's appropriate for a
government to intervene, and exercise the power to regulate that
ingredient and remove it from the food supply. I heard somebody make
an analogy to lead or arsenic... if we had arsenic being added to
foods, wouldn't people call for government intervention to have that
removed?"

Suzanne Havala Hobbs, DrPH, MS, RD is a nationally recognized
author on issues relating to food, nutrition and health policy. Among
the topics addressed in her column are meal planning and cooking tips,
food trends and federal policies on dietary guidance and food safety.

She is a licensed, registered dietitian and a clinical assistant
professor in the Department of Health Policy and Administration, School
of Public Health, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Her advice has been quoted in Parade, SELF Magazine, Shape,
Vegetarian Times, The New York Times, Runner's World, New Woman, YM,
Omni, Sassy, and Harper's Bazaar and in appearances on Good Morning
America, Weekend Today in New York and the Susan Powter Show.

She is the author of the new book: Get the Trans Fat Out: 601
Simple Ways to Cut the Trans Fat Out of Any Diet,
Being Vegetarian for Dummies,
Vegetarian Cooking for Dummies,
The Natural Kitchen,
The Complete Idiot's Guide to Being Vegetarian (First Edition),
Good Foods, Bad Foods: What's Left to Eat?,
The Vegetarian Food Guide and Nutrition Counter,
Shopping for Health: A Nutritionist's Aisle-by-Aisle Guide to Smart,
Low-fat Choices at the Supermarket,
Being Vegetarian,
and Simple, Lowfat & Vegetarian.

She is a contributing writer for Bottom Line/Personal and nutrition
editor for Vegetarian Journal. She has been a regular contributor to
SELF Magazine and serves on the editorial advisory board of Vegetarian
Times. Her nutrition column, "On the Table", reachs 400,000 readers
weekly in the News & Observer of Raleigh, North Carolina, and the
Charlotte Observer.

Suzanne is a member of the American Public Health Association,
American Dietetic Association, National Association of Science Writers,
Association of Health Care Journalists, Association of Food Journalists
and the American Society of Journalists and Authors.

This edited interview took place by phone in mid-December 2006.

Part 1 covers her personal and academic background, trans - saturated -
and unsaturated fats, the recent New York City Health Board decision to
ban trans fat in restaurants, and the "Food Police."

Part 2 focuses more on her new book, different approaches to changing
diet, Jack LaLanne, and what she'd do if in charge of all US
Food-related isues.

http://www.madcowboy.com/02_MCIview04.001.html Part 1

[WHY VEG?] [MOM'S INFLUENCE] [FATHER] [ACADEMIA] [ISSUE OF TRANS FAT]
[TRIPLE WHAMMY] [DIFFERENT FATS] [NYC TFAT BAN & FOOD POLICE]

MS: "How long have you been a vegetarian and why?"

SH: "I've been a vegetarian for 32 years. I went vegetarian when I
was 16, and I'll turn 48 tomorrow. But my diet has certainly evolved
in that time. I started out as a lacto-ovo vegetarian who was stuck in
the cheese'n'eggs rut for a long time. What prompted me to get
interested in vegetarian diets was a confluence of events of several
factors, but one of them was my interest in competitive sports. I was
a competitive swimmer and was particularly good at the endurance
events, and I read a book that a relative brought over to the house one
day. It was called "Faith, Love, and Seaweed," by Ian Rose (father of
the Olympic Gold Medal Award-winning swimmer, Murray Rose). Murray
attributed his athletic endurance to his vegetarian diet. I grabbed
that book and read it, and somehow it resonated with me, and I was
keenly interested. So that registered in about the same time that my
mother went vegetarian, and that probably had the most profound effect
on me. I was probably youn
ger than sixteen at that point. We always ate our family dinners
together, and at six o'clock sharp, she sat down and said "I have an
announcement to make..."

MS: (laughing)

SH: "...it was just like that. I can tell you where I was sitting and
I can even see her standing there talking. We were having chili that
night, and she used to make it with ground beef and kidney beans. She
sat down and she had a toasted whole wheat cheddar cheese sandwich with
vegetables, and that became her dinner for years. Either that or a
cheese omelette. She said: "Everybody, from now on I'm a vegetarian."
She gave absolutely no explanation at all as to why."

MS: "Did she ever tell you "why?"

SH: "Yes, years later. She admitted that it was for ethical reasons."

MS: "That's fascinating, as you came at it from a physical
standpoint."

SH: "This was early to mid-70's..."

MS: "I remember... going veg was radical."

SH: "She was a hospital nurse, and I can remember for years she
wouldn't talk about it at work, and she just sort of surreptitiously
ate vegetarian in the hospital cafeteria. She told us a few times that
the people who worked in the hospital perceived her as being a little
odd. There were friends of hers who knew her for years and who never
even noticed that she didn't eat meat."

MS: "What part of the country was this?"

SH: "Michigan. Detroit area."

MS: "Wow..."

SH: "...so she sort of kept it under wraps for years. So that the
whole time I was living at home and she was working as a nurse, and
later as a nurse for the Oakland Public Health Department, but she kept
it under wraps. It was definitely in the 70s perceived as being a
little "out there." But she was silent about it at home, too. She
never said a word about why she went vegetarian, and for some reason,
we kids weren't curious enough to ask. And I think if we had, she
probably wouldn't have talked about it very much; she was just very
private."

