The China Study (37 page)

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How to Eat
and collaborator on this book, Tom, was thirteen
WHEN MY YOUNGEST SON
years old, our family was in the final stages of a slow shift to becoming
vegetarian. One Sunday morning, Tom came home from a sleepover at a
close friend's house and told us a story I still remember.
The night before, Tom was being grilled, in a friendly way, on his
eating habits. The sister of Tom's friend had asked him, rather incredu-
lously, "You don't eat meat?" My son had never justified his eating hab-
its ; he had just gotten used to eating what was on the dinner table. As a
consequence, Tom was not practiced at answering such a question. So
he simply answered, "No, I don't," without offering any explanations.
The girl probed a bit more, "So what do you eat?" My son answered,
with a few shrugs, "I guess just . . . plants." She said, "Oh," and that was
the end of that.
The reason I enjoy this story is because my son's response, "plants,"
was so simple. It was a truthful answer, but couched in an entirely un-
traditional manner. When someone asks for the glazed ham across the
table, she doesn't say, "Pass the flesh of the pig's butt, please," and when
someone tells his children to finish their peas and carrots, he doesn't
say, "Finish your plants." But since my family and I changed our eating
habits, I've come to enjoy thinking of food as either plants or animals.
It fits well into my philosophy of keeping the information on food and
health as simple as possible.
Food and health are anything but simple in our country. I often mar-
vel at the complexity of various weight-loss plans. Although the writers
241

242                           THE CHINA STUDY
always advertise their plan's ease of use, in reality it's never easy. Follow-
ers of these diets have to count calories, points, servings or nutrients or
eat specific amounts of certain foods based on specific, mathematical
ratios. There are tools to be used, supplements to be taken and work-
sheets to be completed. It is no wonder that dieting seldom succeeds.
Eating should be an enjoyable and worry-free experience, and
shouldn't rely on deprivation. Keeping it simple is essential if we are to
enjoy our food.
One of the most fortunate findings from the mountain of nutritional
research I've encountered is that good food and good health is simple. The
biology of the relationship of food and health is exceptionally complex,
but the message is still Simple. The recommendations coming from the
published literature are so simple that I can state them in one sentence:
eat a whole foods, plant-based diet, while minimizing the consumption of
refined foods, added salt and added fats. (See table on page 243.)
SUPPLEMENTS
Daily supplements of vitamin B12 , and perhaps vitamin D for people
who spend most of their time indoors andlor live in the northern cli-
mates are encouraged. For vitamin D, you shouldn't exceed RDA rec-
ommendations.
That's it. That's the diet science has found to be consistent with the
greatest health and the lowest incidence of heart disease, cancer, obesity
and many other Western diseases.
WHAT DOES MINIMIZE MEAN?
SHOULD YOU EUMINATE MEAT COMPLETELY?
The findings from the China Study indicate that the lower the percent-
age of animal-based foods that are consumed, the greater the health
benefits-even when that percentage declines from 10% to 0% of calo-
ries. So it's not unreasonable to assume that the optimum percentage of
animal-based products is zero, at least for anyone with a predisposition
for a degenerative disease.
But this has not been absolutely proven. Certainly it is true that most
of the health benefits are realized at very low but non-zero levels of
animal-based foods.
My advice is to try to eliminate all animal-based products from your
diet, but not obsess over it. If a tasty vegetable soup has a chicken stock
base, or if a hearty loaf of whole wheat bread includes a tiny amount of

HOW TO EAT                                      243
EAT ALL YOU WANT (WHILE GEnlNG LOTS OF VARIETY)
OF ANY WHOLE, UNREFINED PLANT-BASED FOOD
Fruits                  orange, okra, kiwi, red pepper, apple, cucumber, tomato,
avocado, zucchini, blueberries, strawberries, green pep-
per, raspberries, butternut squash, pumpkin, blackberries,
mangoes, eggplant, pear, watermelon, cranberries, acorn
squash,           grapefruit,
broccoli, ca
Flowers
flowers are
Stems and leaves   spinach, artichokes, kale, lettuce (all varieties), cabbage,
Swiss chard, collard greens, celery, asparagus, mustard
greens, brussels sprouts, turnip greens, beet greens, bok
choi, arugula, Belgian endive, basil, cilantro, parsley, rhu-
barb, seaweed
potatoes (all varieties),
Roots                                             carrots, turnips, onions, garlic,
leeks, radish,
green beans, soybeans, peas, peanuts, adzuki beans, black
beans, black-eye peas, cannellini beans, garbanzo beans,
beans, lentils, nto beans, white beans
Mushrooms          white button, baby bella, cremini, Portobello, shiitake, oys-
ter
Nuts               walnuts, almonds, macadamia, pecans, cashew, hazelnut,
pistachio
wheat, rice, corn, millet, sorghum, rye,
buckwheat, amaranth,             kamut,
~~

