The New Complete Book of Food

 0The New Complete Book of Food

The Step I diet provides no more than 30 percent of total daily calories from fat, no

more than 10 percent of total daily calories from saturated fat, and no more than 300 mg

of cholesterol per day. It is designed for healthy people whose cholesterol is in the range of

200–239 mg/dL.

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)

Antibiotic sensitivity. Cattle in this country are routinely given antibiotics to protect them

from infection. By law, the antibiotic treatment must stop three days before the veal is slaugh-

tered. Theoretically, the veal should then be free of antibiotic residues, but some people who

are sensitive to penicillin or tetracycline may (rarely) have an allergic reaction to the meat.

Antibiotic-resistant Salmonella and toxoplasmosis. Veal treated with antibiotics may produce

meat contaminated with antibiotic-resistant strains of Salmonella, and all raw beef may har-

bor T. gondii, the parasite that causes toxoplasmosis. Toxoplasmosis is particularly hazardous

for pregnant women. It can be passed on to the fetus and may trigger a series of birth defects,

including blindness and mental retardation. Both the drug-resistant Salmonella and T. gondii

can be eliminated by cooking meat thoroughly and washing all utensils, cutting boards, and

counters as well as your hands with hot soapy water before touching any other food.

Decline in kidney function. Proteins are nitrogen compounds. When metabolized, they yield

ammonia that is excreted through the kidneys. In laboratory animals, a sustained high-pro-

tein diet increases the flow of blood through the kidneys and accelerates the natural decline

in kidney function that comes with age. Some experts suggest that this may also occur in

human beings, but this remains to be proven.

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.

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