FATHER

MS: "What about your father?"

SH: "There was a little bit of conflict with my Dad. I mean, he was a
1950s meat'n'potatoes midwestern man, and I can remember the tension
building over the years... eventually, each kid in the family went
vegetarian. My younger sister went first, then I went, and then my
younger brother. My older sister was out of the house at the point,
she was 10 years older then me, so she was already in college, but she
eventually went vegetarian, too.

Over the years, while we were eating meals at home, I can remember, one
by one, each kid saying "you don't have to cook meat for me, anymore.
I'm a vegetarian now," we just kind of fell, one by one, and she
started making more and more of her food, and less and less of the
cooked meats that she used to make for our dinners to the point where,
eventually, we'd be sitting down to dinner and we'd be having these
heaping salads and cooked vegetables, and breads and vegetarian food,
and she'd heat up a couple of hot dogs for my Dad! It was like,
y'know, here's a little token I can make for you, and he would register
his displeasure at the end of the meal by getting up from the table and
going to the refrigerator and grabbing a couple of frozen waffles to
pop into the toaster. That was sort of a signal that this meal wasn't
adequate."

MS: "How funny..."

SH: "There was definitely some tension there for a couple of years,
and then eventually, my Dad caved... he's always been a person who ate
what my mother fixed, and he doesn't cook on his own, and so today,
they've been married for 60 years, he's a vegetarian, too."

MS: "Great story."

SH: "I remember as a kid, too, very early, I had a button that I
picked up at the Ann Arbor Art Fair that said "real people wear fake
furs." I wore that around and I was just definitely very sensitive to
animal issues at an early age, as well, so I was definitely primed to
be a vegetarian."

ACADEMIA

MS: "Was it your diet that led you to your academic career, and can
you summarize it as well? You bring some great qualifications and
credentials to the game."

SH: "I'm a registered dietician and I have a Master's Degree in Human
Nutrition and a Doctorate in Health Policy and Administration. My
personal interest in food and nutrition led me to a career in
dietetics, because I wanted to know everything I could possibly know
about nutrition. My career has developed and evolved over the years,
but that was certainly the initial impetus for my choice."

MS: "What's fascinating to me in talking to you right now, is that
you've managed to hit the mainstream press all over the place. You've
written for major magazines, major newspapers, interviews all the
time... I mean, you're all over the map and you keep it relatively
mainstream. I would guess that your own views are probably a bit more
"hard care." Has this been difficult for you in academia, that is,
finding a middle ground that people can handle?"

SH: "No, not at all. I love the academic environment because,
generally, people here are very tolerant of new divergent views, and I
have found my colleagues to be totally supportive and very much
interested. Everybody accepts the varying viewpoints and in fact, this
kind of academic environment thrives on different points of view."

MS: "Do you think that the nutritional establishment, in general, is
catching on then?"

SH: "I think for certain, the ideas about plant-based diets are
becoming more accepted. I think twenty years ago, most university
nutrition departments would have not been quite so accepting of
vegetarianism -- more skeptical about the nutritional adequacy of a
vegetarian diet then they are now."

MS: "I was thinking that your column in the newspaper reaches some
400,000 people a week. That's fantastic."

SH: "Y'know, there are a lot of folks here at the school who read the
column and I get lots of positive feedback. We joke about the column a
lot..."

MS: (laughing)

SH: "...people stop by the office and make little remarks about what
they read this morning. We have a lot of fun with it."

THE ISSUE OF TRANS FAT

MS: "Now, you've written 9 books, which is amazing in itself, I don't
know how you find time to do so much. And now, you've just published
your tenth book: "Get the Trans Fat Out: 601 simple Ways to Cut the
Trans Fat Out of Any Diet." This begs the big question: what are
trans fats and why should we be worried about them?"

SH: "Trans fats are primarily a man-made fat, created when vegetable
oil is bombarded with hydrogen, and the chemical nature of the liquid
oil is changed. Trans fats stimulate the body to produce more
cholesterol, and they are associated with greater rates of coronary
artery disease. A recent report by the Institute of Medicine (IOM)
concluded that there's no safe level of intake of trans fat, and that
people should minimize their exposure to trans fats."

MS: "In your new book, you wrote that even an increase of just 1
teaspoon a day in the diet of women can cause a 62% increase in heart
attack risk?"

SH: "It's a substantial increase in heart attack risk."

MS: "That was stunning to me, because I remember as a kid, Crisco...
you write about Crisco being the first of the really big trans fat
products... what, a hundred years ago?"

SH: "Right."

MS: "...and I remember that Crisco was used extensively in my
grandparent's kitchen. My grandfather died of a stroke at an early
age, and I remember the Crisco being used all the time... I mean, to
fry everything."

SH: "It was cheaper than butter or lard, and it kept for long time in
the cupboard. It was very convenient."

TRIPLE WHAMMY

MS: "What also surprised me from your book about trans fats is that,
what, they're like a triple-whammy. They lower LDL and HDL, as well as
effect the liver."

