Food is our medicine

[Soyeong]

I just finished watching a documentary called Forks over Knives which "examines the profound claim that most, if not all, of the degenerative diseases that afflict us can be controlled, or even reversed, by rejecting animal-based and processed foods. The major storyline in the film traces the personal journeys of a pair of pioneering researchers, Dr. T. Colin Campbell and Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn."

It follows studies that show that the frequency of degenerative diseases is regional. For instance, heart disease is frequent in the US, but is nearly unheard of in other countries. Another study of over 60 mostly rural areas in China where diets remained steady showed that cancer and other diseases skyrocket when eating meat and dairy is the norm and plummet when a traditional whole foods plant-based diet persists.

It also followed a group of people who had had various health problems, such as multiple heart attacks, diabetes, high blood pressure, and infertility, and showed that by simply by changing their diet most of them were able to control or reverse the problem, stop taking medication, be healthier, and have more energy. “There is nothing else you can do for your health that can match the benefits of a plant-based diet."

While there is certainly a place for medication, I think too often medication is prescribed as the quick solution to fighting a symptom when a change in diet would be much more effective in controlling and/or removing the source of the problem. I also realize that a whole foods plant-based needs to be fortified with B12, so it's not perfect, but I think it's still much better than alternative diets.

I know we like to joke about bacon and tofu, but the truth is that I very rarely eat tofu. I've been to a few restaurants where it was actually pretty good, but if you don't want to eat it, it is completely unnecessary. I think failures of vegan recipes are when they try to substitute for something for something else, such as veggie burgers and cheese, which unfortunately is often to used to judge the rest of the recipes. There really are many excellent vegan recipes where the absence of meat is of no concern to the taste.

[Dracula Girl]

Walnut stirfry is good. You can also do walnuts with couscous and yams (with maple syrup). Peanuts can go with veggies and rice if you make a nice sauce. I have had a mushroom and spinach curry dish on rice that was tasty (had edemami with it). If you are out and order a bean taco instead of a beef taco, be sure to get the hot sauce. You can also use a partial serving of beef and add beans to a taco made at home. Felafel is also tasty and adds protein to sandwiches or is good as a snack by itself or with ranch dressing.

[Xru]

I just finished watching a documentary called Forks over Knives which "examines the profound claim that most, if not all, of the degenerative diseases that afflict us can be controlled, or even reversed, by rejecting animal-based and processed foods. The major storyline in the film traces the personal journeys of a pair of pioneering researchers, Dr. T. Colin Campbell and Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn."

I've suspected as much for many years. This is of course very, very hard to prove it seems and there are a lot of economic interests involved.

I've known quite a few people from the Orient that come to America and immediately get fat and sick from the food and are forced to go back to traditional foods.

Even going Organic is not enough now days . . . which really chafes my hide as pollutants are in the atmosphere everywhere. It cannot be gotten away from.

[Soyeong]

Even going Organic is not enough now days . . . which really chafes my hide as pollutants are in the atmosphere everywhere. It cannot be gotten away from.

[disciple100]

If only people knew what was actually in what they call 'food'.

"Let thy food be thy medicine and thy medicine be thy food." -Hippocrates

People complain of how much money it costs to 'eat healthier', but the way I see it, it is a question of priorities. One can either spend more on foods that maintain the health and integrity of the body, or spend a alittle bit on alot of garbage (aka what passes for 'bargain edibles' in 'food marts') and make up for it in expensive doctor's visits, prescription drugs (poisonous 'magic pills'), hospital stays, 'treatments' that treat symptoms rather than the root cause, and becoming another frail, dependant, nursing home resident or homeless beggar because the body no longer functions and cannot afford the costs any longer. The ability to choose never goes away, one can either take responsibility for his or her own health, or hand it off to someone else who has what is most immediately profitable at heart.

