The Starch Solution

June 18, 2012
John A. McDougall, M.D., is the coauthor, with his wife, Mary, of numerous bestsellers, and is featured in the documentary and book Forks over Knives. This, their 12th collaboration, promotes a scientifically proven, plant-based regimen aimed at successful weight loss and an end to diet-related illnesses like obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and inflammatory arthritis. Although the concept seems counterintuitive to yoyoing, lifelong dieters who have been told that carbohydrates are verboten, the McDougall approach offers filling, comforting, nutrient-dense starches combined in a nonfat, nonanimal food plan with vegetables, nuts, and fruits to deliver a sense of satisfaction, an end to cravings, and much-improved overall well-being. Part I, “Healing with Starch,” discusses why starches have been key since ancient times, alerts readers to toxins found in animal foods, cites examples of spontaneous healing on a starch-based diet, and raises the issues of food plant ecology and politics. Part II, “The FAQs,” lists reliable and beneficial sources of dietary protein and calcium; reveals reasons to avoid eating fish; and shows that vitamin and mineral supplements are unnecessary. Part III, “Living the Solution,” presents the 7-Day Sure-Start Program and instructs how to turn the book’s advice into a lifestyle (which may include the authors’ prepared, commercially available foods). Recipes for 100 basic, delicious everyday dishes like tofu tacos, Tunisian sweet potato stew, and mushroom stroganoff are a bonus, as are thumbnail portraits of successful dieters. The book’s solid scientific information and feasible regimen make the McDougall case for starches quite persuasive and promising.