244                           THE (HINA STUDY
egg, don't worry about it. These quantities, very likely, are nutritionally
unimportant. Even more importantly, the ability to relax about very
minor quantities of animal-based foods makes applying this diet much
easier-especially when eating out or buying already-prepared foods.
While I recommend that you not worry about small quantities of
animal products in your food, I am not suggesting that you deliberately
plan to incorporate small portions of meat into your daily diet. My rec-
o m m e n d a t i o n is that you try to avoid all animal-based products.
There are three excellent reasons to go all the way. First, following
this diet requires a radical shift in your thinking about food. It's more
work to just do it halfway. If you plan for animal-based products, you'll
eat them-and you'll almost certainly eat more than you should. Second,
you'll feel deprived. Instead of viewing your new food habit as being able
to eat all the plant-based food you want, you'll be seeing it in terms of
having to limit yourself, which is not conducive to staying on the diet
long-term.
If your friend had been a smoker all of his or her life and looked to
you for advice, would you tell them to cut down to only two cigarettes
a day, or would you tell them to quit smoking all together? It's in this
way that I'm telling you that moderation, even with the best intentions,
sometimes makes it more difficult to succeed.
CAN YOU DO THIS?
For most Americans, the idea of giving up virtually all meat products-
i n c l u d i n g beef, chicken, fish, cheese, milk and eggs-seems impossible.
You might as well ask Americans to stop breathing. The whole idea
seems strange, fanatical or fantastic.
This is the biggest obstacle to the adoption of a plant-based diet: most
people who hear about it don't seriously consider it, despite the truly
impressive health benefits.
If you are one of these people-if you are curious about these find-
ings but know in your heart that you will never be able to give up
meat-then I know that no amount of talk will ever convince you to
change your mind.
You have to try it.
Give it one month. You've been eating cheeseburgers your whole life;
a month without them won't kill you.
A month isn't enough time to give you any long-term benefits, but it
is long enough for you to discover four things:

245
HOW TO EAT
1. There are some great foods you can eat in a plant-based diet that
you otherwise may never have discovered. You may not be eat-
ing everything you want (desire for meat may last longer than a
month), but you will be eating lots of great, delicious foods.
2. It's not all that bad. Some people take to this diet quite quickly
and love it. Many take months to fully adjust to it. But almost
everyone will find that it's a lot easier than they thought.
3. You'll feel better. Even after only a month, most people will feel
better and likely lose some weight, too. Try having your blood
work done both before and after. Odds are, you'll see significant
improvement in even that period of time.
4. Most importantly, you'll discover that it's pOSSible. You may love
the diet, or you may not, but at the very least you'll come away
from your one-month trial knowing that it's possible. You can do
it, if you choose to. All the health benefits discussed in this book
are not just for Tibetan monks and fanatical spartans. You can
have them too. It's your choice.
The first month can be challenging (more on this shortly), but it gets
much easier after that. And for many, it becomes a great pleasure.
I know this is hard to believe until you experience it for yourself, but
your tastes change when you are on a plant-based diet. You not only
lose your taste for meat, you begin to discover new flavors in much of
your food, flavors that were dulled when you ate a primarily animal-
based diet. A friend of mine once described it as like being dragged to an
independent film when you wanted to go to the latest Hollywood action
flick. You go in muttering, but you discover, to your surprise, that the
film is great-and much more fulfilling than the "shoot 'em up" movie
would have been.
THE TRANSITION
If you take me up on my suggestion of trying a plant-based diet for one
month, there are five main challenges you'll likely face:
• In the first week, you may have some stomach upset as your diges-
tive system adjusts. This is natural; it is nothing to worry about
and doesn't usually last long.
• You'll need to put some time into this. Don't begrudge this time-
h e a r t disease and cancer take time too. Specifically, you'll need to
learn some new recipes, be willing to try new dishes, discover new

