Column #50

Is Bill Clinton’s diet killing him?

Rumors about his Parkinson’s disease date back to 2009. In a 2013 Huffington Post article, Bill admitted “I have a condition that sometimes you get with aging. You may have noticed it; my hand has a little tremor when I’m tired and a lot of people do when they’re older.”

During his speech at the 2016 Democratic National Convention, both of Clinton’s hands shook noticeably. He was very thin and his fingers weren’t straight. What’s going on?

In the early 1990s Clinton adopted Dr. Dean Ornish’s seriously low-fat, vegan diet. He didn’t lose weight and in 2004 underwent quadruple bypass surgery. Then he also started following Dr. Mark Hyman’s high fat, low carbohydrate diet. In 2010 he had stent surgery.

The Ornish diet recommends fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, soy products, nonfat dairy, and some Omega-3 fatty acids. Foods of choice include egg whites, beans, and potatoes. Banned foods include red and white meats, oils, avocados, olives, nuts, seeds, full-fat dairy, refined carbohydrates, and sugar.

The Hyman high-fat diet emphasizes organic foods while ignoring nutritional science. It’s another pied piper feel-good diet. Oddly, Hyman recommends both grass-fed or organic meats which suggests he doesn’t know the difference between grain-fed organic and grass-fed whatever.

Most Hyman recommended foods are Omega-6 and/or high-glycemic nutritional disasters: soy milk, beans, olives, rice, olive oil, walnut oil, grapeseed oil, almond flour, soy flour, sweet potatoes, avocado, chickpeas, soy, turkey, chicken, eggs, organic red meats, hazelnuts, walnuts, almonds, pecans, cashews, amaranth, quinoa, tahini (sesame), pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, pine nuts, honey, and raisins. On the positive side, he does recommend some grass-fed meat, fish, vegetables, and flaxseed but not enough to offset the other choices.

Most of the Ornish/Hyman food choices ignore these basic principles of nutrition:
1) have a 1:1 balance of the essential Omega-6 to Omega-3 fatty acids,
2) be low glycemic,
3) contain all nutrients in a dense package.

The Ornish/Hyman diets are hammering both Bill and Hillary into an early grave. A diet of  nutritionally deficient, high glycemic foods with high ratios of Omega-6 over Omega-3 damages nerves, the brain, and the immune system. For Bill it’s Parkinson’s, maybe arthritis, and recently rumors of dementia with only drugs holding his heart together. Since 2005 Hillary has suffered fainting spells and in 2013 fell and had a concussion. She’s overweight and rumors of minor strokes, multiple sclerosis, depression, and migraines abound. Hillary’s puffy face is likely caused by prescription drugs.

Donald Trump’s medical condition is less well known. He doesn’t look healthy because he’s also overweight with a puffy face. Too many prescription drugs? For what?

My mother religiously followed the USDA food pyramid and had a puffy face from the many prescription drugs needed to address her numerous chronic diseases including Alzheimer’s which eventually killed her. I recognize the symptoms.

The medical community is famous for drugs and operations, not for following nutritional science. The human cost is horrendous. To avoid the plight of our “leaders,” nutritional scientists recommend grass-fed meats, Omega-3 meats, wild-caught seafood, and green leafy vegetables. These are the super foods. Few other foods even come close!

To your health.

Ted Slanker

Ted Slanker has been reporting on the fundamentals of nutritional research in publications, television and radio appearances, and at conferences since 1999. He condenses complex studies into the basics required for health and well-being. His eBook, The Real Diet of Man, is available online.

Don’t miss these links for additional reading:

A short list of the nation’s most notable Nutritional Scientists

The Importance of the Ratio of Omega-6 to Omega-3 Essential Fatty Acids

The Growing Crisis of Chronic Disease in the United States

Food Analysis