{"name":"acf\/expandable-content","data":{"items_0_heading":"Will I get enough protein?","_items_0_heading":"field_expandable-content_items_heading","items_0_content":"You are not alone if you are asking, \u201cWhere will I get my protein?\u201d People believe this single nutrient is so important and difficult to get that we must actively pursue foods that contain high amounts of it, even when those foods, such as meat and dairy, in so many ways compromise our health.\r\n\r\nWe have been led to believe that primarily animal-based foods contain sufficient protein and, furthermore, that we need to eat those foods to avoid becoming protein deficient. The reality is that protein deficiency is almost exclusively seen in people suffering from a calorie deficiency. In these cases, there will be an overall nutrient deficiency, not just protein deficiency, and when this happens the concern should be getting more calories and all nutrients\u2014not just more protein.\r\n\r\nWhen you eat a diet based on fruit, vegetables, tubers, whole grains, and legumes about 10% of your total calorie intake will be from protein. We list this percentage only to demonstrate how the diet contains a sufficient amount of this nutrient\u00ad\u2014not as any kind of target. In fact, you should not worry about how much protein you\u2019re getting any more than you should worry about the perfect number of breaths you should take in a day. And, if you\u2019re worried that 10% isn\u2019t adequate, note that there\u2019s evidence that consuming too much protein is harmful\u2014especially when it comes from animal sources.\r\n

Getting Clarity About Calcium<\/a><\/div>","_items_1_content":"field_expandable-content_items_content","items_2_heading":"Isn\u2019t fish healthy? Why is it not recommended?","_items_2_heading":"field_expandable-content_items_heading","items_2_content":"

\r\n\r\nWe are always surprised by how many people continue to think that fish is beneficial and important to include in the diet, even long after they become convinced that mammals are not health foods. Much of this perception stems from periodic reports that some study or another has found that fish is \u201cheart healthy\u201d or \u201cgood for our brains.\u201d In our review of these studies, time and again we find data is misinterpreted and faulty conclusions are drawn from otherwise reasonable research. Unfortunately, such misinterpretations have occurred so frequently that a false narrative has developed.\r\n\r\nThe practice of misinterpreting data is not unusual. The frequently referenced studies of Okinawan and Mediterranean populations have followed this pattern. The benefits of a diet high in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains frequently get credited to small amounts of fish in the diet (just like they are often credited to olive oil and wine). In the case of the famous Okinawan Centenarian Study, for example, only 1% of calories of the calories consumed by the residents came from fish; the vast majority of the diet\u201469%\u2014came from sweet potatoes!^{1<\/sup>\u00a0Yet the perception from this very study is that Okinawans are healthy from a fish-heavy diet.\r\n\r\nWhat is happening here? We have meaningful long-term studies presented by the researchers with care, which are then pored over by individuals or organizations who cherry-pick data, often to reinforce a specific agenda. The big picture is ignored in favor of subjective claims and reporting, and the public receives false takeaway messages like \u201cEat more fish!\u201d\r\n\r\nAs our friend and teacher Dr. John McDougall likes to say, \u201cA muscle is a muscle, whether it comes from a chicken, cow, or fish.\u201d In other words, the nutrient profile of all animal products\u2014i.e., high in fat, acid, and cholesterol, and low in fiber and carbohydrates\u2014is as true for fish as it is for beef and other meats. In fact, although fish is often marketed as a wise, \u201cheart-healthy\u201d food choice, it has as much cholesterol as beef, chicken, and pork. And when we look at studies of populations and what they eat, we should examine the entire big picture. In doing so, we see the message is consistent: \u201cEat more plants!\u201d\r\n\r\n
\r\n\r\n^{1<\/sup>B. J. Willcox, D. C. Willcox, H. Todoriki, et al. \u201cCaloric Restriction, the Traditional Okinawan Diet, and Healthy Aging: The Diet of the World\u2019s Longest-Lived People and Its Potential Impact on Morbidity and Life Span,\u201d\u00a0Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences<\/em>\u00a01114 (October 2007): 434\u201355.\r\n}}READ MORE<\/a><\/div>\r\n
