Kathy wrote:

>     A couple of people have recommended the Schwarzbein Principle diet book,
>but I can't agree.  I read much of it in Barnes & Noble recently (but I
>didn't buy it because I could tell already it wouldn't work for me).
>Schwarzbein replaces the Nutrition Guide Pyramid with her Schwarzbein Square
>-- which includes dairy and grains, right?
>     When I used to eat grains or dairy products I'd get strong cravings for
>more of the same, so I'm very glad I quit those foods entirely (like
>NeanderThin recommends).  If I'd tried to just "cut back" on them, I don't
>think I'd feel as healthy as I do now, and what's more, I think it would have
>been doomed to failure from the start if I'd tried to merely "cut back" on
>dairy, grains, sugar, beans or potatoes.  So I'd hate to see anyone recommend
>a diet like that to anyone else.

The Schwarzbein Square contains basic nutrient groups:
proteins, fats, non-starchy vegetables, and carbohydrates.
She says that every meal should contain elements from all
four groups, though clearly not any carbs from grains or
starchy veggies, since she recommends limiting carbohydrates
to 15 g for each meal and two 7.5 g snacks daily. She
advocates the people stay away from processed foods because
can make people sick, and says that ideally, we should all
eat "real" foods that we can "pick, gather, milk, hunt or
fish."

So yes, she does allow dairy and a very small amount of
grains, but far less than Zone-type diets (and remember,
Sears claims his Zone is based on Paleo principles too!),
and I thought that perhaps it would be good as a "soft
intro" to paleofoods for his folks---certainly not the diet
of a paleo purist, but far more health-supporting than the
diet that most mainstream doctors would prescribe.

.:. Craig