0 The New Complete Book of Food
The Step II diet provides 25–35 percent of total calories from fat, less than 7 percent
of total calories from saturated fat, up to 10 percent of total calories from polyunsaturated
fat, up to 20 percent of total calories from monounsaturated fat, and less than 300 mg cho-
lesterol per day. This stricter regimen is designed for people who have one or more of the
following conditions:Existing cardiovascular disease
High levels of low-density lipoproteins (LDLs, or “bad” cholesterol) or low
levels of high-density lipoproteins (HDLs, or “good” cholesterol)
Obesity
Type 1 diabetes (insulin-dependent diabetes, or diabetes mellitus)
Metabolic syndrome, a.k.a. insulin resistance syndrome, a cluster of risk fac-
tors that includes type 2 diabetes (non-insulin-dependent diabetes)Production of uric acid. Purines are natural by-products of protein metabolism. Purines
break down into uric acid, which form sharp crystals that can cause gout if they collect in
your joints or kidney stones if they collect in urine. Sweetbreads and kidneys are a source of
purines. Eating them raises the concentration of purines in your body. Although controlling
the amount of purine-producing foods in the diet may not significantly affect the course of
gout (treated with medication such as allopurinol, which inhibits the formation of uric acid),
limiting these foods is still part of many gout treatment regimens.
Decline in kidney function. Proteins are nitrogen compounds. When metabolized by your
body, they yield ammonia that is excreted through the kidneys. In laboratory animals, a sus-
tained high-protein diet increases the flow of blood through the kidneys and may accelerate
the natural decline in kidney function associated with aging. To date there is no proof that
this also occurs in human beings.Food/Drug Interactions
Tetracycline antibiotics (demeclocycline [Declomycin]), doxycycline [Vibtamycin], methacycline
[Rondomycin], minocycline [Minocin], oxytetracycline [Terramycin], tetracycline [Achromycin
V, Panmycin, Sumycin]). Because meat contains iron which binds tetracyclines into com-
pounds the body cannot absorb, it is best to avoid meat for two hours before and after taking
one of these antibiotics.
Monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibitors. Monoamine oxidase inhibitors are drugs used to treat
depression. They inactivate naturally occurring enzymes in your body that metabolize tyra-
mine, a substance found in many fermented or aged foods. Tyramine constricts blood vessels
and increases blood pressure. Pickling or preserving meat may produce tyramine. If you eat a
food such as pickled tongue which is high in tyramine while you are taking an MAO inhibi-
tor, your body cannot eliminate the tyramine and the result may be a hypertensive crisis.u
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