Is Fish a Health Food, or Have We Just Let It Off the Hook?<\/a><\/div>\r\n<\/div>","_items_2_content":"field_expandable-content_items_content","items_3_heading":"Will I get enough omega-3s?","_items_3_heading":"field_expandable-content_items_heading","items_3_content":"Some fats are necessary in our diet. Consuming oil, fish and processed foods as a means to get these, however, is unnecessary, and even harmful. Every whole plant food has fat, and there\u2019s no evidence that we need any more fat than what occurs naturally in a low-fat, whole-food, plant-based diet. Just as is the case with protein and calcium, we should not target specific foods to get enough of a particular kind of fat.\r\n\r\nOmega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids appear to be involved in a variety of important bodily functions, including cell membrane stabilization, nervous system function, immune system function, and blood clotting, as well as impacting triglyceride levels, blood pressure, inflammation, cancer, and heart disease. Although they are both essential (meaning you need to consume them), you have probably heard a lot more often that you need to seek out omega-3. This is\u00a0not\u00a0<\/em>because it is more essential than omega-6. Instead, it is because, in general, these two essential fatty acids should be consumed in a healthy ratio to each other. Studies are not clear\u00a0exactly\u00a0<\/em>what that ratio should be, but we do know that the Standard American Diet is significantly skewed in such a way that we get an excess of omega-6. This excess consumption of omega-6 impairs the absorption of omega-3.^{1<\/sup>\u00a0The answer, however, is not simply that you need to eat more omega-3 fats. The answer is to eliminate or minimize processed and animal-based foods and instead eat a whole-food, plant-based diet, which we know in most cases restores a healthy omega-6 to omega-3 balance and, more important, leads to positive health outcomes. And isn\u2019t\u00a0that\u00a0<\/em>what we care about most?\r\n\r\nIf 1 to 3 percent of your calories come from the essential fats, you\u2019ll be in great shape. Adequate omega-3 intake specifically is 1.1 g for adult women and 1.6 g for adult men.^{2<\/sup>\u00a0That\u2019s 1\u20444 to 1\u20443 teaspoon per day. If you meet all your caloric needs with a low-fat, whole-foods diet full of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes, you will easily consume enough essential fatty acids\u00a0and\u00a0<\/em>those fatty acids will be in good balance to each other. Note that while walnuts and flax- and chia seeds are whole plant foods with higher concentrations of essential fatty acids, there\u2019s no evidence that you actually need to eat these foods to get the proper amount of any kind of fat. Most whole plant foods have small amounts of essential fats. Over the course of a day full of these foods you will achieve the needed amounts\u2014which aren\u2019t that much to begin with. In fact, it is significantly more important to worry about not consuming excess fat than it is to worry about consuming sufficient omega-3.\r\n\r\n
\r\n\r\n^{1<\/sup>Philip C. Calder, \u201cN-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids, Inflammation, and Inflammatory Diseases,\u201d\u00a0American Journal of Clinical Nutrition<\/em>\u00a083 (June 2006): 1505S\u201319S.\r\n\r\n^{2<\/sup>Jennifer J. Otten, Jennifer Pitzi Hellwig, and Linda D. Meyers, eds.,\u00a0}}}}DRI: Dietary Reference Intakes: The Essential Guide to Nutrient Requirements<\/a><\/em>\u00a0(Washington, DC: National Academies Press, c. 2006).","_items_3_content":"field_expandable-content_items_content","items_4_heading":"Why should I avoid oil? Isn\u2019t oil healthy?","_items_4_heading":"field_expandable-content_items_heading","items_4_content":"We are baffled that certain oils are presented as \u201chealth\u201d foods. Olive oil is\u00a0not\u00a0<\/em>a health food. Neither is coconut, grape seed, flaxseed, or any other oil you\u2019ve heard you must endeavor to add to your diet because it\u2019s good for you. Sure, if you replace some or all of the butter in your diet with vegetable oil, some of your cholesterol numbers may look a little bit better, but that\u2019s not at all the same as doing\u00a0well.\u00a0<\/em>Oil is a bad idea because it is highly refined and its nutritional package is inadequate.\r\n\r\nHow is it that we know that processed sugars are junk foods, yet we\u2019ve allowed ourselves to be convinced that certain oils are somehow good for us? Oil follows essentially the same model as processed sugar, which is also pressed from plants. Think about what oil is: fat\u2014and nothing but fat. All the nutrients, including protein, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, fiber, and water, have been thrown away. Oil of any kind has more calories per gram than any other food we know. And without any fiber or water in it, oil lacks the bulk to convey to your senses how many calories you have eaten; this virtually guarantees you will consume more calories at the meal than you need. So we ask you: Why would you waste calories on something that has no nutrients in it other than fat? And why would anyone believe that highly concentrated fat is healthy?