|
How
in
sync
are
you
with
Rob's
thinking?
Take
this
test
to
find
out.
 |
In
the
same
week,
Rob
received
two
letters
from
health
professionals,
both
proposing
ways
to
improve
upon
NHE
and
each
urging
Rob
in
opposite
directions.
One
(health
professional
A)
argued
for
a
simplification
to
make
NHE
more
accessible
to
people
with
a
lower
level
of
education.
The
other
(health
professional
B)
argued
that
NHE
should
account
for
individualized
factors
such
as
blood
type
and
rate
of
oxidation.
Rob
responded
favorably
to
one
and
unfavorably
to
the
other.
Can
you
predict
to
which
of
these
two
recommendations
Rob
responded
positively? |
Dear
Rob,
I
am
moved
by
your
vision
of
cleaning
up
the
fitness
swamp.
Simply
consider
that
there
is
a
need
for
aiming
your
great
material
into
the
less
sophisticated,
harried
homemaker
world
for
single
parents,
high-school
educated,
resource
and
time
challenged
families.
I
will
be
glad
to
help
or
collaborate
in
any
ways
acceptable
to
you.
Thank
you
for
your
integrity
and
vision.
Sincerely,
Health
Professional
A
(name
withheld
by
Extique)
ROB'S
REPLY:
Dear
Health
Professional
A,
Thank
you
for
your
letter.
You
advanced
the
following
advice:
"Simply
consider
that
there
is
a
need
for
aiming
your
great
material
into
the
less
sophisticated,
harried
homemaker
world
for
single
parents,
high-school
educated,
resource
and
time
challenged
families."
I
appreciate
your
input.
Incidentally,
another
health
professional
urged
me
in
the
opposite
direction,
suggesting
that
I
superimpose
upon
the
Eating
Plan
individualized
metabolic
considerations
pertaining
to
blood
type
and
oxidation
rate.
Frankly,
I
am
more
favorably
disposed
to
your
advice
than
to
his.
|
I
have
not
yet
responded
to
your
counterpart's
letter,
but
when
I
do
I
will
surely
quote
NHE,
p.
169,
for
the
proposition
that
"the
NHE
Eating
Plan
is
designed,
not
as
an
intellectual
exercise,
but
to
help
real-life
people
improve
their
health
and
physique."
Inclusion
of
too
much
minutiae
risks
"making
you
lose
your
patience
instead
of
your
bodyfat."
Nonetheless,
I
don't
regret
the
level
of
sophistication
or
the
scientific
tenor
of
NHE
because
these
are
inevitable
features
of
a
book
that
advances
a
holistic
and
integrated
program
for
naturally
manipulating
levels
of
all
the
major
hormones
of
the
body.
If
I
had
to
choose
between
the
two,
I'd
rather
people
become
convinced
that
NHE
is
the
answer
and
wish
that
the
answer
were
simpler,
than
to
perceive
it
as
just
another
book
containing
overly
simplistic
information
unsubstantiated
by
anything
more
than
the
presumed
good
faith
and
wisdom
of
its
author.
Why
can't
NHE
be
simpler?
Only
the
Maker
of
the
human
body
can
answer
that
question.
I
don't
claim
to
have
been
directed
by
divine
guidance
in
writing
NHE,
but
I
was
guided
by
Albert
Einstein's
directive
to:
"Make
everything
as
simple
as
possible,
but
not
simpler."
|
| I
don't
regret
the
level
of
sophistication
or
the
scientific
tenor
of
NHE
because
these
are
inevitable
features
of
a
book
that
advances
a
holistic
and
integrated
program
for
naturally
manipulating
levels
of
all
the
major
hormones
of
the
body. |
|
| If
I
had
to
choose
between
the
two,
I'd
rather
people
become
convinced
that
NHE
is
the
answer
and
wish
that
the
answer
were
simpler,
than
to
perceive
it
as
just
another
book
containing
overly
simplistic
information
unsubstantiated
by
anything
more
than
the
presumed
good
faith
and
wisdom
of
its
author. |
|
| Why
can't
NHE
be
simpler?
