This past week I was at a party and was introduced to a mom who when she heard I was vegan made the comment “Oh, yeah, I tried the vegan thing but there’s just so much hummus and pita I can eat”.    I did not know where to start with this comment and then the conversation got changed quickly…but what I was thinking later was, “Seriously? What were your reasons for wanting to go vegan? How long did you try eating vegan and did you only eat Pita and Hummus?”

This is not the first time I’ve heard about how a person found eating vegan or vegetarian to be challenging.   I suppose it can be difficult to make changes if your reason for going veg is not strong.  I’m guessing that a lot of people are trying it because Oprah did it for a week or because their neighbor or friend did it and lost weight, etc.

There are far more meaningful reasons to go veg!  Find your reason or reasons, write it down and then make a plan to make gradual changes that will help you to stick with it for more than a week or a month.

Are you doing it for your health?

• Eating a plant based diet low in animal foods decreases your risk for all degenerative diseases including cancer.  We are constantly hearing news about how plant foods are protective…when did you hear that animal foods were protective against degenerative disease?

Are you doing it for the animals?

• Love dogs and cats but still eat cows, pigs and fish?  Reading Melanie Joy’s book “Why We Love Dogs, Eat Pigs and Wear Cows” will help you to understand that farm animals are no different from domesticated animals.  If you have a love for animals, your reason may one that supports animal compassion.
• Approximately 10 billion animals are slaughtered every year so that humans can eat them
• In the US, “food animals” are not adequately protected from inhumane treatment

Are you doing it for the environment?

• Are you an eco-savvy person who has found all the ways to “go green” at home but not yet addressed eating habits?  Going vegan, vegetarian or even plant based is the biggest contribution you can make to going green…so stop worrying about changing out light bulbs and start focusing on your shopping list!
• Did you know over 50% of forest worldwide have been cleared to raise or feed livestock?
• A recent study by the University of Chicago revealed that a vegetarian diet is the most energy-efficient (VegForLife.org)
• Livestock rearing produces more greenhouse gasses than all forms of transportation combined

Once you have figured out a reason for going Veg that resonates most with you, figure out the obstacles or excuses that are keeping you from being successful with a vegan, vegetarian or plant based diet.  What is your plan to move through those obstacles?  I promise you there is a solution!  Need help with it?  Post in the comments section below or give me a call for a free 30 minute consultation!

The Dukan Diet, created by Dr. Pierre Dukan of France, is the latest fad diet craze in Europe that has recently hit the bookstores in the US this past April.  The diet is a high animal protein weight loss diet, similar to the Atkins Diet.  We know from numerous long term scientific studies, including The China Project, that high protein diets are linked to degenerative diseases including cancer.  Furthermore, we also know that animal agriculture is not sustainable!  The Dukan Diet is recommending that people eat animal foods at two or more meals per day!

Taking a close look at the plan, which has four phases:

Phase I is the “Attack phase” and claims to give “immediate results”. Dieters are given 72 high-protein foods that are supposed to “enable quick weight loss”. These foods include lean cuts of meat, poultry, fish and oatbran.  The reason for the oatbran is because animal foods contain NO fiber, so this is Dr. Dukan’s solution to getting fiber in the diet.  And you are basically not eating any fruits or veggies, just animal protein.  Maybe this phase should be renamed “Artery Attack”?

Phase II dieters are given “28 recommended Vegetables” that are low on the Glycemic Index…no fruit?!  You are alternating “Protein Only” days with “Protein and Vegetable” days.  The key to the weight loss that is happening here is that refined carbs are being eliminated. Things like bagels, pretzels, chips, tortillas/wraps, white rice, quick oats, etc. that are high in carbohydrates and low in nutrients.  Eliminating these foods on any diet will create short term weight loss.