\r\n\r\nSo let\u2019s look at where the \u201cgood oil\u201d hype came from. Its origins lay in data collected in the 1960s that showed the people on the island of Crete. At the time these people had the lowest all-cause mortality rates over twenty years when compared to people in other Mediterranean countries. A main contributing factor was their diet, which included some animal products and a little bit of olive oil, but otherwise consisted primarily of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.^{1<\/sup>\u00a0In the years since then, unfortunately, the phrase \u201cMediterranean diet\u201d has become synonymous primarily with olive oil. What subsequent researchers\u2014and marketers\u2014took from those early studies was that olive oil was the Holy Grail. But it never was.\r\n\r\nAll oils\u00a0<\/em>have a negative impact on blood vessels and promote heart disease.^{2<\/sup>\u00a0Furthermore, they may also lead to increased bleeding through thinning of the blood; negative effects on lung function and oxygen exchange; suppression of certain immune system functions; and increased risk of cancer.^{3<\/sup>\u00a0Not to mention that excess calories from fat get stored\u00a0as\u00a0<\/em>fat, no matter what type of fat calories you consume.\r\n\r\n
\r\n\r\n^{1<\/sup>Antonia Trichopoulou, Tina Costacou, Christina Bamia, and Dimitrios Trichopoulo, \u201cAdherence to Mediterranean Diet and Survival in a Greek Population,\u201d\u00a0New England Journal of Medicine<\/em>\u00a0348 (June 26, 2003): 2599\u2013608.\r\n\r\n^{2<\/sup>Robert A. Vogel, Mary C. Corretti, and Gary D. Plotnick, \u201cThe Postprandial Effect of Components of the Mediterranean Diet on Endothelial Function,\u201d\u00a0Journal of the American College of Cardiology<\/em>\u00a036 (November 1, 2000): 1455\u201360.\u00a0 AND Blankenhorn DH1, Johnson RL, Mack WJ, el Zein HA, Vailas LI. The influence of diet on the appearance of new lesions in human coronary arteries.\u00a0JAMA<\/em>. 1990 Mar 23-30;263(12):1646-52\r\n\r\n^{2<\/sup>D. C. E. Nordstr\u00f6m, C. Friman, Y. T. Konttinen, V. E. A. Honkanen, Y. Nasu, and E. Antila, \u201cAlpha-Linolenic Acid in the Treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis. A Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled and Randomized Study: Flaxseed vs. Safflower Seed,\u201d\u00a0Rheumatology International<\/em>\u00a014 (1995): 231\u201334; M. A. Allman, M. M. Pena, and D. Pang, \u201cSupplementation with Flaxseed Oil Versus Sunflowerseed Oil in Healthy Young Men Consuming a Low-Fat Diet: Effects on Platelet Composition and Function,\u201d\u00a0European Journal of Clinical Nutrition<\/em>\u00a049 (March 1995): 169\u201378; M. R. Namazi, \u201cThe Beneficial and Detrimental Effects of Linoleic Acid on Autoimmune Disorders,\u201d\u00a0Autoimmunity<\/em>\u00a037 (February 2004): 73\u201375; P. Purasiri, A. McKechnie, S. D. Heys, and O. Eremin, \u201cModulation in Vitro of Human Natural Cytotoxicity, Lymphocyte Proliferative Response to Mitogens and Cytokine Production by Essential Fatty Acids,\u201d\u00a0Immunology<\/em>\u00a092 (October 1997): 166\u201372; D. Hazlett, \u201cDietary Fats Appear to Reduce Lung Function,\u201d\u00a0Journal of the American Medical Association<\/em>\u00a0223, no. 1 (1973): 15\u201316; Clifford W. Welsch, \u201cRelationship Between Dietary Fat and Experimental Mammary Tumorigenesis: A Review and Critique,\u201d\u00a0Cancer Research<\/em>\u00a052 (April 1992): 2040S\u201348S; Patrizia Griffini, Olav Fehres, Lars Klieverik, et al., \u201cDietary Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids Promote Colon Carcinoma Metastasis in Rat Liver,\u201d\u00a0Cancer Research<\/em>\u00a058 (August 1, 1998): 3312\u201319; Lars Klieverik, Olav Fehres, Patrizia Griffini, Cornelis J. F. Van Noorden, and Wilma M. Frederiks, \u201cPromotion of Colon Cancer Metastases in Rat Liver by Fish Oil Diet Is Not Due to Reduced Stroma Formation,\u201d\u00a0Clinical & Experimental Metastasis<\/em>\u00a018 (September 2000): 371\u201377; Kenneth K. Karroll, \u201cExperimental Evidence of Dietary Factors and Hormone-Dependent Cancers,\u201d\u00a0Cancer Research<\/em>\u00a035 (November 1975): 3374\u201383; J. H. Weisburger, \u201cWorldwide Prevention of Cancer and Other Chronic Diseases Based on Knowledge of Mechanisms,\u201d\u00a0Mutation Research<\/em>\u00a0402 (June 18, 1998): 331\u201337; Leonard A. Sauer, David E. Blask, and Robert T. Bauchey, \u201cDietary Factors and Growth and Metabolism in Experimental Tumors,\u201d\u00a0Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry<\/em>\u00a018 (October 2007): 637\u201349; Clement Ip, \u201cReview of the Effects of Trans Fatty Acids, Oleic Acid, N-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids, and Conjugated Linoleic Acid on Mammary Carcinogenesis in Animals,\u201d\u00a0American Journal of Clinical Nutrition<\/em>\u00a066 (December 1997): 1523S\u201329S.