Steward, H. Leighton 1934-

views updated

STEWARD, H. Leighton 1934-

PERSONAL: Born December 1, 1934, in Fairfield, TX; son of Hugh Birt and Lucille (Riley) Steward; married Lynda Brady, June 6, 1959; children: Leighton Brady, Blake Worth. Education: Southern Methodist University, B.S. 1958, M.S. 1960. Politics: Republican.

ADDRESSES: Home—1108 14th St., PMB 504, Cody, WY 82414. Office—P.O. Box 56180, Metairie, LA 70055.

CAREER: Shell Oil Company, Houston, TX,, 1962-79, became chief of exploration operations; Burlington Northern Inc., Billings, MT, vice president of energy and minerals, 1979-81; Louisiana Land and Exploration Company, New Orleans, senior vice president, 1982-84, president and chief operating officer, 1984-88, chairman and CEO, 1989-97; Burlington Resources, Houston, vice chairman, 1997-2000. U.S. Natural Gas Supply Association, past chairman; Institute for Study of Earth and Man, Southern Methodist University, chairman; member of board of Tulane University, M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, EOG Resources, and Buffalo Bill Historical Center. Military service: United States Air Force, 1959-62; captain.

MEMBER: American Association of Petroleum Geologists, American Petroleum Institute (member, board of directors, 1985-2000), U.S. Oil and Gas Association, Audubon Nature Institute, National Wetlands Coalition.

WRITINGS:

Louisiana's Natural Treasure, 1990.

(With others) Sugar Busters! Cut Sugar to Trim Fat (originally self-published), Ballantine (New York, NY), 1998, revised edition published as The New Sugar Busters! Cut Sugar to Trim Fat, 2003.

(With others) Sugar Busters! Shoppers Guide, Ballantine (New York, NY), 1999.

(With others) Sugar Busters!: Quick & Easy Cookbook, Ballantine (New York, NY), 1999.

(With others) Sugar Busters! For Kids, Ballantine (New York, NY), 2001.

SIDELIGHTS: Oil executive H. Leighton Steward took an unlikely sidetrip in his career path when he teamed up with three medical doctors—Morrison C. Bethea, Sam S. Andrews, and Luis A. Balart—to author the bestselling book Sugar Busters! Cut Sugar to Trim Fat. Leighton, who was born in Texas, worked for many years in an oil exploration career before becoming chief executive officer of the Louisiana Land and Exploration Company. The book Sugar Busters! was first self-published by its authors in 1995 until publishers expressed interest. Published in 1998, Sugar Busters! has proven so popular that Steward and his coauthors have issued several related volumes, such as Sugar Busters! For Kids. and Sugar Busters! Quick & Easy Cookbook. In addition, the original volume was revised in 2003 as The New Sugar Busters! Cut Sugar to Trim Fat.

As outlined in Steward's books, the basic premise for weight management advanced by the coauthors is a diet based on avoiding refined sugar consumption as well as the consumption of carbohydrates with a high glycemic index. According to one reviewer, the authors' approach combines some of the ideas of current medical and nutritional research with the "French" method of weight control developed by Michel Montignac.

Steward and his coauthors claim that monitoring sugar intake and high glycemic carbohydrates is the key to weight loss and that most low-fat diets are doomed to fail from the start. The authors point out that low-fat food is traditionally high in sugar. The book includes instructions on harmful and beneficial foods. Steward points out that fruit should not be eaten at the same time as certain carbohydrates and fats and that large meals should not be eaten before going to bed. But the authors also point out that an ear of corn has more sugar in it than a glass of wine, making corn a vegetable to be avoided.

Many of the foods the Sugar Busters! program advocates avoiding may be a surprise to readers: high glycemic foods include refined flour, beets, rice, and white potatoes. Brown rice and other carbohydrates can be eaten in reasonable amounts. According to the authors, foods high on the glycemic index stimulate the body's pancreas to produce insulin, which is an important blood sugar-regulating hormone but which also encourages the production and storage of body fat. To eat in a way that discourages insulin production, the Sugar Busters! diet proposes eating high-fiber sources of carbohydrates, such as whole wheat flour and most vegetables. Also acceptable on this diet are foods such as meat, fish, and dairy products, as long as fat intake is moderated. The book provides a ranking of foods on a glycemic index for the reader's reference. According to the authors, this diet will allow participants to continue eating in normal or larger quantities than they are already used to eating.

A Publishers Weekly reviewer called Sugar Busters! "an enthusiastic and mostly lucid approach to weight management," and praised the book's recipe section, which includes twenty-two recipes that "warrant the attention" of home cooks, whether or not they are interested in dieting. Recipes come from a dozen wellknown New Orleans eateries, among them Emeril's, Commander's Palace, Galatoire's, and the Windsor Court Hotel. Among the delicacies offered: Confit of Duck, Pan-Roasted Filet Mignon Stuffed with Maytag Blue Cheese, and Crab and Shrimp Stuffed Eggplant. The authors also include a two-week meal plan. Noting that Sugar Busters! For Kids takes direct aim at statistics that show a growth in child obesity in the United States, a Publishers Weekly contributor praised the authors for including "kid-friendly recipes" that will aid parents whose children "turn sour at the very thought of giving up sweets."