Anyone read it? I’m about half way through, and I have to say I’m a little horrified. It seems like there’s a lot of evidence and research out there that points to diet, not genes, as the root of most of the diseases we die from in the West (diseases of “affluence”). Apparently, there are multiple reputable studies that have shown heart disease, cancer, obesity, high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, diabetes, and various other diseases can be prevented, and some even treated, by consuming a moderately low-fat whole foods plant-based diet. If this is so much more effective and safe than the drugs and surgery, not to mention less costly for our health-care system, why is this not being widely discussed and promoted?

I already eat a vegetarian diet with little egg or dairy products, but after reading what I have I will definitely be working to further reduce these animal products in my diet. I want to be healthy and live a long life!

I thin it is discussed by the medical community , people in general just assume it isn't going to happen to them.

Hi, Shananigans. That's why I went vegan. I haven't read it, but read John Robbins "Healthy at 100", which says much the same thing, Fuhrman, etc. I think this information is not more widely desceminated, because it would hurt the profits of the medical and pharmaseutical industries, as screwed up as that is. I commend you for your goals of further improving your diet, and wanting to live long, I'm right there with ya. In fact, I hope to be walking around with my dog when I'm a hundred and five, and some kind soul will wonder if they can help that old blind lady cross the street, and then reflect that they've seen me there for, like the last fifty years, LOL. Why not? Look at Jack Lalane, and the
great sax player Benny Carter lived to the bright, lucid age of ninety six. Have a great day.
Amie

I've read it and give it away as gifts to anyone I know and love

This is a great book and it makes me feel great to see even more science to back up the choices I made all those years ago when there were fewer widely respected sources in the medical community that supported what I intuitively knew to make sense

Jazzmegirl – I suspect you are right about the medical and pharmaceutical industries. Not to mention the animal farming industry. Unfortunately all these players are pretty busy greasing palms in Washington, it would take a pretty significant grass roots uproar and serious campaigning to make a dent in the status quo, that being promoting diets that kill us as “healthy”. I know there are people out there who believe that the whole foods plant-based diet is best and practice it, but I know that because I seek this information out. What about everyone else?

www.pcrm.org is a great resource.

Shananigans, please feel free to PM me as I would love to discuss how I really feel about these issues!

hi shananigans!
I haven't read the China Study per se but I keep reading about it from other sources like in Eat to Live by Dr Fuhrman. He states that when you are told your blood pressure is "normal" it really means "average" which isn't all that great it should be lower to avoid heart attacks/stroke. Same thing for cholestoral. I don't know all the science, but I like to re-read the book from time to time.
I think that the Heart Association and Cancer Society should really try to get the word out more. If you ate like a real vegetarian you will live longer and avoid heart disease-cancers, diabetes everything. It has been proven that when people with type 2 diabetes lose enough weight they can go off their meds, but all docs do is prescribe insulin.

I also think that most people don't want to hear it-they just think they can cut a little fat from their diet and they are ok. They don't want to hear the truth!
Even though I need to lose a lot of weight as a veg I have low cholestoral and normal blood pressure. I know it could be better and probably will be when I lose more!

thanks for helping to get the word out!
Laura
highest weight 313 (2001)
current 265
ultimate goal 160

I agree and suggest you read the book as it is really eye-opening (it promotes a vegan diet).

I am also needing to lose a lot of weight but have great blood pressure and cholesterol. My siblings who aren't vegan have horrible cholesterol levels and take medications for them but were able to be in the "high normal" range when vegetarian. I wish they'd go vegan!

I've read The China Study. It was interesting and eye-opening.

Another book to put on your reading list is "Food Politics", by Marion Nestle. She does say the primary mission of the USDA (the people who brought you the food pyramid) is to promote and support American agriculture, and health concerns are pretty far down on their list.

Riany

^^

Yeah, I sort of think that's because it is the Department of Agriculture.

Is the government-recommended diet in any western country significantly different from the USDA pyramid?

I don't know. Do you? I haven't read Food Politics so I don't know if it addresses other countries or not.

But there are questions that interest me like: What countries have govt-recced food guidelines? How have they changed over time? How do the changes there correspond to the changes in the US over time? How are guidelines promoted? What kind of ag subsidies exist in other places? What are the tie-ins between govt. ag policies, ag industry lobbies, and food imports and exports in other places? What countries have experienced a surge in obesity and related disease in the last 30 years or so and is there correlation with any "official" recommendations?

Well like I said in the kale thread, I am not going to go completely vegan but am seriously rethinking cutting down the meat and upping the veggies alot.

I have not read the china study, do you have a link online? But have heard reference to it in books like Fit For Life and if anyone has any info please send it. I already do alot of whole foods. I am not ready to give up dairy completely and I do think the reason dairy out here is associated with all the junk is all the antibiotics, corn fed and junk these animals are fed and that spills over to the red meat and dairy products. I believe properly cared for beef, no hormones, shots, fed grass WOULD be healthy. I did find a source for raw cheese in Cali and get that when I can. I get yogurt that is past. but not homogenized. I am not ambitious to tread thru raw milk though(besides the aged cheese)

Anyhow I do like the idea of getting more calcium and nutrients from plants and was a bit disheartened to read a book rcently where a female nutritionist was bashing spinach and some vegis and legumes as a source of calcium by saying that it binds up and is not very readily accessible to the body, or something to that effect. (Don't feel like looking it up). I do not belive everything I read and look at the japanese and chinese? they consume very little dairy and are doing great. Hmmmnnnn......

The japanese and chinese seem to be healthier and thinner as a whole and I am very interested in learning more.

Another interesting article people http://www.azer.com/aiweb/categories...longevity.html may be interested in. These people do do dairy but limit their meat and do lots of veggies.

Oh I wanted to add I strongly believe that the way we eat is the determining factor in our health, not our genes and that why it is easy for them to link diseases to our parents, where do we normally get our eating habits from? Bingo. Our parents.

Why is preventitive maintenance not so encouraged? There is no money in it.

Diamond Harvey has a few excellent books and was a vegetarian for 25 years and now eats meat 1-2 a week, very good books if anyone is interested.