NY Res 2 - Why vegetarianism?

As mentioned in my previous post, my second New Years resolution is to move to a largely plant based diet - or in other words, become a vegetarian.  However, this is not because I am overcome with guilt at eating lovely cute fluffy animals (although if I think about it too much....)  I went through that when I was a teenager and was vegetarian for around 3 years until I woke up after a heavy night on the town and had a craving for roast chicken.

No this has come about following a desire to understand more about the effects of diet and nutrition on 'western' diseases, diabetes in particular.  I hesitate to call diabetes a disease as it is in fact largely controllable and preventable through diet and lifestyle.  I bought a book over Christmas called 'The Reverse Diabetes Diet' by Dr Neal Barnard, and by a strange coincidence, my brother bought me a book for my birthday in mid December called 'The China Study', by Dr Colin Campbell, following all my recent blogging about intermittent fasting and nutrition.

Both of these books advocate a plant based diet based on compelling and authoritative evidence which suggests that animal protein and fat are largely responsible for the majority of western illnesses including cardiovascular disease, cancers and diabetes.  Both books are a fascinating but scary read but the evidence is clear.

In the China Study, Dr Colin Campbell, Professor Emeritus at Cornell University in USA, details the connection between nutrition and heart disease, diabetes and cancer.  It is recognised as the most comprehensive nutritional study ever conducted on the relationship between diet and the risk of developing disease.

The study looked at dietary and lifestyle factors associated with disease mortality in China, which compared the health consequences of diets rich in animal-based foods to diets rich in plant-based foods among people who are genetically similar.  The authors write that "as blood cholesterol levels in rural China rose in certain counties the incidence of 'Western' diseases also increased.


The authors write that "several studies have now shown, in both experimental animals and in humans, that consuming animal-based protein increases blood cholesterol levels. Saturated fat and dietary cholesterol also raise blood cholesterol, although these nutrients are not as effective at doing this as is animal protein. 

In contrast, plant-based foods contain no cholesterol and, in various other ways, help to decrease the amount of cholesterol made by the body. They write that "these disease associations with blood cholesterol were remarkable, because blood cholesterol and animal-based food consumption both were so low by American standards. In rural China, animal protein intake (for the same individual) averages only 7.1 grams per day whereas Americans average 70 grams per day".

There is a China Study Community website which shares the findings of the research plus news stories, event information, recipes, reviews, and more from the leading influencers in the plant-based community.

I'm really excited at becoming vegetarian again, not least because since starting the IF lifestyle, I have been enjoying vegetables much more as they are low in calories and fat but full of vitamins, minerals and dietary fibre, and they fill me up!  I've also been eating more and more plant based proteins such as pulses and beans but particularly oats (porridge, oatcakes etc) and seeds. 

Seeds have become a little addiction for me - now having Holland and Barrett's fabulous Omega Sprinkle on my porridge every morning, as a snack and on greek yoghurt in the evening.  The Food Doctor also has a great range of seeds and nuts  http://www.thefooddoctor.com/Our-Range-CHSTORE/

I also absolutely love all things soya bean - including tofu in its various forms and edamame - young soya beans most often found in Japanese restaurants but now readily available in supermarkets next to the frozen peas!!  To learn more about incredible health benefits of these humble little beans, take a look at my post of 10th Sept last year.... http://walklighter.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/breaking-my-fast.html