[princesa]

Oh absolutely! Plant based foods have all the vitamins and nutrients our body needs, without the (bad) fat. It took a long time but I no longer enjoy the taste of a potato chip or a boxed cookie or anything orange called cheese that looks like a cracker. As you mentioned, other countries do not have heart disease such as, Okinawa. There is a book called the "Okinawa program", the food pyramid in that country is radically different from ours and their country has the highest rate of centenarians than any other. They eat very healthy (plant based foods, tea...) and they incorporate Tai Chi or some moderate to light exercise into their daily routine. They don't have a retirement age, they don't know what that is. They keep moving and eating right and they stay healthy and they don't feel like they're missing out on meat etc...It's ingrained in their culture already. In the old days the poor people could not afford meat, the rich however could and it was noted that they had heart trouble whereas the poor would not because their meals consisted of grains, vegetables, fruit...what was on their soil.

Thanks for sharing this Soyeong, I only hope more people were aware. As a side note, I'm not a meat hater. I love a great steak and chicken! BUT, I try to not make meat the main course, it is fine as a side dish with asparagus, corn, mashed potatoes (natural), walnut salad (yum). And for dessert, ice cream WITHOUT xantham gum or additives. Why would they put that stuff in ice cream. Always check labels.

[disciple100]

It is a shame that the FDA has banned raw milk in Maryland. That stuff is supposed to be really good for you.

[Sparko]

I have actually been trying to eat healthier lately. More salads and veggies and fruit, and less red meat. I hardly ever eat hamburgers any more, and I only eat steak about once every couple of months. I eat mostly chicken breast and fish for protein. At my last doctor checkup my cholesterol was doing terrific (its usually high) - one thing I have added to my diet is taking about 4g of fish oil per day. I think that really helped with my cholesterol.

[Astra49]

Oh absolutely! Plant based foods have all the vitamins and nutrients our body needs, without the (bad) fat. It took a long time but I no longer enjoy the taste of a potato chip or a boxed cookie or anything orange called cheese that looks like a cracker. As you mentioned, other countries do not have heart disease such as, Okinawa. There is a book called the "Okinawa program", the food pyramid in that country is radically different from ours and their country has the highest rate of centenarians than any other. They eat very healthy (plant based foods, tea...) and they incorporate Tai Chi or some moderate to light exercise into their daily routine. They don't have a retirement age, they don't know what that is. They keep moving and eating right and they stay healthy and they don't feel like they're missing out on meat etc...It's ingrained in their culture already. In the old days the poor people could not afford meat, the rich however could and it was noted that they had heart trouble whereas the poor would not because their meals consisted of grains, vegetables, fruit...what was on their soil.

I saw the programe that you mentioned Princesa, it was excellent and something we should all keep in mind.

I try to eat a balanced diet and am very aware of the age thing, where if you don't use it, you loose it. So exercise rounds off my hopefully healthy lifestyle. I bike ride quite a bit, I believe exercise and diet are equally important.

I do grow some of my own vegetables and all the herbs I use.

[RBerman]

It is a shame that the FDA has banned raw milk in Maryland. That stuff is supposed to be really good for you.

According to whom? Raw milk sellers, perhaps?

[disciple100]

According to whom? Raw milk sellers, perhaps?

According to the Weston A. Price Foundation.

[RBerman]

According to the Weston A. Price Foundation.

How much do you know about that organization? Don't be fooled by the "foundation" in its name. It's an activist group for "raw milk" and similar industries, not some impartial scientific institution. That's why their website is "realmilk.com" instead of "PeerReviewedScientists.com". Notice that the journal they recommend you read is from "smalldairy.com," i.e. the raw milk industry publication. Even the "holistic medicine" folks denounce them as dangerous and unscientific: http://www.vegsource.com/articles2/f...tary_myths.htm

WAPF advocates a severely deficient and dangerous diet for infants and children that has the potential to cause a lifetime of medical problems, reduced brain function, and an early death from cancer.