Only
the
Maker
of
the
human
body
can
answer
that
question. |
|
| I
don't
claim
to
have
been
directed
by
divine
guidance
in
writing
NHE,
but
I
was
guided
by
Albert
Einstein's
directive
to:
"Make
everything
as
simple
as
possible,
but
not
simpler." |
|
Having
said
that,
I
am
in
sympathy
with
and
greatly
concerned
about
the
"less
sophisticated,
harried
homemaker.
.
.
high-school
educated,
resource
and
time
challenged
families"
-
and
I
am
pleased
to
learn
that
you
are,
as
well.
With
this
in
mind,
I
am
considering
producing
an
"NHE
Eating
Plan
on
Audio"
after
I
complete
the
Audio
Personal
Trainer.
Your
views
on
the
salability
and
usefulness
for
this
product
would
be
appreciated.
Sincere
best
wishes,
Rob
Faigin
Dear
Rob,
I
am
writing
you
from
33,000
ft.
I
am
on
my
way
to
New
York
to
visit
my
parents
and
to
indulge
in
a
week
of
golf.
Like
yourself
I've
managed
to
accrue
something
of
a
cynical
attitude
toward
the
misinformation
and
the
jockeying
for
w(h)ealth
that
continues
to
pour
forth
from
the
mouths
of
the
fitness
gurus.
So,
it
was
with
that
same
cynicism
that
I
came
to
scrutinize
your
work,
and
quite
frankly,
you
as
a
person.
I
kept
waiting
for
the
other
shoe
to
drop,
but
it
never
did.
NHE
has
been
a
blessing
in
my
life.
I'm
stronger,
I
have
more
lean
muscle
tissue
than
ever
before
and
my
energy
levels
are
consistently
up.
While
it
is
clear
that
NHE
works
for
me,
I
have
some
concerns
regarding
the
NHE
model.
There
is
abundant
literature
and
research
that
suggests
that
health
and
fitness
regimes
should
be
predicated
upon
idiosyncratic
factors
that
are
considerably
complex
and
cannot
be
addressed
by
a
hormonal
analysis
alone.
For
example,
you
present
compelling
evidence
that
protein
should
form
the
nucleus
of
our
dietary
intake.
But
there
are
a
number
of
researchers
who
present
equally
compelling
evidence
that
human
dietary
and
nutritional
needs
are
highly
idiosyncratic
and
defy
"the
one
diet
fits
all"
approach.
The
writings
of
Wolcott
and
Kristal
come
to
mind.
Their
work
suggests
that
optimal
health
is
a
result
of
the
main
effects
and
interactions
of
a
number
of
variables.
These
include:
1)
Each
individual
has
a
unique
metabolic
blood
type
that
dictates
whether
protein
or
carbohydrate
should
be
the
predominant
macronutrient
in
their
diet;
2)
Rate
of
oxidation
is
positively
correlated
with
the
identification
of
metabolic
uniqueness.
Fast
oxidizers
require
dense
fuels,
i.e.,
animal
protein
and
a
moderate
intake
of
'good
fat.'
Slow
oxidizers
show
compatibility
with
proportionately
greater
amounts
of
carbohydrates
and
low
fat;
3)
The
role
of
the
Autonomic
Nervous
System
and
the
differences
in
Sympathetic
and
Parasympathetic
types;
4)
Blood
pH
and
the
correlation
of
chronic
degenerative
disease
with
overly
acidified
or
alkalinized
blood.
(The
flight
attendent
just
passed
out
the
cheese
tortellini
dinners
and
the
carbs
are
literally
flying
high!)
There
is
evidence
that
the
aforementioned
variables,
can
be,
and
are,
in
complex,
dynamic
interaction
in
each
individual.
So,
here
is
my
question.
Can
a
dietary
plan/orientation
that
is
predicated
on
the
centrality
of
hormonal
balance
and
integrity,
account
for
these
other
complex
variables
and
their
interactions?
Sincerely,
Health
Professional
B
(name
withheld
by
Extique)
ROB'S
REPLY:
|
Dear
Health
Professional
B,
Thank
you
for
your
letter,
and
for
the
cheesy
joke
about
the
carbs
"flying
high"
on
your
flight
to
Boca.