\r\n\r\n^{3<\/sup>N. F. Chu, D. Spiegelman, J. Yu, N. Rifai, G. S. Hotamisligil, and E. B. Rimm, \u201cPlasma Leptin Concentrations and Four-Year Weight Gain Among US Men,\u201d\u00a0International Journal of Obesity and Related Metabolic Disorders<\/em>\u00a025 (March 2001): 346\u201353; N. F. Chu, M. J. Stampfer, D. Spiegelman, N. Rifai, G. S. Hotamisligil, and E. B. Rimm, \u201cDietary and Lifestyle Factors in Relation to Plasma Leptin Concentrations Among Normal Weight and Overweight Men,\u201d\u00a0International Journal of Obesity and Related Metabolic Disorders<\/em>\u00a025 (January 2001): 106\u201314; Motonaka Kuroda, Masanori Ohta, Tatsuya Okufuji, et al., \u201cFrequency of Soup Intake and Amount of Dietary Fiber Intake Are Inversely Associated with Plasma Leptin Concentrations in Japanese Adults,\u201d\u00a0Appetite<\/em>\u00a054, no. 3 (June 2010): 538\u201343.\r\n}}}}}}}READ MORE<\/a><\/div>\r\n
Is Coconut Oil Healthy or Hazardous?<\/a><\/div>\r\n
Why Olive Oil Isn\u2019t a Health Food<\/a><\/div>","_items_4_content":"field_expandable-content_items_content","items_5_heading":"Do I need to take supplements?","_items_5_heading":"field_expandable-content_items_heading","items_5_content":"The relationship between whole food and the human body is very intricate and has come about as a result of millions of years of evolution. There are countless nutrients and substances in food that lead to thousands of metabolic reactions when they are consumed. As T. Colin Campbell, PhD, describes it, when it comes to nutrition, the whole is greater than the sum of the individual parts. The nutrients in whole food work together much like a symphony; extract and consume those nutrients apart from the whole, and all bets are off as to their effects.\r\n\r\nThe complex, harmonious relationship between our bodies and the whole food we eat might explain why the hardworking supplement industry has not been able to produce beneficial products, despite decades of effort and billions of dollars. Consequently, we do not recommend our patients take supplements\u2014with the notable and important exception of vitamin B12<\/em><\/strong>\u2014 unless a specific deficiency arises that cannot be corrected with whole, plant-based foods. Putting aside the bluster of consumer marketing, the research on multivitamin supplements is consistent: They do not demonstrate benefit and may cause harm.^{1<\/sup>\u00a0A review of twenty-four randomized controlled trials showed \u201cno consistent evidence that the included [vitamin and mineral] supplements affected CVD [cardiovascular disease], cancer, or all-cause mortality in healthy individuals.\u201d^{2<\/sup>\u00a0Single-vitamin supplements have shown similar negative results. In fact, the harm caused by some of them is dramatic. For example, vitamin A, beta-carotene, and vitamin E\u2014while all healthy when consumed in food\u2014have been shown to significantly increase death when consumed as supplements.^{3<\/sup>\r\n\r\nThe problems with supplements shouldn\u2019t come as a surprise. The fact that we need a particular nutrient doesn\u2019t mean we need a megadose of it, nor should we consume it in isolation from all the other nutrients and substances it\u2019s designed to work with. It may run counter to what we\u2019ve been taught, but when we think about nutrition, we should think about getting the\u00a0right amount\u00a0<\/em>of nutrients; this means obtaining neither too little\u00a0nor\u00a0<\/em>too much of them\u2014and being sure they are packaged in the right proportions. We should not think for a moment that we are \u201cplaying it safe\u201d by taking supplements; the only true way to play it safe is to not take those supplements\u2014and to look instead to whole, plant-based foods for the nutrition we need.\r\n\r\n