On this phase with a long list of “rules” to remember, you can have:

• 1 portion of fruit a day, excluding super nutritious bananas, cherries and dried fruit.  A portion is measured as “an apple, a pear, an orange, a small bowl of strawberries, a handful of berries, a few plums”.
• 2 pieces of wholegrain bread a day
• 40 grams of cheese a day: gouda, swiss cheeses, cheddar but no soft cheeses.
• 2 portions of “starchy products” a week like sweet potatoes, squash, or other root vegetables but white rice and potatoes are excluded.  The rules on pasta and rice are to have only whole grain and limit the portion size.
• Pork & Lamb are allowed once a week
• Two times a week you can have “celebration meals”. This is where you are allowed to eat crap with rules and this is where it gets complicated and ridiculous.  You can have “one serving” of fries, pizza, whatever, but you are asked to use self control.  You are supposed to keep the distance of 24 hours in between celebration meals, so if you had one for Sunday dinner, you should not have another one Monday for breakfast.  You are not supposed to be in a rush when you enjoy your “Celebration Meal”.
• To maintain weight you are supposed to have one day of “Pure Protein” a week.  Dr. Ducan proposes that you should pick Thursdays since most “celebration meals” will happen on the weekend.

My question is “Where’s the Kale”?  And “Where’s the Salad?”

Well, it’s not on the final phase, which is called “Stabilization”.  This is where you keep the protein day once a week, eat Oat Bran every day, “keep activity levels high” and if you gain weight you are supposed to go back to two 100% animal flesh days a week until the weight comes off.

Again, all this focus on eating pure animal protein is really unhealthy for humans and bad news for animals on factory farms!  Stop the madness!  Don’t do this diet.  Read “Eat for Health” instead.  It is a plant based diet that allows for fruits and vegetables starting on day 1!

Take a look at this chart taken from p. 230 in The China Study by T. Colin Campbell.

ANIMAL-BASED FOODS (PER 500 CALORIES OF ENERGY)

* Equal parts of tomatoes, spinach, lima beans, peas, potatoes
**Equal parts of beef, pork, chicken, whole milk

How much protein do we need anyway?
Westerners are eating WAY too much protein from animal sources. The World Health Organization recommends that only 2-10% of daily calories need to come from protein sources. According to Organic Athlete, “Most Westerners are consuming somewhere in the range of 120-158% more than what is recommended”. America continues to be the sickest population on the planet with exploding rates of obesity, Type II Diabetes, and heart disease. Yet the healthiest populations, as outlined in The China Study by T. Colin Campbell, are the ones eating a diet that is based on plants.

How can a plant based diet change the destiny of our planet?
Factory Farms are the greatest contributor of pollution on the planet. Animals require tons of resources to raise for slaughter and they pollute with tons of urine and manure up until their violent death. It takes an estimated 4.8 pounds of grain, 390 gallons of water, and .25 gallons of gasoline to produce a pound of beef. We are also shortening their natural lifespan. According to the Humane Society, the lifespan of cattle averages 9 to 12 year. However, “Cattle raised for beef are typically weaned at 6 to 10 months, live 3 to 5 months on range, spend 4 to 5 months being fattened in a feedlot, and are typically slaughtered at 15 to 20 months”

Most people have no idea about the horrors that go on in a slaughter house and how the energy of these animals who are scared and stressed their entire life from being pinned up in a cage and treated like filth is carried on to the final product on the supermarket shelf or the latest dish at the local fast food chain. Why do we treat farm animals like commodities? They are living, breathing animals with personalities that deserve the same kind of respect as our pets. Imagine raising a cow in your backyard from the time it was born. Could you kill it when it was year and half old and put it’s meat in your freezer and refrigerator? No way! Most of us would give it a name and become attached to feeding it every day.  The same example could be used for chickens, ducks and pigs.

Make a conscious choice to reduce the amount of animal products you consume. Your health and the future of our planet depend on it.

Check out The China Study for overwhelming scientific evidence of the health benefits of a plant based diet.

I encourage clients and anyone interested in preventative health to read The China Study. It is 20 years of evidence based research that tells us the healthiest populations on the planet consume a diet centered on plant foods. These populations have almost NO incidence of degenerative disease unlike the United States where Type II Diabetes and Heart Disease have become an epidemic.

How does eating a Plant Based Diet and having healthy habits contribute to making the planet greener?

1. Eating less animal foods means less pollution in our ground water and air from factory farms
2. Eating less animal foods means wasting a lot less water and grains to raise animals from birth to slaughter
3. Eating less animal foods means we have more land to use for growing plant foods which require less resources.
4. And finally eating less animal foods and more nutrient dense plant foods makes populations healthier. They will require fewer pharmaceutical drugs that pollute our environment, especially our water ways.

A Plant Based Diet + Healthy Habits = Optimally Healthy Families and a Greener Planet!