Given
that
the
subject
of
the
joke
was
cheese
itself,
I
guess
I
can
be
accused
of
having
made
a
cheesy
joke
too.
As
you
are
no
doubt
painfully
aware,
NHE
contains
so
much
attempted
humor
as
to
try
the
reader
to
the
limit
of
mortal
endurance
while
making
me
the
idol
of
every
half-wit
amateur
comedian
justifiably
struggling
to
make
a
living.
|
|
As
you
are
no
doubt
painfully
aware,
NHE
contains
so
much
attempted
humor
as
to
try
the
reader
to
the
limit
of
mortal
endurance
while
making
me
the
idol
of
every
half-wit
amateur
comedian
justifiably
struggling
to
make
a
living.
|
|
|
The
contention
that
"human
dietary
and
nutritional
needs
are
highly
idiosyncratic
and
defy
'the
one
diet
fits
all'
approach"
verges
perilously
on
a
false
nihilism
that
does
violence
to
reason,
science,
and
the
effort
to
lend
constructive
guidance
to
individuals
seeking
to
improve
their
health
and
fitness.
While
biochemical
individuality
is
an
indisputable
fact,
it
is
also
a
fact
that
the
human
family
is
united
by
fundamental
commonality
(like
one
heart
that
pumps,
two
lungs
that
respire,
skin
that
protects,
and
a
brain
that
presides
over
all
bodily
activities
necessary
to
survival
as
well
as
the
thoughts
that
take
us
beyond
mere
survival
to
a
meaningful
existence).
A
gunshot
wound
to
the
head
is
equally
likely
to
cause
the
death
of
Pee-Wee
Herman
as
it
is
to
end
the
life
of
Macho
Man
Randy
Savage.
Similarly,
there
are
innumerable
nutritional
recommendations
that
apply
to
everyone
irrespective
of
height,
shape,
color,
or
gender.
|
|
The
contention
that
"human
dietary
and
nutritional
needs
are
highly
idiosyncratic
and
defy
'the
one
diet
fits
all'
approach"
verges
perilously
on
a
false
nihilism
that
does
violence
to
reason,
science,
and
the
effort
to
lend
constructive
guidance
to
individuals
seeking
to
improve
their
health
and
fitness.
|
| A
gunshot
wound
to
the
head
is
equally
likely
to
cause
the
death
of
Pee-Wee
Herman
as
it
is
to
end
the
life
of
Macho
Man
Randy
Savage.
|
|
|
For
example,
regardless
of
who
your
parents
are
or
from
which
corner
of
the
earth
their
forebears
originated,
a
high-carbohydrate,
high-trans-fat,
low-fiber
diet
is
not
optimal.
Biochemical
individuality
notwithstanding,
no
human
being,
except
possibly
for
a
genetic
mutant
living
in
a
cave
somewhere,
can
thrive
on
such
a
diet.
Likewise,
a
prolonged,
extreme-fat-restricted
diet
will
impair
testosterone
production
in
virtually
everyone
who
customarily
pees
standing-up;
and
overtraining
will
alter
menstrual
cycles
in
virtually
everyone
who
doesn't.
Incidentally,
another
health
professional
urged
me
in
the
opposite
direction,
suggesting
that
I
consider
the
"less
sophisticated,
harried
homemaker.
.
.
high-school
educated,
resource
and
time
challenged
families."
Frankly,
I
am
more
sympathetic
to
his
plea
than
to
yours.
Were
I
to
superimpose
upon
the
Eating
Plan
individualized
metabolic
considerations
pertaining
to
blood
type
and
oxidation
rate,
as
you
suggest,
I
would
be
running
afoul
of
p.
169
of
NHE
which
asserts:
"The
NHE
Eating
Plan
is
designed,
not
as
an
intellectual
exercise,
but
to
help
real-life
people
improve
their
health
and
physique."
Inclusion
of
too
much
minutiae
risks
"making
[people]
lose
[their]
patience
instead
of
[their]
bodyfat."
The
fact
of
the
matter
is
that
NHE
already
taxes
the
average
high-school-educated
person
to
the
limit
of
his/her
intellectual
capacity.
