By Elaine Carlson

Recently I had a good time at the library. I am glad they opened up after having been closed for so long.

Before leaving I went by their Free Shelf. They had a hundred books there --- I am not one of those people who would prefer a hand count to an estimate. What I thought was nice was that they also had a large stack of magazines people can take home without paying anything.

The first magazine I saw was Woman's World March 15, 2021. On the cover there is the claim that a study done by Yale Diabetics Centers which concluded, "You could lose 36 pounds every month."

Well, the people at Yale should know what they are talking about. But just think – people who lose "36 lbs every month" in ten months would lose 360 lbs. How many people could really do that?

The article sets out a Plant Based Diet that excludes sugar, flour and oils. And suggests that for the best results people should eat 16 ounces of vegetables before breakfast. "Then enjoy unlimited fruit, whole grains/starch, and additional 16 oz of veggies throughout the day." There is no word about what people should have for breakfast. Maybe for that meal three oranges, some of that "unlimited fruit," would be a good choice.

The author, not identified, describes the experiences of Enid Lemley. She is a retired nurse who hurt herself while she was taking care of a patient --- she ruptured several discs and suffered severe nerve damage. She coped by using pain medications. When her weight got up to 287 pounds a nurse practitioner suggested she start going to a weight loss group.

She started out by being enthusiastic about this particular plant-based diet but got discouraged and stumbled – in other words she admits that she cheated. But she got back on track. She lost a total of 147 pounds and has kept them off. "I was losing steadily, didn't have to count calories, and it didn't feel like work."

One of the researchers in the Yale Diabetics Center, Hana Kahleova, MD asserts that the low-fat, plant-based diet does more than simply cause weight loss. She and other researchers say such a diet seems to reverse damage to mitochondria.

Dr. Kahleova says, "It [this diet] actually offsets age-related metabolic disturbances." She points out that women over 50 in the study had metabolism increase by 14% and weight went down without them cutting back on portions.

Lemley is sure following this plant-based diet did so much more for her than just leaving her weighing less with help medications from https://thefitnessequation.com/buy-phentermine-online/. She stopped taking her pain medications because she was no longer in pain. She and her husband did what they had dreamed about doing for a long time. They set out traveling and exploring this country in their RV. She says, "I have gone from bed-bound to outward-bound!"

Is it possible that the author of this article is either Ms. Lemley or Dr. Kahleova? Or someone else at Yale?

It is a little difficult for me to consider the idea of getting up very early, much earlier than a typical time for breakfast, and to eat a steamed pound of spinach or maybe peas or string beans. Or maybe even a pound of raw carrots or celery. Five or ten years ago my brother went from a typical American diet with too much fat and sugar to a plant-based diet. And he has lost a lot of weight. And looks so much better since. So I know it can be done.

After studying this healthy way of eating I must admit that most (probably all) the magazines in that free stack pay so much more attention to the more typical non-healthy ways of eating. In this same issue of Woman's World there are recipes for Chocolate Butterscotch Bundt Cake, Raspberry Cheesecake, and many recipes for chicken, beef and pork entrees.

At the library I picked up another magazine from the free stack - Woman's Day February 2021. At the top it proclaims "all we need is love -- make it or bake it: swoon worthy crafts and treats." I guess I don't need to mention that the "make it or bake it" recipes are not for healthy eating choices.