Whole Food Plant Based Breakfast. Vegan.
I’ve been listening to some of the talks from the Food Revolution Summit. Here are my notes from Day 7. Speakers were David Katz, MD; Neal Barnard, MD, and Mark Hyman, MD.
Katz
Meat, butter, cheese not part of a healthy diet. However, SOME meat might be ok, but it depends on the type of meat (wild, very lean –> based on a study). COULD accommodate meat, and potentially some pure unprocessed dairy for some people, but not for every single person.
Specific issue of human health: best diets are overwhelmingly plant predominant. Fish? Maybe ok, for health outcomes only. Fish inclusion may be beneficial. But is it better than a vegan diet? In general diet should emphasize plant-based foods most of the time. Advantages/disadvantages to including clean sources of fish/meat/diary? No strict data on this.
Saturated fat: “good for you”, compared to what?
Coconut oil: Lauric acid is the predominant saturated fat which does not seem to be pro-inflammatory/atherogenic. Not all sat fat is created equal. Also, sat fat in dark chocolate seems to be ok.
Barnard
Plant based diet benefits— old idea of diabetes: too much sugar in the blood (bread, potatoes, rice) –> this is not true –> Muscle cells and liver cells get clogged with fat which interferes with ability to draw sugar from blood. It’s not that you are eating too much carbs, it’s that your cells are clogged with fat. Plant based diet keeps fat low.
Low Carb diets: When people cut out carbs, they do lose weight. Barnard felt Atkins was deceptive and lied to the public. After his death, Barnard received copy of autopsy report, which revealed Atkins had history of heart disease. Barnard allowed this report to be made public. Basically, low carb diet is not heart healthy.
Plant-based diet is healthiest way to go.
Data from Adventists: The more you get the animal products out of your diet, the slimmer you tend to be. Vegan group is the only group where BMI is squarely in the healthy range. Get the cheese out! Diabetes follows same gradient. Diabetes 2/3 less frequent among vegans.
Natural dopamine: friends/people/support groups; physical activity; listening to music
“The Cheese Trap” book
Women who consume the most soymilk/tofu have less chance of developing breast cancer; i.e. soy reduces cancer risk/is protective.
Bigger issue in dairy: SUGAR.
Prevent Alzheimer’s: get away from animal fats (especially dairy) completely. Keep oils low. Eat for color.
Hyman
Sugar is linked to heart disease; this fact was obscured through collusion between physicians and the sugar industry. Sugar more addictive than cocaine.
Casein/gluten linked to inflammatory conditions.
“if you eat real whole food, it just works.”