SH: "Yes, and until recently, the big problem was, that we couldn't
easily see how much trans fat was in the food that we're eating. Now
that trans fat is required to be listed on the Nutrition Fact Labels
and food product packages, now it's exposed. Now everyone can see how
much trans fat they could be eating."

MS: "...and your book also points out that, at last count, there are
some 40,000 products in the average grocery store that contain trans
fats, and here's the medical establishment saying that even 1 teaspoon
a day is unhealthy."

SH: "That number is probably far-reduced by now, because food
companies have been removing trans fat from products willy-nilly. I
don't know that anybody has an estimate of how many foods contain trans
fat now. If it is changing radically, it's because of the exposure
that trans fat has gotten on food labels."

MS: "Can you contrast trans fats with saturated and unsaturated fats?"

SH: "Saturated fats are a form of fat that's generally hard at room
temperature, and most saturated fats come from animal sources. So,
examples would be the fat you find in dairy products, butterfat, lard,
and bacon grease. Saturated fat, like trans fat, stimulates the body
to produce more cholesterol. Just as the IOM report concluded that
there's no safe level of trans fat in the diet, likewise, they also
concluded that there's no safe level of saturated fat in the diet.
When people evaluate foods, they should look at the both the trans fat
and saturated fat content of food -- combine those figures, and aim for
getting as little in your diet as possible."

MS: "So then trans fat is significantly worse than saturated fat in
the diet?"

SH: "Oh no, I'm not sure that's the case."

MS: "Really?"

SH: "I think it's almost splitting hairs to differentiate between the
two. I would lump them together, and for the sake of simplicity, call
them the "bad fats," and people should just avoid both."

NEW YORK CITY'S BAN ON TRANS FAT

MS: "In New York recently, the New York Health Board voted for banning
trans fat from all restaurants. What do you think of this decision?"

SH: "I think it's a great idea, and I hope it spurs similar actions
across the country. People often scoff..."

MS: "...raising the issue of "food police."

SH: "Here's the issue: when you have a substance that is known to
harm health, it's ubiquitous in the food supply, you don't have a real
choice. In situations like this, I think it's appropriate for a
government to intervene, and exercise the power to regulate that
ingredient and remove it from the food supply. I heard somebody make
an analogy to lead or arsenic... if we had arsenic being added to
foods, wouldn't people call for government intervention to have that
removed? There's always this tension between individual rights and
freedoms, and what's best for the community as a whole. Our society
has generally made decisions to protect the masses at the expense of
some freedom for individuals, and individuals also meaning
corporations."

MS: "It's a difficult issue..."

SH: "Oh, it is a difficult issue... but in this case, I think that
it's in the interest of the public's health for government to step in
and regulate in the area of trans fat."

MS: "Well, let me be somewhat of a devil's advocate, as recently I
couldn't by my favorite vegan cheese at a store because they said it
had trans fat in them, and so they dropped the line. My point when
writing management of the corporation was that if trans fat is listed
on the label, shouldn't it should be my option."

SH: "I've talked to managers in various Health Food stores, and I know
most set a standard that they sort of follow. Most stores don't sell
products containing partially-hydrogenated fat to serve a standard of
identify that they've adopted for buying products to sell in that
store.

MS: "A tough call, as some of the other products they might carry,
fried foods or whey as examples aren't healthy. BUT, on the positive
side, because I couldn't get that product any more, I began to explore
making my own mock cheeses which, admittedly, are much cheaper,
healthier, and satisfying to me."

SH: "Good."

MS: "Now, to play Devil's Advocate a bit more, and I'm not going to
get extreme here, but: should saturated fats be banned? Where do we
draw the line?"

SH: "Well, saturated fat is naturally occurring in foods, and there
are a lot more questions to be answered about saturated fats. If you
look at the government recommendations on the Nutrition Fact Label
there's no daily value given for trans fats, because there is no safe
level. But there is a daily value given for saturated fat. Years ago,
a decision was made that a target level could be given. In fact, there
really is no safe target level for saturated fat intake, and they
really ought to be treated the same way."

MS: "It may be also that since saturated fats occur naturally in a
food product, the consumer should and can be aware of the
consequences."

SH: "I think that's one way to look at it, but you're right in that
these decisions are not clean, but in the case of saturated fat it's
not something that's being added to food, so I think that for certain
that labeling the saturated fat content of some foods is important, and
we already do that."


http://www.madcowboy.com/02_MCIview04.002.html Part 2

MS: "Back to your new book... your tenth one! Why?"

SH: "I like the print media, because for a single effort, you can
reach so many people. For years, I did "one on one" nutritional
counseling, and for the same energy, to reach so many people... it just
feels more efficient to me. And I also like putting the words down on
paper because you can work the words, and craft them in such a way that
you say exactly what you mean to say before you put it out there. I
like that level of control."

MS: "You new book is quite extensive and intrigued me. It seems you
constructed it deliberately to allow for different ways of using the
information."

SH: "Right... because so many people don't like to read a book cover
to cover. There's a little bit of information at the beginning for
people who want the background, but the bulk of the book focuses on the
"how to" piece of the challenge. From my experience that's what people
are the most interested in and need the most help with."

