Plant-based diet called key to good health
The truth of the phrase “you are what you eat” is abundantly clear in the new book “Forks Over Knives.”
The book lays out the argument for eating a plant-based diet versus the traditional American diet that is heavy on dairy, meat and oils, and says dietary changes can prevent or rescue you from diabetes, cancer, stroke and heart disease — the leading cause of death in America.
We asked Gene Stone, the editor of “Forks Over Knives: The Plant Based Way to Health” ($13.95, 224 pages, The Experiment, 2011) and author of “The Secrets of People Who Never Get Sick,” ($12.95, 212 pages, Workman, 2011) to answer a few questions about how this book can save lives.
Q. How did the “Forks Over Knives” film and book come about?
A. “FOK” was the brainchild of executive producer Brian Wendel, who wants everyone to know the benefits of eating plants — and is doing everything he can to get the message out. (The premise behind the film is, “Does what we eat determine how long we live?” According to Wendel, “the film is a part of a bigger movement working to end the animal-based and processed food diet.”)
Q. The major question “Forks Over Knives” poses to everyone is “What if one simple change could save you from heart disease, diabetes and cancer?” The book explains this through research done in China. Can you briefly explain these studies and the results?
A. “FOK” features the work of Dr. Colin Campbell, whose book “The China Study” shows the medical advantages of eating a plant-based diet. Referred to as the “Grand Prix of epidemiology” by The New York Times, the study examined the health and nutritional habits of 6,500 adults in more than 2,500 counties across China and Taiwan, and conclusively demonstrates the link between nutrition and heart disease, diabetes and cancer.
Q. What is the plant-based diet, and is that the same as being a vegetarian or vegan?
A. A plant-based eater is basically another way of saying vegan, which is a diet that excludes meat, eggs, dairy products and all other animal-derived ingredients; if there’s a difference, it’s that a vegan is generally all vegan, all the time, whereas a plant-based eater may occasionally stray.
Q. What are some of the changes that people can make today?
A. The key principles from the book are to eat minimally refined fruits, vegetables and grains. Avoid overly processed foods and oil — including olive oil. Avoid preservatives and additives, eliminate dairy. Don’t worry about carbs, but be sure to eat the right carbs and not chips, cookies and bread. Don’t worry about getting protein. Plant foods have a ton of healthy protein.
Q. What are some of the worst foods American’s typically consume? Do you think Americans feel they are just too busy to adapt to this style of eating?
A. The worst foods people eat are those with animal protein. … Being a plant-strong eater does not mean inconvenience. It’s just as easy to eat a salad or veggies as it is to eat a hamburger.
Q. How might someone begin to transition to a plant-based diet? Can there be a happy middle ground?
A. I don’t tell people they have to become all vegan, all the time, this very minute. The more plants you can put into your diet, and the less animal protein, the better off you will be. It is not a matter of all or nothing. It is a matter of eating more plants, feel much better.
Q. What are some of the best plant-based foods that should be in everyone’s diet?
A. All of them. Seriously — the wonderful thing about plants is that there are so many of them to choose from, and they are all good for you in different ways. … Eat as many different plants as possible, and reap the rewards from all the vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals and antioxidants.
Q. What are some of the transformations in people’s health that have been made due to switching to a plant-based diet?
A. People who have adhered to a plant-based diet have seen their cholesterol levels drop, their HDL, or healthy cholesterol, rise, their LDL, or lethal cholesterol fall, their triglycerides drop, and their weight drop as well. All of the major books on the subject include case studies from people who have had with dangerous lipid test results and instead of taking pharmaceuticals, changed their lives by eating plants.
Q. How soon might someone feel or notice a difference?
A. In one study, several people noticed a change within days, and many people found that their cholesterol levels had dropped by as much as 50 percent within a few weeks.
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