See also: http://www.quackwatch.com/01Quackery...isticdent.html

[disciple100]

How much do you know about that organization? Don't be fooled by the "foundation" in its name. It's an activist group for "raw milk" and similar industries, not some impartial scientific institution. That's why their website is "realmilk.com" instead of "PeerReviewedScientists.com". Notice that the journal they recommend you read is from "smalldairy.com," i.e. the raw milk industry publication. Even the "holistic medicine" folks denounce them as dangerous and unscientific: http://www.vegsource.com/articles2/f...tary_myths.htm

WAPF advocates a severely deficient and dangerous diet for infants and children that has the potential to cause a lifetime of medical problems, reduced brain function, and an early death from cancer.

See also: http://www.quackwatch.com/01Quackery...isticdent.html

While I do agree with you regarding the WAPF, and even Mercola, the research that has been conducted suggests that raw milk may help with allergies and asthma.

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/1...ly+maintenance

http://www.jacionline.org/article/S0...651-8/abstract

However, it is in one's best interest to limit exposure to dairy products and to moderate the consumption of beef. I'm just saying that, given the choice between consuming pastuerized and homogenized milk or raw milk, the latter is more beneficial.

[RBerman]

While I do agree with you regarding the WAPF, and even Mercola, the research that has been conducted suggests that raw milk may help with allergies and asthma.

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/1...ly+maintenance

http://www.jacionline.org/article/S0...651-8/abstract

The second study shows that kids who live on farms have fewer allergic problems. The first study shows an inverse correlation between raw milk consumption and allergies in German schoolchildren. I wonder how many of them also live on farms. The hygiene hypothesis would say that exposure to animals in general (and time spent cleaning out farm animal poop in particular) is protective against allergic problems. It will be interesting to try to tease out that effect from the effect of raw milk consumption. I suppose they'd have to study raw milk consumption in city dwellers, making sure the two test groups had equal pet exposure.

However, it is in one's best interest to limit exposure to dairy products and to moderate the consumption of beef.

That is true.

I'm just saying that, given the choice between consuming pastuerized and homogenized milk or raw milk, the latter is more beneficial.

I am not prepared to say whether that is true. You have to look at the big picture. Pasteurization was developed to prevent the spread of numerous bacterial illnesses through milk. I suppose we could fight those bacteria by force-feeding antibiotics to the cows, but that breeds resistant bacteria, which is an even worse problem in my estimation. Better to use pasteurization, even if it reduces the health value of the milk. How many people are we willing to sicken with bacteria from unpasteurized milk in order to enjoy whatever health benefits may accrue from that milk?

[disciple100]

The second study shows that kids who live on farms have fewer allergic problems. The first study shows an inverse correlation between raw milk consumption and allergies in German schoolchildren. I wonder how many of them also live on farms. The hygiene hypothesis would say that exposure to animals in general (and time spent cleaning out farm animal poop in particular) is protective against allergic problems. It will be interesting to try to tease out that effect from the effect of raw milk consumption. I suppose they'd have to study raw milk consumption in city dwellers, making sure the two test groups had equal pet exposure.

This is true, people who interact with animals on a regular basis may have their immune systems on 'higher alert'. I wonder if anti-bacterial soap or hand sanitizers where involved. While sterile, and germ-free, zones may be desired in hospitals, it may not be such a good idea for everyday life as the immune system may not 'be attacked' often enough to 'strengthen the defenses'.

I am not prepared to say whether that is true. You have to look at the big picture. Pasteurization was developed to prevent the spread of numerous bacterial illnesses through milk. I suppose we could fight those bacteria by force-feeding antibiotics to the cows, but that breeds resistant bacteria, which is an even worse problem in my estimation. Better to use pasteurization, even if it reduces the health value of the milk. How many people are we willing to sicken with bacteria from unpasteurized milk in order to enjoy whatever health benefits may accrue from that milk?

I see what you mean about pastuerization being beneficial, and it has, there was a time when less scrupulous farmers used their diseased cows to give milk. The ideal, in my opinion, would be anti-biotic free, grassfed cows that gave out raw milk, and that ideal is able to be realized now more than ever thanks to raising health standards. If anything, though, pastuerization does not bother me so much, I can live with that, as homogenization.