MS: "One of the things that surprised me in your book was that even
though I've been cooking vegetarian/vegan and researching diet issues
for a couple of decades, you have an impressive number of
"tips'n'tricks" therein for shopping, cooking, and eating, and I was
surprised at how many of them I hadn't thought of before. You break it
all out really efficiently, starting with breakfast and taking people
through the main meals, and even to restaurants. A great approach, and
not only just for getting the trans fat out of your diet, but it's
really a guide and a primer to eating healthier all the way around."

SH: "...and that was my intention as well, because I think so often,
people get fixated on one aspect of diet and they lose sight of the
bigger picture, so I always try to put information in perspective and
in the context of the total diet. I also think that it makes people
see that it's easier to pull this off if they see that all this advice
is interrelated, and that the net result is that you can eat one way
and address all of the various recommendations that people are hit with
all the time. Get more fiber, eat less saturated fat, avoid trans fat,
moderate your protein intake, lower your sodium intake -- ALL of that
advice can be achieved by eating the same way."

CHANGING DIET

MS: "The book is very integrated and holistic. I also like the way
you start out by throwing out everything in the kitchen that you
haven't used, don't need, and has been in there for decades. I mean,
you start right from the ground, basically, and build a whole new
edifice for people in terms of how they should look at their diet and
lifestyle."

SH: "That's what works for me. That's why I approach it this way. I
feel that just getting organized is a really important first step."

MS: "You also do a marvelous job of providing resource, websites,
detailed tables of nutritional information, recipes... it is truly
comprehensive, and that surprised me. I expected more on trans fats in
one sense, but once you establish that trans fats are not good, then,
then the bulk of the book is about how to eat right."

SH: "Thanks... appreciate you noticed that. Again, I think that it's
so important that dietary advice be put into perspective, otherwise,
you leave people feeling like they have to remember a hundred different
things, and you leave the impression that there's nothing left to eat,
when in fact, I'm hoping it's liberating to people to realize that they
can eat one way, and if they eat this one way and focus on some
over-arching rules, then all of these details fall into place."

DIETARY APPROACHES

MS: "But you also seem to believe in an incremental approach, calling
for a gradual transition rather than going "cold turkey" so-to-speak."

SH: "From my own experience, and let's face it, I spent years doing
individual counseling, and from what I've seen of what works for most
people, is a gradual approach is the most effective approach for most
people. There are certainly people who do well by just changing their
diet over night, and more power to them, but most people, I think,
master skills over time... and if they do it gradually (the key is that
they have to keep moving and not get stuck in a rut), they have to keep
moving forward, if they can master skills as they go and build on
previous skills, then they're more likely to be able to maintain
lifestyle changes."

MS: "It's a very friendly approach, you are not lecturing, being
dogmatic... you're allowing for those people that are still
ovo-lacto... again, it's mainstream -- you do an excellent job of
setting it up so that one can a little more in either direction and not
feel bad."

SH: "Well, I feel that diet is a very personal thing. What motivates
one person to change and what prevents another person from changing, I
don't know. You and I can't motivate individual people. All we can do
is support and encourage, so I feel like that's my role... it's to
support and encourage positive changes. But ultimately, everybody has
to figure out what's right for them, and what rate of change is right
for them. It's a very personal decision."

JACK LALANNE

MS: "In your book, you reminded me of Howard in two aspects. Howard
advocates educating one's self. Fundamentally, you can't force people
to learn anything, you can help them educate themselves, and your book
just does this in so many ways, and I was just delighted to see this.
The other thing that reminded me of Howard was Jack LaLanne. There's
two wonderful quotes in your book from LaLanne. One was how Jack
LaLanne would go to a restaurant and order, what, a salad made of at
least 10 raw vegetables chopped up fine with oil and vinegar, and
always more than he could eat..."

SH: "Right."

MS: "I remember the first time I saw Howard speak in front of a group
of people he was telling a the story of how he once took a bunch of
friends to a nearby pizza restaurant after a lecture, and order
extra-large pizzas for the group with no cheese, but with all the
vegetables they had and salsa. Well, they didn't have salsa, and
Howard gave the waiter money and told him where he could buy some down
the street. Later, they actually created a pizza there called the
"Howard Lyman" or something like that, that of course, has salsa on it.
Reminds me of Jack LaLanne as mentioned in your book."

SH: (laughing)

MS: "The other quote in your book that I liked, was "find out what's
good for you, then create a liking for it." Just a wonderful way of
phrasing an approach... it's kind of off-topic, but can you talk a bit
about your meeting Jack LaLanne?"

SH: "Oh my god, he's so energetic and so positive. I think he must be
91 now, maybe even 92. I interviewed him when he turned 89. More than
anything, though, the impression he left me with is that he is so
highly disciplined. Disciplined and energetic. You know, I thought
about the discipline, the statements he made about deciding what's
healthy for you and developing a liking for it... that's in some ways a
kind of a harsh, disciplinarian approach, but it resonated with me,
because in my life I've done pretty much the same thing. I found that
rather than deluding myself into liking things that were good for me,
no... in fact, I found that I really did like those foods, that you
really can develop a preference for the taste of whole wheat pasta. Or
a preference for the taste of fresh vegetables that are not masked by
the flavor of salt. You just have to give yourself some time and focus
-- think about what you're eating -- focus on the flavors -- and
you're not convincing yourself it tastes good, you really think it
tastes good. But he was right. It's a very disciplined approach, but
what I have found is that what he said is very true in my own life."

