Plant-Strong Eating
Do as much research as you can even if it challenges your beliefs. Take the time to really think about your values. Only then can you truly make the best decisions for yourself, fellow humans, animals, and the planet.
“It is the position of the American Dietetic Association that appropriately planned vegetarian diets, including total vegetarian or vegan diets, are healthful, nutritionally adequate, and may provide health benefits in the prevention and treatment of certain diseases. Well-planned vegetarian diets are appropriate for individuals during all stages of the life cycle, including pregnancy, lactation, infancy, childhood, and adolescence, and for athletes.” –The American Dietetic Association
We may be a little biased, but we think listening to the podcast we did on Plant-Based eating is a good way to get you started! https://www.sagerunning.com/newsletters/plant-powered-podcast-a-sage-running-guide-to-plant-based-eating-and-nutrition/
Where to find Plant-Based Doctors and Dieticians:
“I know of nothing else in medicine that can come close to what a plant-based diet can do. In theory, if everyone were to adopt this, I really believe we can cut health care costs by seventy to eighty percent. That’s amazing. And it all comes from understanding nutrition, applying nutrition, and just watching the results.” -T. Colin Campbell
Find a doctor or dietitian near you: https://www.plantbaseddoctors.org
Barnard Medical Center: http://www.pcrm.org/barnard-medical-center/about
Registered Dietitians:
-Vegetarian Nutrition Dietetic Practice Group of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics
A quick internet search of plant-based/vegan dieticians in your city is always a good place to start!
Books:
“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.” ― Dr. Seuss.
–The Plant-Based Athlete by Matt Frazier & Robert Cheeke
–How Not to Die by Michael Greger, MD & Gene Stone
–The Whole Foods Diet by John Mackey (Co-founder of Whole Foods), Alona Pulde, MD, and Matthew Lederman, MD
–Proteinaholic by Garth Davis, M.D. & Howard Jacobson
– The Engine 2 Diet by Rip Esselstyn
–How Note to Diet by Michael Greger, MD
– Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease by Caldwell B. Esselstyn, Jr., MD
–The Campbell Plan by Thomas Campbell, MD. (Him and his dad, T. Colin Campbell, PhD
-Books by T. Colin Campbell, Ph.D. include Whole and the Low Carb Fraud
–The China Study by T. Colin Campbell and Thomas Campbell
-Books by Neal Barnard, MD include: Power Foods for the Brain, The Cheese Trap, and Foods that Cause You to Lose Weight
– The Pleasure Trap by Douglas J. Lisle, Ph.D. and Alan Goldhamer, DC
-Books by Dean Ornish, MD include The Spectrum, Eat More Weigh Less and Dr. Dean Ornish’s Program for Reversing Heart Disease
-Books by Joel Furhman include: Eat to Live, Super Immunity, and The End of Diabetes
-Books by Dr. John McDougall and Mary McDougall include The Healthiest Diet on the Planet and The Starch Solution
Building Bone Vitality by Amy Joy Lanou, Ph.D.
RECIPES: Most of the above authors also have their own cookbooks and/or recipes on their websites.
Websites with TONS of Helpful Information:
People can find evidence for whatever he/she wants to believe, but it’s more important than ever that we hold ourselves to the highest standards possible. That means digging deeper. It means looking at the research that opposes your viewpoints. It means asking challenging questions. It’s not being a seeker of comfort, but a seeker of truth.
Nutrition Facts: https://nutritionfacts.org -This website is fantastic! There’s a video with cited research on just about any nutrition topic you can think of. If you’re new to the site and a vegan diet here are some suggested searches: -B12 -Athletes -Paleo -Protein -Eggs -Nutrient Density -Cancer
The Physicians Committee of Responsible Medicine: http://www.pcrm.org
The Game Changers- Athlete Focused
Center for Nutritional Studies: http://nutritionstudies.org *
Plant-Based Dietician: http://plantbaseddietitian.com
Plant-Based Research: http://www.plantbasedresearch.org
Forks Over Knives: https://www.forksoverknives.com *
–Beginners Guide to Starting a Plant-Based Diet: https://www.forksoverknives.com/plant-based-primer-beginners-guide-starting-plant-based-diet/#gs.xZ1IhWo
Engine 2 Diet: http://engine2diet.com *
Plant-Based on a Budget: http://plantbasedonabudget.com
*These websites also contain many good recipes.
More Recipes!
(Many of the above-mentioned websites and books have tons of great recipes.)