246                          THE CHINA STUDY
restaurants. You'll need to pay attention to your tastes and come up
with meals that you really enjoy. This is key.
• You'll need to adjust psychologically. No matter how full the plate
is, many of us were trained to think that without meat, it's not a
real meal-especially at dinner. You'll need to overcome this preju-
dice.
• You may not be able to go to the same restaurants you used to go
to, and if you can, you certainly won't be able to order the same
things. This takes some adjustment.
• Your friends, family and colleagues may not be supportive. For
whatever reasons, many people will find it threatening that you
are now a vegetarian or vegan. Perhaps it's because, deep down,
they know their diet isn't very healthy and find it threatening that
someone else is able to give up unhealthy eating habits when they
cannot.
I'd also like to offer you a few pieces of advice for your first month:
• In the long term, plant-based eating is cheaper than an animal-
based diet, but as you learn you may spend a little extra money
trying things. Do it. It's worth it.
• Eat well. If you eat out, try lots of restaurants to find some great
vegan dishes. Often, ethnic restaurants not only offer the most op-
tions for plant-based meals, but the unique tastes are exquisite.
Learn what's out there.
• Eat enough. One of your health goals may be to lose weight. That's
fine, and on a plant-based diet you almost certainly will. But don't
hold back-whatever you do, don't go hungry.
• Eat a variety. Mixing it up is important both for getting all the nec-
essary nutrients and for maintaining your interest in the diet.
The bottom line is that you can eat a plant-based diet with great plea-
s u r e and satisfaction. But making the transition is a challenge. There
are psychological barriers and practical ones. It takes time and effort.
You may not get support from your friends and family. But the benefits
are nothing short of miraculous. And you'll be amazed at how easy it
becomes once you form new habits.
Take the one-month challenge. You'll not only do great things for
yourself, you'll be part of the vanguard working toward moving Ameri-
ca into a healthier, leaner future.

247
HOW TO EAT
Glenn is an associate of mine who, until recently, was a dedicated
meat-eater. In fact, he was recently on the Atkins diet, lost some
weight, but dropped off it when his cholesterol went through the
roof. He's forty-two and overweight. I gave him a draft of the man-
u s c r i p t for the China Study and he agreed to take the one-month
challenge. Here are a few of his observations:
GLENN'S TIPS
The first week is quite challenging. It's hard to figure out what to eat. I'm
not much of a cook, so I got some recipe books out and tried creating
some vegan dishes. As someone who would swing through McDonald's
or heat up a frozen dinner, I found it annoying to have to cook meals
each evening. At least half of them were a disaster and had to be thrown
out. But over time I found a few that were fantastic. My sister gave me
a recipe for West African peanut stew that was incredible and like noth-
ing I ever tasted. My mom gave me a vegetarian chili recipe that was
great. And I stumbled on a great whole wheat spaghetti dish with lots
of vegetables and a faux meat sauce (made from soy) that was amazing.
I challenge anyone to know that this was a vegan dish. But all of this
does take time.
I'm rediscovering fruit. I've always loved fruit, but for some reason
I don't really eat much of it. Maybe it's not eating meat, but I'm finding
that I'm enjoying fruit more than ever. I now cut up a grapefruit and eat
it as a snack. I really like it! I would have never done that before; I actu-
ally think my tastes are getting more sensitive.
I was avoiding eating out-something I used to do constantly-for
fear of not having a vegan option. But I'm getting more adventurous
now. I've found some new restaurants that have some great vegan side
dishes, including a wonderful local Vietnamese place (I know that most
Vietnamese food isn't strictly vegan, since they use a fish sauce in many
dishes, but for nutritional purposes it's very close) . The other day I got
dragged into a pizza place with a large group; there was nothing I could
do, and I was starved. I ordered a cheese-less pizza with lots of veg-
etables. They even made it with a whole wheat crust. I was prepared to
choke it down but actually it was surprisingly good. I've brought that
home a few times since.
I'm finding that cravings for meat products are pretty much gone,
particularly if I don't let myself get hungry. And, honestly, I'm eating