MS: "I found out the same thing when giving up cheese. I don't miss
gooey cheese, but it did take me a little while to adapt. Now I look
for something different, there's a subtlety to the taste and texture I
now appreciate. It's... it's a whole different way of looking at what
I'm eating, rather than just the "slam" of the gooey fat. It's hard to
explain that to people that you really can get along fine, and in fact,
expand your horizons by learning to adapt."

MISSING MEAT

SH: "Right. Very recently, I've had a spate of people asking me if I
miss meat, you know, that sort of incredulous "don't you miss meat?" I
haven't had people ask me that question in years, and they've asked it
again recently. I guess it must be one of those things you have to
experience to really understand, but I don't even dream about eating
meat. I have absolutely not one iota of interest in eating meat. I
don't know how I would fit it into my diet; because there are so many
other things that I'd rather eat. I can't eat an unlimited number of
calories and I have to pick and choose. Meat would surely not be not
one of the things I'd add to my diet, if I wanted to. I just wouldn't
do it, because I like the other foods so much. My diet has so much
variety in it, so much more variety than the meat-eaters I know, it
just doesn't even cross my mind. I certainly don't feel deprived the
way many people imagine vegetarians must feel.

MS: "I felt the same way recently. I went to a Thanksgiving Buffet
with my family, which is very unusual in itself. It was very
interesting to notice how bland the colors were on everyone else's
plate, I mean, yeah, they had the cranberry sauce, but my plate was so
colorful because of what I chose to eat versus the beiges and the grays
and the browns of what they were eating. It was very apparent to me
the whole cornucopia available to you if you're not taking up half the
plate with a chunk of meat."

SH: "Well, no wonder that when vegetarians go to a potluck, or you're
in a social situation where you order the vegetarian meal, and yours
looks so much better than anyone else's."

MS: "Even twenty years ago, on plane flights, I used to get those "how
did you order that?" comments from other passengers."

SH: (laughing)..."I went to Australia by myself several years ago, and
it was a "dive trip." I was out on the Barrier Reef for four or five
days, and I said that I was a vegetarian. We're on this small boat out
on the reef for days at a stretch, and all they've got is a limited
amount of food, this wasn't like I was at a restaurant. So the chef
would make these meals each day, and I would invariably be in the back
of the line, and by the time I'd get up to front of the line, the
vegetarian food that had been put out would be gone. After the first
couple of times that this happened, I finally spoke up and said
something, and from then on, they had me going through the line first
before everyone else did. But that's just an example of what always
happens. So it's intriguing to me, that when given the choice, people
really do find the vegetarian options to be appealing."

PERSONAL STUFF

MS: "Ten books... 200 grad students... how do handle balance... how do
you relax?"

SH: (laughs) "I'm not very good at balance. Year after year after
year, that is my New Year's Resolution. I think I must have some kind
of compulsive need to work."

MS: "It's your dedication. How does your husband handle it?"

SH: "He's a "Type B" laid-back Southern guy. We're a good balance for
each other."

MS: "Is he also a vegetarian?"

SH: "Yes."

MS: "Was he a vegetarian when you met him?"

SH: "No no no.... he's from North Carolina, and he was big into
biscuits and barbecue. I had an influence, but I definitely put no
pressure on him. We were dating when he went vegetarian."

MS: "Do you have any favorite food indulgences?"

SH: "Like vices?"

MS: "Sure."

SH: "Coffee! Coffee is one vice. I've tried to decaffeinate a few
times unsuccessfully, and frankly, I'm not worried about it. I figure
coffee is a plant extract and can't be all bad. I love the aroma, I
love the flavor. Just like the commercial used to say, coffee is the
calm moment in the day. It's one of my crutches."

MS: "What do you like for breakfast?"

SH: "I like dry cereal for breakfast. I like a big bowl of some kind
of whole-grain dry cereal with soy milk. I've got these big pottery
chili bowls, with handles, and so it's probably equivalent to three or
four ordinary bowls of cereal, so I eat a gigantic bowl of cereal in
the morning with at least two cups of soy milk. It's either that, or a
couple of pieces of whole wheat toast with trans fat-free margarine
spread and jelly."

MS: "Tofu, tempeh, or seitan?"

SH: "I love seitan."

MS: "I do, too."

SH: "It's like candy to me. We have a local Chinese restaurant in
Marlboro, it's called "Jay Palace," and they make the most awesome
sesame tofu. It's cubes of tofu with a delicious sauce, and that's
another one of my vices. They serve it with steamed broccoli and
steamed rice, and it's just delicious. Like candy. It reminds me of
seitan, it has the same texture."

INSPIRATION

MS: "Who are some of the people that have inspired you most in your
work?"

SH: "Oh, I hate it when people ask me that question, because I'm
always so afraid I'm going to leave out someone important."

MS: "Well, your mother, obviously..."

SH: "Yeah, my mother was a very early influence... my mother and my
father."

MS: "How about in academia?"

