Should there be more animal products in the diet, or less?
Nutrition Studies/The China Study
-Dr. Pam Popper, https://wellnessforumhealth.com/, Dr. Popper’s You Tube Channel with hundreds of informative videos about plant-based health, nutrition and healthy lifestyles.
“The problem with ‘moderation in all things’ is that nobody knows what it means.” -Dr. Pam Popper
Alright, let’s face it; scientific studies can be sources of confusion out there, especially regarding health and nutrition. Allow me to get straight to the point with some guidelines. I live in Utah, so here we go.
Here is a book from a local author that I recommend: Discovering the Word of Wisdom Through a Whole-Foods, Plant-Based Perspective by Jane Birch.
Jane Birch’s blog: http://discoveringthewordofwisdom.com/ The Mormon Word of Wisdom clearly advises people to eat meat sparingly. That is, not ‘moringly’ but sparingly. This was in the 1800’s.
The comparison between poor health choices that everyone knows about such as alcohol and cigarettes and too many animal products in the diet has been examined with recent increasing frequency. Dr. McDougall, author of The Starch Solution, https://www.drmcdougall.com/ has made this comparison and drawn parallels to dietary poor health choices that affect health outcomes on a similarly detrimental magnitude as smoking cigarettes.
While in terms of health being a strict vegan may not be for everyone. These studies do illustrate however, that too many animal products in the diet, particularly ones high in animal protein and saturated fats increase the risk for heart disease, diabetes and certain cancers, notes T Colin Campbell, The China Study. Knowing this it is wise for all people to eat meat sparingly, (in the upper limits of around 10% of total calories), eliminate dairy and change to a whole-foods plant-based diet rich in vegetables, legumes, rice, potatoes, and sweet potatoes, combined with plenty of fresh water and a lifestyle that aims for happiness with plenty of exercise.
Many articles simply conclude that what works for you, may not work for another. This is true only to a certain extent. Since we are all human beings with two arms, two legs, two eyes, small teeth, small intestines of about twenty feet in length that is winding (lions and true carnivores’ intestines are straight and only about five feet in length, designed to digest huge quantities of meat), we can say with decent confidence that what represents good nutrition will not be hugely varied from person to person. Neither could a person say: “Well, smoking gave me lung cancer, but hey, it just might work for you!”
“If a person goes to the doctor for a check-up and is cleared for being in good health, but then develops cancer a few years later, was that really a state of health?” -Dr. Joel Fuhrman, author of Eat 2 Live
As part of promoting health, and helping to correct the diseases of western affluence epidemic, one of the best things we can do is eliminating the clutter and the confusion, not only for ourselves but for the next individual/family/locale. Many people who are not in a position to understand, such as conditions of poverty, lack of education etc are hit the hardest by poor health. Many of them don’t know any different.
Thank you for reading.
-Owen