hi Debbie and everybody,

I cancelled my subscription to Prevention last year. That being said, I do visit prevention.com now and then, as you said, their fitness section is excellent - I especially appreciate that they give detailed pictures and diagrams showing the muscle(s) worked by the specific exercise, and how NOT to do it to avoid injury. And I do like the info. on herbs and nutritional supplements.

I've been an avid reader of Prevention right from the early days of Rodale, when they advocated the completely wholistic, natural approach to preventive health and well-being. Now, it has become so mainstream, and the major sponsors and advertisers are pharmaceutical companies plugging antidepressants, Xenical and cholesterol-lowering drugs. My god, they're even pushing drugs you can get the vet to prescribe for your pets! ..

I resent the fact that the picture on the cover is ALWAYS a thin, young white female. Never a man, never a person of colour, never a plus-size or mature person, and nobody wears glasses or is in a wheelchair.

Last March 2000, the feature article was a write-up about the high-protein, low-carbohydrate diets. I could just picture the author being dragged, kicking and screaming, long fingernail-drag-marks in the carpet, as she grudgingly admitted that MAYBE these diets were healthy, and MAYBE they were better for you than a steady diet of white bread and sugary foods. Prevention usually posts its feature articles on the website. Strange, last March's entry is mysteriously blank.

As for prevention.com, I read an email from a woman who stated her doctor had put her on a lowcarb diet to correct blood chemistry. She was having trouble sticking with the diet due to boredom. She wrote to prevention asking for help and ideas. The response was (no big surprise here) don't follow a lowcarb diet, it'll kill you in a flash. Eat more whole grains and cereals. First, this response was not from a trained nutritionist it was from the FITNESS editor. Second, who is this person to tell someone to NOT follow their doctor's orders. I'm a nurse; I'd lose my license to practise if I ever did that!

Ok, I'll get down off the soapbox now...

Doreen

[Edited by doreen T on 02-02-01 at 11:15]