SH: "There again, there've been numerous people who've been mentors to
me. Some in vegetarian circles, others not. I think I'd rather not
name people as I don't want to leave anyone out."

BOOK INFLUENCES

MS: "Okay, that's fine... can we talk about books that have influenced
you?"

SH: "Sure... let me think here. Y'know, these are the questions that
three hours later you start remembering: "I should have said..."

MS: (laughing): "...it's what you're thinking now..."

SH: "Okay... thanks... that takes the pressure off! Some of the books
that were early influences for me included: "Diet for a Small Planet"
and "Laurel's Kitchen." "Moosewood Cookbook," and "Faith, Love, and
Seaweed," was the very first... I mentioned that earlier. It's
funny... I have very minimal memories of the book, actually. I can
remember the cover looked like, and I can remember how much it affected
me... motivated me... I don't remember all that much about the
content of the book. The early, 1970s vegetarian cookbooks actually
inspired me. They were homey, friendly, and the foods all seemed like
comfort foods. They were... a lot of those recipes were really high in
saturated fat. There was no shortage of sour cream, and eggs, and
milk, and butter, and cheese in those recipes."

MS: "Well, some of the authors have cut back in the dairy in their
recipes. I think Nava Atlas and Mollie Katzen both use less high
saturated fat ingredients in subsequent versions or books."

SH: "Some of the Adventist cookbooks, too, I had very on early in my
life."

MS: "They were very simple and straightforward, too, but they were
very very good."

SH: "Very unpretentious, uncomplicated sort of home cooking. All of
those books were very very friendly to me. There were some Adventists
cookbooks, I'm not an Adventist, that I somehow came across in the 70s
that were really homey with that attitude. I can't remember the titles
of all of them, but I still have them on my bookshelf, with yellow and
dog-eared pages. I have fond memories of those books. It was often
cookbooks that influenced me earlier on."

MS: "It's amazing the range from simplicity to the complex, but
incredible recipes in some of the newer vegetarian or vegan
cookbooks... the Pickarski's, or Tucker at Millennium..."

SH: "I juxtapose that sort of interest in food with the Helen Nearings
of the world. I remember Helen Nearing, in one of her books, stated
that she doesn't aspire to being a great cook, in fact she's not all
that much that interested in recipes either, she just wants to use
simple ingredients to make flavorful foods and she doesn't want to
spend all day cooking. Her very practical, no nonsense approach is
also very appealing to me. I appreciate gourmet cooking... I love
nothing more than to go out to a wonderful restaurant and have a
beautiful meal, because I can appreciate the aesthetics of fine
cuisine. But it's not how most people live."

THE BIG QUESTIONS

MS: "If you could have some dinner guests from history, who would you
have?"

SH: "One guy that I always had a crush on was Frank Lloyd Wright.
There was an interview with Mike Wallace that I've seen that gave me
more insights into his opinions about things even beyond architecture,
and oh... was he ever appealing! So Frank Lloyd Wright would be high
on the list, as would Benjamin Franklin."

MS: "If you were the Food Czar of the United States, and had complete
authority over all aspects of diet, nutrition, the food supply, what we
eat, how we eat, and so on... what would you do, Madam?"

SH: (laughing)..."I've got a lot of energy and I've all kinds of ideas
on the things that I'd do. First of all, I would be very political. I
would be very careful to engage all of the people that ought to be
involved, that would have a stake in the changes. But if I could just
unilaterally make some decisions, with the assumption being that
everyone would go along with the changes, then I would push really hard
to create a "culture of wellness" in this country. And in particular,
with focus on diet and fitness. It would be a multi-pronged approach,
and it would have to address social and economic and behavioral
determinants of health.

So, for instance, and this is in no particular order, but here are
some of the things come to mind, I would increase people's access to
accurate nutritional information, so that they could make educated
decisions for themselves about how to live their lives, what to eat,
for example. I would be in favor of some of the proposals that are on
the table right now, including the labeling of nutritional content of
restaurant foods at the point of purchase. In public cafeterias and
school lunchrooms, I would make nutritional information easy to access
and very clearly stated. I would make changes to the nutrition fact
labels on food packages, so that only the most relevant was there, and
it was very clearly stated so that people understood what it meant. I
would pay particular attention to reducing the barriers to change that
make it so difficult for people to put into practice recommendations
for good health.

For example, some of this pertains to reducing poverty, in reducing the
gulf between the "haves" and the "have nots." I would increase
people's access to safe parks and to recreational facilities. I would
make sure that people in all neighborhoods had access to fresh seasonal
locally grown produce, and to meal programs. I would have universal
free meals for kids in schools, and I would put greater restrictions on
advertising that targets children with junk food, and I would integrate
nutrition education into the public school curricula, from the very
earliest age, from kindergarten on up. I think nutrition and health,
just like personal finance should be integrated into the curriculum.
We should be giving kids practical life skills

I would put universal health care into place, let's go for it, it's
about time. We spend more on health services than any other developed
country in the world, with the worst health outcomes. So I think we
need to put universal health care into place right now. I would take a
hard look at other food and nutrition policies on the Federal level. I
would remove some of the subsidies that are now in place for animal
agriculture. I also think that the USDA needs to be removed from the
process of producing dietary guidelines for Americans. Right now, the
dietary guidelines is a giant effort between HHS [Health and Human
Services] and the USDA. They are ineffective and need to removed from
that process. In fact, I think that we need to create one National
Health Office, or we should have one unified national health policy.
Right now, our system is too fragmented. And that's just for
starters."

