The Why

The science is clear.
The results are unmistakable.
Change your diet and dramatically reduce the risk of cancer, diabetes, heart disease and obesity.

We've made a change & accepted the challenge of eating vegan for this month. It's not a willy-nilly decision. After watching several documentaries, reading lots of blogs and websites, and considering my personal experience, I feel like it's a wise choice. Some of the most compelling evidence comes from two Dr.'s, surprisingly both raised on cattle farms, Dr. T. Colin Campbell and Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn.

Dr. Campbell, a nutritional scientist at Cornell University, was concerned in the late 1960′s with producing "high quality" animal protein to bring to the poor and malnourished areas of the third world.

Dr. Esselstyn, a top surgeon and head of the Breast Cancer Task Force at the world-renowned Cleveland Clinic, found that many of the diseases he routinely treated were virtually unheard of in parts of the world where animal-based foods were rarely consumed.

Their research led them to a startling conclusion: degenerative diseases like heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and even several forms of cancer, could almost always be prevented – and in many cases reversed – by adopting a whole foods, plant-based diet. Despite the profound implications of their findings, their work has remained relatively unknown to the public.

"Early in his career as a researcher with MIT and Virginia Tech, Dr. Campbell worked to promote better health by eating more meat, milk and eggs -- "high-quality animal protein ... It was an obvious sequel to my own life on the farm and I was happy to believe that the American diet was the best in the world." He later was a researcher on a project in the Philippines working with malnourished children. The project became an investigation for Dr. Campbell, as to why so many Filipino children were being diagnosed with liver cancer, predominately an adult disease. The primary goal of the project was to ensure that the children were getting as much protein as possible. "In this project, however, I uncovered a dark secret. Children who ate the highest protein diets were the ones most likely to get liver cancer..."

He began to review other reports from around the world that reflected the findings of his research in the Philippines. Although it was "heretical to say that protein wasn't healthy," he started an in-depth study into the role of nutrition, especially protein, in the cause of cancer. The research project culminated in a 20-year partnership of Cornell University, Oxford University, and the Chinese Academy of Preventive Medicine, a survey of diseases and lifestyle factors in rural China and Taiwan. More commonly known as the China Study, "this project eventually produced more than 8000 statistically significant associations between various dietary factors and disease."

The findings? "People who ate the most animal-based foods got the most chronic disease ... People who ate the most plant-based foods were the healthiest and tended to avoid chronic disease. These results could not be ignored. The idea that whole foods, plant-based diets can protect against and even treat a wide variety of chronic diseases can no longer be denied...now there are hundreds of detailed, comprehensive, well-done research studies that point in the same direction" said Dr. Campbell. In The China Study, Dr. Campbell details the connection between nutrition and heart disease, diabetes, and cancer, and also its ability to reduce or reverse the risk or effects of these deadly illnesses. The China Study also examines the source of nutritional confusion produced by powerful lobbies, government entities, and irresponsible scientists." - from the China Study website

The China Study is said to be the most comprehensive large study ever undertaken of the relationship between diet and the risk of developing disease. Most of the FDA approved studies performed in the US deal with how a specific food effects a specific ailment, for example the antioxidant Lycopene in tomatoes and it's benefit in protecting against breast and prostate cancers. For this reason the China Study is often dismissed.

It's probably no surprise that many who decide what the nutritional guidelines for our country, and work for the FDA & USDA have strong ties to corporate giants in the meat & dairy industry. This is not to induce a theory about the government, just a statement that those making our 'Food Pyramid' are not acting in an ethical & 'above-reproach' manner. This makes it difficult to trust the validity of what they say. For me anyway. If we're supposedly eating healthier, why are Americans stricken with heart disease as much as we were 30 years ago?

Dr. Caldwell B. Esselstyn, has done a 20+ year study with advanced heart disease patients all of whom stopped the progression of the disease and 70% reversed it with a plant-based diet. Do you need to re-read that? STOPPED. ALL OF THEM. One participant in his study was diagnosed with cancer & sent home to die with a 6 month life expectancy. She changed her diet under Dr. Caldwell's supervision and 27 years later she's still going strong. 27 YEARS! His son, Rip, is an Austin firefighter who has launched what is called the Engine 2 Diet (or E2 for short), a plant based diet which his fire house whole heartedly embraced after one of their own was knocking on death's door and reversed his diagnosis with the help of this new way of eating. The Diet also incorporates Neal Barnard, MD's research with Georgetown University that proved diabetes can be reversed with a plant-based diet as well as Campbell's 20-year China Study that produced more than 8000 statistically significant associations between various dietary factors and disease.

All of these studies are discussed in the documentary "Forks Over Knives".

"Two out of every three of us are overweight. Cases of diabetes are exploding, especially amongst our younger population. About half of us are taking at least one prescription drug. Major medical operations have become routine, helping to drive health care costs to astronomical levels. Heart disease, cancer and stroke are the country’s three leading causes of death, even though billions are spent each year to "battle" these very conditions. Millions suffer from a host of other degenerative diseases. Could it be there’s a single solution to all of these problems? A solution so comprehensive but so straightforward, that it’s mind-boggling that more of us haven’t taken it seriously?" - Forks Over Knives

I am convinced that eating the right way can save your life. I would like to hope that this 28 day challenge will change our lifestyle forever and that starting my kiddos young will make it easier to make healthier decisions in the long run.


More Information:
You can read an excerpt from the China Study book here

Published studies: http://engine2diet.com/thescience/Published_Studies

Alona Pulde, M.D. And Matthew Lederman, M.D. – Transition to Health