\r\n\r\n^{1<\/sup>Jaakko Mursu, Kim Robien, Lisa J. Harnack, Kyong Park, and David R. Jacobs, \u201cDietary Supplements and Mortality Rate in Older Women. The Iowa Women\u2019s Health Study,\u201d Archives of\u00a0Internal Medicine<\/em>\u00a0171 (October 10, 2011): 1625\u201333.\r\n\r\n^{2<\/sup>Stephen P. Fortmann, Brittany U. Burda, Caitlyn A. Senger, Jennifer S. Lin, and Evelyn P. Whitlock, \u201cVitamin and Mineral Supplements in the Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease and Cancer: An Updated Systematic Evidence Review for the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force,\u201d\u00a0Annals of Internal Medicine<\/em>\u00a0159 (December 17, 2013): 824\u201334.\r\n\r\n^{3<\/sup>Goran Bjelakovic, Dimitrinka Nikolova, Lise Lotte Gluud, Rosa G. Simonetti, and Christian Gluud, \u201cMortality in Randomized Trials of Antioxidant Supplements for Primary and Secondary Prevention: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis,\u201d\u00a0Journal of the American Medical Association<\/em>\u00a0297 (February 28, 2007): 842\u201357.","_items_5_content":"field_expandable-content_items_content","items_6_heading":"Do I need to take a vitamin B12 supplement?","_items_6_heading":"field_expandable-content_items_heading","items_6_content":"Vitamin B_{12<\/sub>\u00a0is important for the development and protection of nerve cells and red blood cells and helps in the production of DNA. Insufficient B_{12<\/sub>\u00a0can lead to many health issues, including weakness, fatigue, difficulty concentrating, increased irritability, gastrointestinal distress, anemia, and nervous system dysfunction. B_{12<\/sub>\u00a0is the one nutrient that cannot be obtained sufficiently from today\u2019s plant-based diet. This is not because we need to eat animal products to obtain it. In fact, animal products themselves don\u2019t always contain enough B_{12<\/sub>.^{1<\/sup>\u00a0The reason for this is that\u00a0neither plants nor animals naturally synthesize B_{12<\/sub><\/em>. It is made from bacteria. Animals consume dirt, which is full of bacteria, through the unwashed plants and non-chlorinated water they consume. B_{12<\/sub>\u00a0accumulates in the animals\u2019 tissues, which becomes a source of the vitamin for humans when we eat the animal.\r\n\r\nWe humans, on the other hand, rarely eat anything unwashed. In our quest to be clean, we remove the dirt that contains B_{12<\/sub>-producing bacteria from our foods. This sanitary approach certainly has its benefits, as it has decreased our exposure to parasites and other pathogens. As a result, we believe that when you eat a whole-food, plant-based diet, taking a B_{12<\/sub>\u00a0supplement is the best way to ensure adequate amounts of the nutrient. There is enough research about supplementing B_{12<\/sub>\u00a0that, when taken appropriately, we trust it is beneficial.\r\n\r\n
\r\n\r\n^{1<\/sup>Marijke van Dusseldorp, Jorn Schneede, Helga Refsum, et al., \u201cRisk of Persistent Cobalamin Deficiency in Adolescents Fed a Macrobiotic Diet in Early Life,\u201d\u00a0American Journal of Clinical Nutrition<\/em>\u00a069 (April 1999): 664\u201371.","_items_6_content":"field_expandable-content_items_content","items_7_heading":"Do I need to eat organic for the diet to work?","_items_7_heading":"field_expandable-content_items_heading","items_7_content":"While some people prefer to eat only organic, fresh food, this is not absolutely necessary from a health perspective. Most modern diseases that afflict people are not the result of the difference between organic and conventional produce, fresh and frozen broccoli, or canned and dried beans. Whether our diets lead to health or sickness is determined mainly by the significant difference between whole, plant-based foods on the one side and animal-based and highly processed foods on the other. We should not let our need for convenient, affordable food\u2014including shortcuts, such as canned and frozen as well as less expensive conventional produce\u2014deter us from consuming the whole, plant-based foods that will stave off disease.","_items_7_content":"field_expandable-content_items_content","items_8_heading":"What about organic, grass-fed animal products?","_items_8_heading":"field_expandable-content_items_heading","items_8_content":"The nutrient makeup of animal foods (for example, high in fat and cholesterol; low in fiber and antioxidants) is the main reason why consuming these foods will increase your chances of getting chronic diseases like heart disease and type 2 diabetes. This nutrient profile exists whether animal foods are organic or not, or whether they are grass-fed or not. Replacing animal foods with whole plant-based foods is a significant change that will greatly improve your chances of achieving good health, whereas the change between organic and conventional animal foods is relatively small and therefore unlikely to make much of a difference.","_items_8_content":"field_expandable-content_items_content","items":9,"_items":"field_expandable-content_items"},"mode":"edit"}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}

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