Minimalist Baker: https://minimalistbaker.com
Sweet Simple Vegan: http://sweetsimplevegan.com
Oh She Glows: http://ohsheglows.com
Fatfree Vegan Recipes: http://fatfreevegan.com
Podcasts:
–Thought for Food Lifestyle does a great podcast series called “What’s the Deal with…” They provide research-based information on food topics like carbs, protein, soy, etc. https://www.tfflifestyle.com
–Rich Roll Podcast:
>Breaking the Dairy Addiction with Dr. Neal Barnard: http://www.richroll.com/podcast/neal-barnard-2/
>Protein with Dr. Garth Davis: http://www.richroll.com/podcast/our-misplaced-obsession-with-protein-garth-davis-md-on-high-fat-low-carb-diets-bad-science-how-to-separate-nutritional-fact-from-popular-fiction/
>Heart Disease with Dr. Kim Williams: http://www.richroll.com/podcast/kim-williams/
>How Not to Die with Dr. Michael Greger: http://www.richroll.com/podcast/michael-greger-how-not-to-die/
>Prevent and Reverse Disease with Dr. Michael Klaper: http://www.richroll.com/podcast/rrp-77-dr-michael-klaper-plantpower-nutrition-health-disease/
>Prevent Disease and Thrive with Dr. Michelle McMacken: http://www.richroll.com/podcast/michelle-mcmacken-md/
Documentaries:
-Forks over Knives
-What the Health
-From the Ground Up (About plant-based athletes)
-Plant Pure Nation
-Hungry for Change
-Vegucated
-Food Matters
-Food, Inc.
Well Known Organizations that Recommend a Plant-Based Diet:
-The American Dietetic Association
-The American Diabetes Association: https://professional.diabetes.org/sites/professional.diabetes.org/files/media/dc_40_s1_final.pdf
-The Cleveland Clinic: https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/17593-understanding-vegetarianism–heart-health
-The dietary guidelines of Sweden, Brazil, Germany, Qatar, and the Netherlands, as well as the Nordic Nutrition: http://www.fao.org/3/a-i5640e.pdf
-The American Institute of Cancer Research: http://www.wcrf.org/sites/default/files/english.pdf (page 9)
-The proposed 2018 Canada Food Guidelines: https://www.foodguideconsultation.ca/guiding-principles-detailed
-2015 USDA Dietary Guidelines: https://health.gov/dietaryguidelines/2015-scientific-report/PDFs/Scientific-Report-of-the-2015-Dietary-Guidelines-Advisory-Committee.pdf
-American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists: https://www.aace.com/sites/all/files/diabetes-algorithm-executive-summary.pdf
-Kaiser Permanente: https://share.kaiserpermanente.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/The-Plant-Based-Diet-booklet.pdf
-World Health Association
-Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics
-British Dietetic Association
-Dietitians Association of Australia
-Harvard School of Public Health
-Dietitians of Canada
-The Permanente Journal
-The Mayo Clinic
-The Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center
-National Health Service (UK)
-New York Presbyterian Hospital
-Italian Society of Human Nutrition
-US Department of Agriculture
-Canadian Pediatric Society
-British Diabetic Association
-John Hopkins School of Public Health
-American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
-Food and Agriculture Association of the UN
-Cancer Society of Canada
Ethical Considerations:
“Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.” -Maya Angelou
Be brave and ask yourself the hard questions.