BIGGEST THREATS

MS: "What would you consider to be the biggest threats to proper diet
and nutrition in this country right now?"

SH: "Economic disparity. I think the convergence of industry and
government, and poverty... economic disparity."

MS: "When reading your new book, I was struck by a similarity to trans
fat in our food products, and high fructose syrup (HFCS) in our food
products. It's unbelievable how many products in the average grocery
store have HFCS in them, and for the same original reasons as trans
fat: it's cheap."

SH: "One thing I wonder about, is that it's so sweet, and I've heard
some comments around the theory that HFCS is so sweet that its
predisposing us to want foods that are even sweeter than they used to
be. It's surely contributing to the obesity epidemic, and HFCS is
typically added to junkie foods anyway... foods that have low
nutritional value. I think you were right, you may have said this
earlier off-line, that HFCS will be the next trans fat in terms of
policy movement."

MS: "You've done some fantastic work, Suzanne, your dedication is
amazing, and all the books you've written... "Vegetarianism for
Dummies," just love the title. It had to be fun to write that."

SH: "Oh, it was so much fun. It was a lot of fun. I did the
"Complete Idiot's Guide to Vegetarianism" before that."

MS: (laughing)..."Now c'mon... were those two books really that
different?"

SH: (laughing)..."Well... I really wanted to call them "Vegetarianism
for Smarties!"
******************************************************************

www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1594/is_1_12/ai_68951946

How Sweet it Is -- health risks of sugar substitutes and benefits of
natural sweeteners
E: The Environmental Magazine, Jan, 2001 by Mark Harris

Natural Alternatives to Table Sugar, NutraSweet, Equal and Sweet `N Low

" Concluding that the animal studies aren't applicable to humans, the
government removed saccharin from its official list of cancer-causing
agents earlier this year. The move did nothing to convince critics that
it is safe. Warns Suzanne Havala, a registered dietician and author of
The Natural Kitchen, "I would still avoid saccharin -- nobody knows
what minimal exposure to a carcinogen is necessary to cause cancer in
people."

Although no proven long-term affects have been associated with
aspartame, it nonetheless carries a label warning consumers that it may
harm people afflicted with a rare genetic brain disease. Anecdotal
evidence has also linked aspartame to a wealth of symptoms, from
headaches to depression. "I'd give aspartame a yellow light," says
Havala. "If you're going to use it, do so with caution." "
******************************************************************


http://www.vegsource.com extensive vegan information

htttp://www.drmcdougall.com practical, delicious healthy diet guidance

http://www.vegsource.com/articles/kradjian_milk.htm
Robert Kradjian MD Discusses Milk

http://www.hyp.ac.uk/cash/index.htm
Consensus Action on Salt and Health

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/971
Joel Fuhrman critique of Atkins diet in "Eat To Live":
Murray 2003.03.01 rmforall


McDougall low-fat vegan diet, no meat or dairy, hugely helps 49
diabetics in 4 month study by Neal D. Barnard: Murray 2006.07.30
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1361


short aspartame (methanol, formaldehyde) toxicity research summary:
Murray 2006.12.21
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1379

"Of course, everyone chooses, as a natural priority,
to actively find, quickly share, and positively act upon the facts
about healthy and safe food, drink, and environment."

Rich Murray, MA Room For All rmforall@xxxxxxxxxxx
505-501-2298 1943 Otowi Road Santa Fe, New Mexico 87505

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/messages
group with 77 members, 1,389 posts in a public, searchable archive
http://RMForAll.blogspot.com

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1340
aspartame groups and books: updated research review of 2004.07.16:
Murray 2006.05.11

Coca-Cola carcinogenicity in rats, Ramazzini Foundation, F Belpoggi, M
Soffritti, Annals NY Academy Sciences 2006 Sept, parts of 17 pages:
Murray 2006.12.02
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1385

[ For related information and links:

Fiorella Belpoggi & Morando Soffritti of Ramazzini Foundation prove
lifetime carcinogenicity of Coca-Cola, aspartame, and arsenic, Annals
of the NY Academy of Sciences: Murray 2006.11.28
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1382

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1383 aspartame

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1384 arsenic ]


soft drinks and adolescent hyperactivity, mental distress, conduct
problems, Lars Lien, Nanna Lien, Sonja Heyerdahl, Mayne Thoresen, Espen
Bjertness 2006 Oct., A J Pub Health: Murray 2006.10.21
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1376

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1375
healthy diet, vitamins, and fish oil help reduce depression and
violence, studies by Joseph Hibbeln, Bernard Gesch, and Stephen
Schoenthaler, articles by Felicity Lawrence in UK Guardian Unlimited
and Pat Thomas in The Ecologist: Murray 2006.10.21


http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1378
11 members of New Mexico legislature sign letter to ban aspartame as a
source of toxic methanol and formaldehyde, Stephen Fox, NM Senator
Gerald Ortiz y Pino: Murray 2006.10.22

