I find the whole idea of CR diets really intriguing.  Some random
thoughts...
 
There was an episode quite a while back of Scientific American Frontiers
(the show with Alan Alda) where they interviewed a man who had been on a
self-imposed CR diet for several years.  He was mid-60's IIRC, and was
extremely fit and trim.  He showed Alan what he ate, which most times
amounted to a complex salad of greens, veggies, legumes, and undoubtedly
several other things I'm forgetting.  He said that the most important
thing to make sure of on a CR diet was that since you are cutting back
calories, you absolutely must be sure that you are getting all the
nutrients you need.  In other words, you can't just count calories and
cut back, you have to eat nutrient-dense foods.  No junk food allowed.
 
I don't know if anyone saw "Frontier House" on PBS?  These families
agreed to live for 4 months in the Montana wilderness, as if they were
homesteading in the year 1881.  This meant a lot of hard physical work
and not the quantities of food one is used to in our day and age.  One
of the men became extremely concerned about his health, because he saw
himself getting thinner and thinner, and he always seemed to be hungry.
He complained about it enough that they brought in a doctor to give him
a once- over, and the doctor's opinion was that there was nothing wrong
with the man.  He wasn't starving, but he was exceptionally lean and trim
and was probably in the best condition of his life.  The doctor said that
the man's symptoms (dizziness and lightheadedness when working in the
field cutting hay for example) was due to him not drinking enough water -
he was getting dehydrated.  But he certainly wasn't sick or starving.  It
brought to light the fact that today we typically eat more food than what
our bodies actually need, and we're so used to eating more than we need
that we don't even think about it, and we feel deprived if we don't.  I
think this carries over to where our pets are concerned.  We want them
to be "fat and happy" and we get very concerned if they aren't eating as
much as we think they should be.
 
I wonder if the kibble we feed our ferrets, even the best kibble, is
nutrient-dense enough to be used in a CR diet.  I would appreciate any
thoughts on this, from Bob C. or anyone else.
 
Best regards,
Karen
[log in to unmask]
[Posted in FML issue 3952]