The Forks Over Knives and Plant Versus Protein Debate

On my facebook business page I recently shared a link to the popular documentary "Forks Over Knives", and I promised that I would write a follow-up review and explanation of this, so here it is.  I have been studying health, healing and nutrition for some time now and my own diet has evolved over years of trials and reading to be one that consists primarily of whole foods, with minimal amounts of meat and processed foods.  After seeing the movie "Forks Over Knives", however, I decided to try moving into a primarily vegan diet, and I will explain why and what the results have been.  I want to make it clear that I am not morally opposed to the idea of people eating animals in order to live.  I agree that this an instinctive way to survive, and that our ancestors relied heavily upon animal-based foods to get us to where we are today.The bottom line here is that The China Study, which is one of the main studies discussed in the movie, demonstrates significantly different health trends in groups of people who eat plant-based only versus animal and plant-based diets.  We already knew a lot about the association with meat and dairy to heart disease, but The China Study shows clear trends of increased cancers of different types in addition to increased heart disease in people who eat animal and dairy products as opposed to those who do not.  The evidence presented seems clear and convincing to me.  Even my husband, who has always been a roast beef sandwich guy, felt compelled to have me help him move to a primarily plant-based diet after watching this film.  Understandably, there are many people who are balking at this idea.  There are lots of preconceptions about vegans being weak, sickly and hippy-ish, as well as preconceptions that we need animal-based proteins in order to be active and healthy.  Also, since most of our Western society eats some kind of meat and a lot of dairy every day, people bristle at the prospect of having to change anything that might present an inconvenience or a divergence from comfortable habits.  I have to say, though, that if you search around, you will find that there are plenty of world-class athletes who are totally muscle-bound and healthy that follow vegan and vegetarian diets.  Also, there are many cases of doctors treating patients with progressive chronic diseases such as cancer, diabetes, heart disease and even MS who are finding that the disease halts and often goes completely away without even the need for routine medications because of a shift to a plant-based diet.There is a new dietary trend referred to as the Paleo diet, and this has become popular with a lot of people that I know personally.  I don't think it is a bad way to eat, and it is certainly better than what most people eat, but the arguments that it is overall more healthy than eating a plant-based only diet do not hold up.  The Paleo diet consists of high animal protein (25-30% of daily calories) and a lot of fruits and vegetables.  If you switch to this way of eating you will undoubtedly feel great for having cut out all refined grains and sugars and processed foods, but this doesn't mean that animal foods are better than plant foods.  The theory is that we should be eating the way that our ancestors would naturally have done, and that that must be the healthiest way to be since they survived and got us to this point.  I read a long paper that included discussions and rebuttals between Dr. Campbell, the author of The China Study, and Loren Cordain, author of the Paleo books.  The problem with Cordain's arguments is that he claims following human evolution should be the key to our health today.  He does not discuss the fact that our paleolithic ancestors had far lower life expectancies than we do today, and that their instinctive tendencies were to survive long enough to procreate, not necessarily to live long, peaceful lives, contribute something to society and see their grandchildren get married.  He also does not discuss that huge period of human evolution where we came to understand agriculture and to be able to grow a wide variety of fruits and vegetables that would sustain us while also allowing us to take care of the earth.  I wonder if the human life expectancy rose after agricultural methods became common and vegetable crops were regularly available?Also, primitive humans eating meat would have been eating freshly hunted meat, and we know most of our meat is inhumanely raised, butchered and processed.  (See the movie "Food, Inc.")  This may seem like a totally crazy idea to many, but what if the inherent healthiness of our food is directly related to how happy the organism was during its life before we killed it?  If you must eat meat there is always the grass-fed, cage-free, open-air slaughter option.  This is certainly better than grocery store meat, but still questionable as to whether or not we really need it to live healthy lives.  I do have a big problem with how our food animals are treated in general, so if I can avoid eating them I feel better about upholding my own moral standards.  I also know that I am contributing less to the environmental impacts of the packing, storing and shipping since a greater portion of my kitchen comes from local and more sustainable sources.That is the long story, but the end result is this:  I have now been eating a modified vegan diet for about eight weeks.  I felt great before, but I still feel great and feel lighter, with never any stomach bloat, plenty of energy to work out, and feel great about my choices being in line with who I am and what is important to me.  To clarify what I mean when I say "modified", I mean that I eat mostly fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and fish and eggs, but no meat and no dairy.  I am generally against anything artificial, and steer clear of all processed modified wheat foods, processed sugars and anything with artificial ingredients.  In most of the studies I have seen, it is dairy and mammal meats that seem to be the culprits involved in the poor health trends associated with animal products, and this was also recently reiterated to me by Dr. Horowitz, the chief of cardiology at Stamford Hospital, which is why I feel good about keeping the fish and eggs.  This is how I have been eating, and it feels fantastic.  Feeding my family is a different story, and a more gradual process.  My husband is doing a great job and only eating meat about once a week and it is usually chicken.  My children are cutting back on meat and dairy but since they don't eat as wide a scope of vegetable and fruits as do my husband and I, theirs is a gentler approach.  The important thing is that they are trying (and liking) many vegan foods, and also receiving lots of great nutrition education from us as they grow and mature.  Learning to undo the eating habits of today's society to make them more healthful is very difficult and requires change that most people are not willing to make.  As a nutritionist that I like and respect likes to say "you can pay the grocer now, or the doctor later!"  My goal is to enjoy my active life in as healthy and as environmentally supportive a way as I can for as long as I can.  Maybe you feel the same way.  There are a lot of studies out there, and a lot of constantly changing advice on what is the best way to eat.  There seems to me to be no better evidence than experience, so I am giving this a try and going with my intuition.  Feel free to post your comments here, or message me if you'd like more information or resources.  Peace!