Ugh

The title of this post says it all.

Dr. Maximo Ravenna, who I blogged about earlier this year, continues his brainwashing of the Argentine population in regards to nutrition.

I have encountered a fairly high number of otherwise intelligent people who have bought into this man's claims that flour is addictive (this includes whole grain flours) and that the only guaranteed way to lose weight-- and keep it off -- is by going on a 600 calorie a day diet... for the rest of your life.

Suffice to say that someone I know down here who has been on this diet since 2004 eats three slices of cheddar cheese and one hard boiled egg for lunch most days.

Whereas most Registered Dietitians are weary of VLCD's (very low calorie diets), Dr. Ravenna condones them.

In a recent article for Argentina's Gente magazine, he writes, "Very low calorie diets have been used in clinical medicine for forty years, proving their efficacy and safety."

What he fails to mention is that VLCD's are used in very limiting situations and under strict medical supervision in hospital settings -- NOT by any Tom, Dick, or Jane in their day to day life.

Many people who start with Dr. Ravenna are recommended to go as low as 400 calories a day for as long as 16 weeks!

His quick detox plan, advertised as a "healthy way to lose up to 5 pounds in one week," suggests the following meals:

* A breakfast consisting of a cup of black coffee accompanied by one grapefruit

* A lunch made up of a one-egg omelette and mixed green salad

* A lunch consisting of 1 cup of roasted vegetables

* A snack consisting of whipped egg whites with Splenda and a quarter cup of strawberries

Since many of his patients lose quite a bit of weight (who WOULDN'T on a 400 calorie a day diet?) his popularity continues to soar and thousands of Argentine men and women consider him a bastion of hope.

I, of course, beg to differ. All I see in his diet plan is medically-backed anorexia.