Category Archives: Plant Based Nutrition

Signs that the Medical Establishment may be Starting to get Healthy Eating by Greg Feinsinger M.D.

Greg Feinsinger M.D., Heart Disease, How to, Meat, Nutrition, Plant Based Culture: Trends, Plant Based Foods, Plant Based Nutrition, Uncategorized,

In the 1940s Dr. Walter Kempner proved that severe hypertension could be reversed by diet. Over 25 years ago Dr. Dean Ornish, and later Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn, proved that our biggest killer—heart disease—can be reversed by plant-based, whole food nutrition with avoidance of salt, sugar and added oil. But unfortunately, the medical field is bound by tradition; doctors are paid well to do procedures but not for counseling; and physician training and practice are unduly influenced by the pharmaceutical and food industries. As a result, the power of food to prevent and reverse disease has been neglected by traditional medicine.

Finally, there are some hopeful signs that this may be changing. Dr. Kim Williams, who was recently the president of the American Collage of Cardiology, decided to go plant-based a few years ago, after reviewing several different diets. When people asked him why, he said “I don’t mind dying so much, but I don’t want it to be my fault.”

The American Heart Association publishes the respected medical journal “Circulation.”  In the June 5th issue there is an article titled “Medical Nutrition Education, Training and Competencies to Advance Guideline-Based Diet Counseling by Physicians.”  The article notes that “training physicians to provide diet and nutrition counseling as well as developing collaborative care models to deliver nutrition advice will reduce the health and economic burden of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease to a degree not previously recognized.” It goes on to note that “despite evidence that physicians are willing to undertake this task and are as credible sources of diet information, they engage patients in diet counseling at less than desirable rates and cite insufficient nutrition knowledge and training as barriers to carrying out this role…These data align with ongoing evidence of large and persistent gaps in medical nutrition education and training in the United States…”

The American Family Physician journal is getting on board as well. The June 1st edition contained an article titled “Diets for Health:  Goals and Guidelines,” which reviewed the pros and cons of various diets that are touted as being healthy. The article points out that plant proteins are preferable, and cites the health benefits of fruits and vegetables, legumes (beans, lentils, chick peas), whole grains, healthy fats and spices. In a high-lighted box titled “What is New on This Topic:  Diets For Health,” the article notes:

  • Large, prospective cohort studies show that vegetarian diets reduce the risk of coronary heart disease and type 2 diabetes mellitus, and that vegan diets offer additional benefits for obesity, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.”
  • “Eating nuts, including peanuts, is associated with decreased cardiovascular disease and mortality, lower body weight, and lower diabetes risk.
  • “In a prospective cohort study, consumption of artificially sweetened beverages increased the risk of type 2 diabetes…”

Of course, Drs. Esselstyn, Fuhrman, Greger, McDougall, Barnard and others have been telling us these things for years—this information really isn’t new. What’s new is that the medical establishment is finally listening.

At my 50th medical school reunion in Denver last month, graduating medical students told me they still aren’t being taught much about nutrition or prevention. But maybe this will finally change, and in the near future medical students will learn that health isn’t all about pills and procedure—that inexpensive, low-tech lifestyle changes can prevent and reverse many of the chronic, costly diseases that afflict so many Americans.

 

Celebrate! The AMA – American Medical Association Wants Healthy Food in Hospitals

Cancer, Celebrate!, Diatery Guidelines, Disease Prevention, Heart Disease, Plant Based Culture: Trends, Plant Based Foods, Plant Based Nutrition

At its annual meeting on June 14, 2017, the American Medical Association (AMA) House of Delegates, which represents more than 200,000 physician members, issued a policy statement that called for the reduction of sugar-sweetened beverages and processed meats, and an increase in the availability of healthful, plant-based foods in hospitals.

Click here to Read the article 

Certainly this is not enough, but a great start!

Protect Your Brain From ALZHEIMER’S with Plants, Not Pills

Blood Work, Chemicals in Foods, Cholesterol, Diatery Guidelines, Diets and Lifestyles, Disease Prevention, Nutrition and Brain Health, Nutrition and Disease, Plant Based Culture: Trends, Plant Based Foods, Plant Based Foods & Alzheimer's Disease, Plant Based Nutrition

This is the last article in a series about preventing Alzheimer’s, based on Dr. Neal Barnard’s evidence-based book “Power Foods for the Brain.” Other physicians have websites and have written books on this subject, but many of these books are not based on good science, and many of the authors are biased because they sell supplements. The last article discussed how metals such as copper, zinc, iron and possibly aluminum can adversely affect the brain, especially in combination with animal products.

