A recent Wall Street Journal article (9-18-12) pitted two professors of nutrition on the subject of eating – plants vs. meat and dairy.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390444184704577587174077811182.html
I’d recommend reading it and then looking at the comments that other readers have made. This is the comment I left.
We will be launching LifeNuts, a community-based vitality program, at the Marshall University marathon on November 11. The person whose life inspired LifeNuts will be attempting to set a new American record for the marathon (26.2 miles) for his age. Mike Fremont is 90. How does this relate to diet? You can watch a YouTube video of Mike at www.lifenuts.org.
Well, Mike eats mostly a plant-based diet, avoiding meat and dairy, and his health has improved dramatically since he made this nutritional change about 20 years ago at the age of 70. Those who think that vegans don’t get enough protein or calcium should adjust their thinking, based on Mike’s ability to run a marathon, indeed even set a new American marathon record. Mike and I will be speaking at the marathon’s expo on Nov. 10. Please come visit us!
And Mike’s not the only example. Scott Jurek, arguably the best American ultramarathon (distances greater than the standard 26.2 miles) runner switched to a vegan diet many years ago for one reason – to improve his running performance. After he changed his eating habits, he became a champion. He’s documented all this in his book, Eat & Run.
Another endurance athlete, Brendan Brazier, is a professional ironman and a champion as well. In case you’re not familiar with the ironman triathlon, it’s a swim of 2.4 miles, a bike ride of 112 miles, and, if you’re still breathing, a running marathon of 26.2 miles. Brendan does this for a living and eats a plant-based diet. And he wins. His book is Thrive.
Now, here are three examples, young and old, of athletes who not only survive but excel in athletic competitions that require hours of endurance. And they do so without eating meat or dairy. They are not alone.
On the other hand, Americans, who mostly die of heart disease, cancer, and diabetes, eat a diet rich in meat and dairy. It’s no coincidence that America’s major health concern is the rapid increase in both adult and child obesity. Compare us to the Japanese who live, on the average, more than four years longer than we do. They eat mostly a plant-based diet. Japanese women, where thin is still in, lead the world in longevity with a life expectancy of 86.1 years.
Much research has been done on populations, such as the Japanese, throughout the world where significant numbers of people live past 100. Invariably, their diets are mostly plant-based. The China Study, possibly the largest nutritional analysis of a population ever done, showed that the rural Chinese (who did not have much access to meat or dairy) lived longer than the urban Chinese (who did eat meat and dairy). These city dwellers died of western diseases: heart disease, cancer, and diabetes.
So, with this information, why are Americans reluctant to adopt a plant-based diet. One word – taste. Americans enjoy their lifestyle, which revolves a lot around food. And food must taste “good” in order to satisfy. Restaurant owners know this. Food manufacturers know this. The hip phrase is now “comfort food.”
The good news is that the LifeNuts program involves more than a diet; it involves a new lifestyle, one committed to longevity and happiness. Let’s face it: it’s no fun to have heart disease, cancer, or diabetes, is it? One of the main obstacles in changing lifestyles is taste. Interestingly, when one moves away from a meat-and-dairy diet to a plant-based diet, his or her taste will change. This change takes from two to six weeks. A book, The Engine 2 Diet, offers a simple challenge: try their plant-based diet for 28 days and, if it doesn’t work, forget it. Developed by a Texas firefighter for his buddies, the program is easy to use.
So, the next time you read about or hear about America’s massive health care burden or the rising cost of obesity, think about what we eat. And don’t be afraid to change.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390444184704577587174077811182.html
I’d recommend reading it and then looking at the comments that other readers have made. This is the comment I left.
We will be launching LifeNuts, a community-based vitality program, at the Marshall University marathon on November 11. The person whose life inspired LifeNuts will be attempting to set a new American record for the marathon (26.2 miles) for his age. Mike Fremont is 90. How does this relate to diet? You can watch a YouTube video of Mike at www.lifenuts.org.
Well, Mike eats mostly a plant-based diet, avoiding meat and dairy, and his health has improved dramatically since he made this nutritional change about 20 years ago at the age of 70. Those who think that vegans don’t get enough protein or calcium should adjust their thinking, based on Mike’s ability to run a marathon, indeed even set a new American marathon record. Mike and I will be speaking at the marathon’s expo on Nov. 10. Please come visit us!
And Mike’s not the only example. Scott Jurek, arguably the best American ultramarathon (distances greater than the standard 26.2 miles) runner switched to a vegan diet many years ago for one reason – to improve his running performance. After he changed his eating habits, he became a champion. He’s documented all this in his book, Eat & Run.
Another endurance athlete, Brendan Brazier, is a professional ironman and a champion as well. In case you’re not familiar with the ironman triathlon, it’s a swim of 2.4 miles, a bike ride of 112 miles, and, if you’re still breathing, a running marathon of 26.2 miles. Brendan does this for a living and eats a plant-based diet. And he wins. His book is Thrive.
Now, here are three examples, young and old, of athletes who not only survive but excel in athletic competitions that require hours of endurance. And they do so without eating meat or dairy. They are not alone.
On the other hand, Americans, who mostly die of heart disease, cancer, and diabetes, eat a diet rich in meat and dairy. It’s no coincidence that America’s major health concern is the rapid increase in both adult and child obesity. Compare us to the Japanese who live, on the average, more than four years longer than we do. They eat mostly a plant-based diet. Japanese women, where thin is still in, lead the world in longevity with a life expectancy of 86.1 years.
Much research has been done on populations, such as the Japanese, throughout the world where significant numbers of people live past 100. Invariably, their diets are mostly plant-based. The China Study, possibly the largest nutritional analysis of a population ever done, showed that the rural Chinese (who did not have much access to meat or dairy) lived longer than the urban Chinese (who did eat meat and dairy). These city dwellers died of western diseases: heart disease, cancer, and diabetes.
So, with this information, why are Americans reluctant to adopt a plant-based diet. One word – taste. Americans enjoy their lifestyle, which revolves a lot around food. And food must taste “good” in order to satisfy. Restaurant owners know this. Food manufacturers know this. The hip phrase is now “comfort food.”
The good news is that the LifeNuts program involves more than a diet; it involves a new lifestyle, one committed to longevity and happiness. Let’s face it: it’s no fun to have heart disease, cancer, or diabetes, is it? One of the main obstacles in changing lifestyles is taste. Interestingly, when one moves away from a meat-and-dairy diet to a plant-based diet, his or her taste will change. This change takes from two to six weeks. A book, The Engine 2 Diet, offers a simple challenge: try their plant-based diet for 28 days and, if it doesn’t work, forget it. Developed by a Texas firefighter for his buddies, the program is easy to use.
So, the next time you read about or hear about America’s massive health care burden or the rising cost of obesity, think about what we eat. And don’t be afraid to change.
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