-Why We Love Dogs, Eat Pigs, and Wear Cows by Melanie Joy, Ph.D. (book)
-Farm Sanctuary & Gene Baur:
>Live More in Alignment with Your Values: http://www.richroll.com/podcast/genebaur/
>Living the Farm Sanctuary Life (books)
>https://www.farmsanctuary.org
-Mercy for Animals & Nathan Runkle:
>The Power of Compassion to Make a Difference: http://www.richroll.com/podcast/nathan-runkle/
>http://www.mercyforanimals.org/home
-Philosophy of Animal Ethics
>https://www.tfflifestyle.com/tff-014-alastair-norcross-on-the-philosophy-of-animal-ethics/
>Puppies, Pigs, and People: http://www.colorado.edu/philosophy/heathwood/pdf/norcross.pdf
Environmental Considerations:
-Cowspiracy (Documentary)
>The facts: http://www.cowspiracy.com/facts/
-Failing to go the distance: what’s the beef with food miles? By Peter Newton (TEDxBoulder): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfBzwBxl-zQ
-Livestock’s Long Shadow (UN report): http://www.fao.org/tempref/docrep/fao/010/a0701e/A0701E.pdf
-Why eating grass-fed beef isn’t going to solve climate change:
Why the Science Seems Confusing:
“Make the lie big, make it simple, keep saying it, and eventually they will believe it.” -Adolf Hitler
“Confusion in the scientific literature on these issues may easily be misused by the food industry to promote their interests.” -British Journal of Nutrition
The book, Plant Paradox, is a good example of how nutrition books can be misleading:
https://nutritionfacts.org/video/dr-gundrys-the-plant-paradox-is-wrong/
Food Industry-Funded Research Bias: https://nutritionfacts.org/video/Food-Industry-Funded-Research-Bias/
– Another Example: “A review was performed of 206 recent studies on the health effects of milk, juice, and soda. Of the studies, 111 declared financial ties to the industry receiving part or all of the funding for the study from the manufacturer of the beverage in question. (keep in mind these are only the known ties. Many other financial arrangements can be hidden.) The 111 industry studies showed zero unfavorable findings…. The 95 unbiased articles, on the other hand, found evidence of harm 37 percent of the time. This is a very significant difference, demonstrating clearly that science can be bought.” -page 122 of Proteinaholic
Remember when Time Magazine said to Eat Butter?: https://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-saturated-fat-studies-buttering-up-the-public/
-Another Example of a Misleading Study: An example of a poorly designed and performed study is the A to Z study. If you find the abstract, you’ll think that the Atkins diet was better than those it was compared to such as the Ornish Diet. However, if you take a closer look you’ll see that the Ornish Diet was never followed. Additionally, why the Atkins group initially lost a lot of weight due to water loss, the people in that group gained most of their weight back by the end of the year.
If eating plant-based is so healthy, why don’t all dietitians recommend it?
“…The animal agribusiness and their executives, actively sustain the myths of eating meat by influencing the institutions and professionals that in turn impact policy and opinion. Consider, for instance, the partnership between the American Dietetic Association (ADA) and the National Dairy Council. The ADA is the nation’s leading organization of nutritionists, and it also the governing body that oversees the accreditation of universities that offer degrees in dietetics; all dietitians are required to have graduated from an ADA-accredited institution. The National Dairy Council is one of the ADA’s leading “corporate sponsors.” According to the ADA, their Corporate Sponsorship Programs helps corporations have “access to key influencers, thought leaders and decision-makers in the food and nutrition marketplace. And the ADA says, the sponsor “can leverage benefits to achieve marketing objectives… gain access to decisions… and build brand relevance with (the ADAs) highly desirable target audience.” In other words, institutional power holders such as the National Dairy Council “sponsor” professional institutions like the ADA- which may help to explain, for instance, the official recommended daily allowance of three cups of milk, despite evidence linking dairy consumption with increased risk of cardiovascular disease, various cancers, and diabetes.” -Melanie Joh, Ph.D Pages 99-100 of Why We Love Dogs, Eat Pigs and Wear Cows.
Unfortunately, things like this are more common than they should be due to the fact that the dairy and meat industries are worth billions.
Vitamin B12
After doing the Sage Running podcast on Plant-Based eating, we had a lot of people tell us they didn’t know the importance of B12 and/or had been misinformed on where it came from. Here are the important facts on B12 that people should know:
-B12 is produced by bacteria that can be found in soil and natural water sources. The bacteria can be grown in the intestines of humans and animals, but it’s too far down the intestinal tract to be absorbed by either. Humans used to get enough B12 by drinking out of streams or having a little soil on their veggies, but that can no longer happen in our “sanitized” world. -1 out of 6 animal eaters have found to be B12 deficient and ALL adults over the age of 50 are recommended to take a B12 supplement. -B12 is important for brain health and assists in the formation of healthy blood cells.
-A B12 deficiency can often lead to an iron deficiency so if you have iron deficiency anemia it might be worth getting your B12 levels tested.
-The USDA actually recommends a supplement over animals because synthetic B12 is actually better absorbed by humans.
-Experts recommend taking in 2500 mcg per week (this is micrograms NOT milligrams). The B12 supplement we take is 1000 mcg per serving, so we need to take 2.5 supplements per week, which is fine with us because it tastes like candy! (Technically only need 4-7 micrograms but need to take more based on how our bodies absorb it.)
-There are vegan foods fortified with B12, but if you go that route you need to be good at keeping track of how much B12 you’re taking in.
-B12 is the ONLY nutrient that’s essential to human health that can not be gotten from plants or sunlight.