Dr. Barnard is founding president of the respected PCRM (Physician Committee for Responsible Medicine). His book has a chapter about “foods that build your vitamin shield.” Vitamin E and three B vitamins—B6, B12 and folic acid– protect against cognitive impairment when ingested in a plant-based diet. However, studies using these vitamins in supplement form indicate they are not beneficial, and can even cause harm:

  • Vitamin E pills in doses over 400 units a day increase the risk of heart disease.
  • Vitamin A pills in smokers increase the risk of lung cancer.
  • Folate is found in many vegetables. Folic acid, present in many vitamin pills and in fortified food is made artificially and is not exactly the same as natural folate. There is evidence that folic acid increases cancer risk.

We evolved to get vitamins, minerals and other micronutrients through the food we eat. Sudden, huge doses of vitamins in pill or liquid form are not natural, and can cause harm such as oxidation and inflammation, that contribute to several maladies including heart disease, cancer and dementia.

According to Dr. Barnard, here’s how you can get brain-healthy vitamins through what you eat:

  • Traces of vitamin E are present in broccoli, spinach, sweet potatoes, mangoes and avocados. Larger amounts are found in nuts and seeds– particularly almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts, pine nuts, pecans, pistachios, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds and flaxseed. Dr. Barnard mentions a study that showed that “every 5 mg. of vitamin E in a person’s diet reduced the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease by 26 percent.”
  • Best sources of B6 are whole grains, green vegetables, beans, sweet potatoes, bananas and nuts.
  • Sources of folate are broccoli, green leafy vegetables, beans, peas, citrus fruits, and cantaloupe.
  • The caveat is that there is one supplement we should take, particularly if we are vegan– vitamin B12, which is made by bacteria in dirt. B12 is found in meat, fortified cereals, fortified soy milk and nutritional yeast. With treated water and pre-washed produce, most of us don’t eat much dirt these days. Vegans should take a 1000 mg. B12 supplement daily, and Dr. Barnard argues that even meat-eaters should take a daily 2.5 mg. supplement, particularly if over age 50 (older people don’t absorb B12 from their diet as well).

Previous articles have discussed how Alzheimer’s may prove to be a vascular disease. While that hasn’t been proven yet, we do know that Alzheimer’s patients have clogged arteries in their brains, and that the risk factors for heart disease (such as hypertension, high cholesterol, smoking, diabetes) are also risk factors for Alzheimer’s. Therefore, what’s good for the heart is good for the brain. Avoid or at least cut back on meat; dairy; eggs; processed food; added oil, salt and sugar. Eat mostly, or ideally exclusively,  vegetables, fruit, whole grains, nuts and seeds.

In a recent video on his website nutritionfacts.org, Dr. Michael Greger talked about the marked increase in Alzheimer’s in Japan over the past few decades, as meat, dairy and egg consumption increased by 500 percent. We know what we need to do to ensure healthy brains as we age. Why is it so difficult, then, for so many Americans to modify their lifestyle? Next week’s column will be about food cravings.

Five Key Supplements for Plant Based Diets

Plant Based Nutrition, Supplements

Eating plant based whole foods provides a full range of vitamins, fiber and nutrients, including protein. Research has uncovered very few deficiencies in the vegan lifestyle which are easily remedied by four main supplements:

Dr. Greg Feinsinger, medical consultant to Hippocrates Table recommends the following:

  • 1000 mcg of B12 daily
  • 1000 units of Vitamin D daily
  • 250 mg of algae omega 3
  • 1 TBS of ground flaxseed and 1 TBS of chia seeds a day.

The fifth supplement is zinc, recommended by some nutritionists to counter balance the effects of phytates, commonly found in plant foods, which may reduce zinc absorption.

Good plant sources of zinc are legumes, nuts, seeds, and oatmeal, which are common foods to most plant-based lifestyles. For a detailed content chart, see Jack Norris’ article in Vegan Health. http://www.veganhealth.org/articles/zinc

To make it easy, add a low-dosage zinc supplement of of 50 to 100% of the Recommended Dietary Allowances, or RDA, often found in good multivitamin and mineral complex.