I
refuse
to
alienate
these
people
by
introducing
the
marginally
beneficial
added
layer
of
complication
you
propose.
I
take
my
lessons
from
Abraham
Lincoln,
whose
life
and
teachings
I
study
assiduously.
Lincoln
personified
the
"principled
but
pragmatic"
paradigm
that
should
serve
as
every
health
writer's
beacon.
Lincoln
was
a
brilliant
politician
who,
according
to
biographer
David
Donald,
bore
the
self-confidence
of
a
man
who
"never
met
his
intellectual
equal."
Nonetheless,
Lincoln's
unique
gift
was
not
his
genius
but
his
ability
to
articulate
high-minded
ideas
in
a
way
that
appealed
to
the
logic
and
good
sense
of
the
average
pedestrian.
Lincoln
also
knew
how
to
compromise
in
the
service
of
the
larger
good.
For
example,
he
shrewdly
tempered
his
abhorrence
of
slavery
and
distanced
himself
from
the
abolitionists
(knowing
that
this
was
the
only
way
he
could
get
elected
to
high
office
in
a
fiercely
polarized
political
climate
in
which
a
substantial
percentage
of
the
electorate
was
literally
willing
to
die
to
preserve
the
institution
of
slavery)
until
he
got
elected
president,
from
which
point
onward
he
played
a
leading
instrumental
role
in
eradicating
slavery.
Similarly,
when
members
of
his
administration
reported
gravely
that
General
Ulysses
Grant
was
a
heavy
drinker,
Lincoln
replied
that
he
would
like
to
know
Grant's
brand
of
whiskey
so
that
he
could
send
some
to
his
other
generals.
Intent
on
emulating
our
nation's
greatest
leader
to
the
best
of
my
comparatively
meager
ability,
if
I
thought
that
dancing
the
Irish
jig
was
the
best
way
to
promote
health
I
would
recommend
it
with
the
same
passion
and
vigor
that
I
currently
recommend
resistance
training.
In
the
same
vein,
you
must
evaluate
the
merit
of
your
proposed
recommendations,
not
in
a
blissful
academic
vacuum,
but
with
rigorous
regard
to
whether
it
will
have
a
net
positive
or
negative
effect
on
the
destiny
of
those
whom
you
induce
to
adopt
it
in
lieu
of
a
simpler
and
more
practical
system.
In
summation,
the
constant
challenge
facing
the
gifted
thinker
is
to
avoid
being
too
smart
for
his/her
own
good
and
for
the
good
of
the
public.
Although
earning
money
is
not
our
paramount
objective,
it
is
well
to
pay
heed
to
the
saying,
"he
who
sells
to
the
masses
eats
with
the
classes;
he
who
sells
to
the
classes
eats
with
the
asses."
Let
us
resolve
never
to
allow
our
intellectual
musings
to
divert
us
from
our
mission:
to
do
the
most
good
for
the
greatest
number
of
people.
I
hope
you
take
this
letter
in
the
spirit
in
which
it
is
intended,
and
account
my
candor
a
virtue
not
a
vice.
Sincere
best
wishes,
Rob
Faigin
|
| .
.
.
a
prolonged,
extreme-fat-restricted
diet
will
impair
testosterone
production
in
virtually
everyone
who
customarily
pees
standing-up;
and
overtraining
will
alter
menstrual
cycles
in
virtually
everyone
who
doesn't.
|
|
|
| The
NHE
Eating
Plan
is
designed,
not
as
an
intellectual
exercise,
but
to
help
real-life
people
improve
their
health
and
physique.
Inclusion
of
too
much
minutiae
risks
making
people
lose
their
patience
instead
of
their
bodyfat. |
|
|
| Lincoln
personified
the
"principled
but
pragmatic"
paradigm
that
should
serve
as
every
health
writer's
beacon. |
|
| .
.
.
if
I
thought
that
dancing
the
Irish
jig
was
the
best
way
to
promote
health
I
would
recommend
it
with
the
same
passion
and
vigor
that
I
currently
recommend
resistance
training.
|
|
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