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1374
47 UK Members of Parliament now support aspartame ban initiative of
Roger Williams, MP: Murray 2006.10.16

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1271
combining aspartame and quinoline yellow, or MSG and brilliant blue,
harms nerve cells, eminent C. Vyvyan Howard et al, 2005
education.guardian.co.uk, Felicity Lawrence: Murray 2005.12.21

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1277
50% UK baby food is now organic -- aspartame or MSG
with food dyes harm nerve cells, CV Howard 3 year study
funded by Lizzy Vann, CEO, Organix Brands,
Children's Food Advisory Service: Murray 2006.01.13

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1279
all three aspartame metabolites harm human erythrocyte [red blood cell]
membrane enzyme activity, KH Schulpis et al, two studies in 2005,
Athens, Greece, 2005.12.14: 2004 research review, RL Blaylock:
Murray 2006.01.14

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1366
toxicity in rat brains from aspartame, Vences-Mejia A, Espinosa-Aguirre
JJ et al 2006 Aug: Murray 2006.09.06

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1373
aspartame rat brain toxicity re cytochrome P450 enzymes, expecially
CYP2E1, Vences-Mejia A, Espinosa-Aguirre JJ et al, 2006 Aug,
Hum Exp Toxicol: relevant abstracts re formaldehyde from methanol
in alcohol drinks: Murray 2006.09.29

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1369
Bristol, Connecticut, schools join state program to limit artificial
sweeteners, sugar, fats for 8800 students, Johnny J Burnham, The
Bristol Press: Murray 2006.09.22

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1341
Connecticut bans artificial sweeteners in schools, Nancy Barnes,
New Milford Times: Murray 2006.05.25

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1353
carcinogenic effect of inhaled formaldehyde, Federal Institute of Risk
Assessment, Germany -- same safe level as for Canada:
Murray 2006.06.02

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1352
Home sickness -- indoor air often worse, as our homes seal in
pollutants
[one is formaldehyde, also from the 11% methanol part of aspartame],
Megan Gillis, WinnipegSun.com: Murray 2006.06.01


http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1143
methanol (formaldehyde, formic acid) disposition: Bouchard M
et al, full plain text, 2001: substantial sources are
degradation of fruit pectins, liquors, aspartame, smoke:
Murray 2005.04.02

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1349
NIH NLM ToxNet HSDB Hazardous Substances Data Bank
inadequate re aspartame (methanol, formaldehyde, formic acid):
Murray 2006.08.19

http://toxnet.nlm.nih.gov/cgi-bin/sis/search/f?./temp/~HwoSfJ:1
HSDB Hazardous Substances Data Bank: Aspartame

ASPARTAME CASRN: 22839-47-0
METHANOL CASRN: 67-56-1
FORMALDEHYDE CASRN: 50-00-0
FORMIC ACID CASRN: 64-18-6

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1307
formaldehyde from 11% methanol part of aspartame or from red wine
causes same toxicity (hangover) harm: Murray 2006.05.24

Dark wines and liquors, as well as aspartame, provide
similar levels of methanol, above 120 mg daily, for
long-term heavy users, 2 L daily, about 6 cans.

Within hours, methanol is inevitably largely turned into formaldehyde,
and thence largely into formic acid -- the major causes of the dreaded
symptoms of "next morning" hangover.

Fully 11% of aspartame is methanol -- 1,120 mg aspartame
in 2 L diet soda, almost six 12-oz cans, gives 123 mg
methanol (wood alcohol). If 30% of the methanol is turned
into formaldehyde, the amount of formaldehyde, 37 mg,
is 18.5 times the USA EPA limit for daily formaldehyde in
drinking water, 2.0 mg in 2 L average daily drinking water.

Any unsuspected source of methanol, which the body always quickly
and largely turns into formaldehyde and then formic acid, must be
monitored, especially for high responsibility occupations, often with
night shifts, such as pilots and nuclear reactor operators.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1052
DMDC: Dimethyl dicarbonate 200mg/L in drinks adds methanol 98 mg/L
( becomes formaldehyde in body ): EU Scientific Committee on Foods
2001.07.12: Murray 2004.01.22

http://www.HolisticMed.com/aspartame mgold@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Aspartame Toxicity Information Center Mark D. Gold
12 East Side Drive #2-18 Concord, NH 03301 603-225-2100

http://www.holisticmed.com/aspartame/abuse/methanol.html
"Scientific Abuse in Aspartame Research"

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/957
safety of aspartame Part 1/2 12.4.2: EC HCPD-G SCF:
Murray 2003.01.12 rmforall EU Scientific Committee on Food,
a whitewash

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1045
http://www.holisticmed.com/aspartame/scf2002-response.htm
Mark Gold exhaustively critiques European Commission Scientific
Committee on Food re aspartame ( 2002.12.04 ):
59 pages, 230 references

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1371
Russell L. Blaylock, MD discusses MSG, aspartame, excitotoxins
with Mike Adams: Murray 2006.09.27

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1372
Mike Adams interviews Randall Fitzgerald on "The Hundred Year Lie:
How Food and Medicine are Destroying Your Health" 2006.06.21:
Murray 2006.09.28
*******************************************************

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