There was a long waiting list at the library for this book and so I had to wait a bit for it to cue up for me. The timing was good as I just finished two more classes and I like to read a book about something that has nothing to do with what I was studying so I can clear my head and re-set a bit. Not the most engaging read, but it was very well written and researched. T. Colin Campbell doesn’t just offer opinion, he offers decades of research to back up his theories and advice.
From the inside flap:
By any measure, America’s health is failing. We spend far more, per capita, on health care than any other society in the world, and yet two-thirds of Americans are overweight, and more than 15 million Americans have diabetes. We fall prey to heart disease as often as we did thirty years ago. The War on Cancer, launched in the 1970′s, has been a miserable failure. Half of all Americans have a health problem that requires taking a prescription drug every week, and more than 100 million Americans have high cholesterol.
The book, in a nutshell extolls the virtues of plant based diet vs. an animal based diet. In comparison studies from around the globe are offered with statistical data about disease and mortality rates. The author, who grew up on a farm with the typical fare, has now converted himself and family to a wholly plant based diet and if the fact that he is over 70 and at the time of writing the book was jogging 5-6 miles per day says anything. Well,.. there you go. Vegetarianism does not mean no meat/extra cheese, eggs and dairy. In effect you are still consuming animal proteins which, as noted, can be just as harmful to your health as eating animal flesh.
One other note that I really liked was how he explained antioxidants, I’m putting just a few excerpts from “Antioxidants, a beautiful collection” located on page 92 &93.
One of the more obvious characteristics of plants is their wide range of bright colors… Living plants illustrate nature’s beauty, both in color and in chemistry. They take the energy of the sun and transform it into life… What makes this remarkable process relevant for us animals, however, is that we produce low levels of free radicals throughout our lifetime… Fortunately the antioxidants in plants work in our bodies the same way they work in plants. It is a wonderful harmony.
You’ll have to get the book to read more. It’s worth it if you need a little extra incentive to follow thru with those New Year’s resolutions for a healthier lifestyle.
One big gaping hole in this book, however, is the discussion about chemical fertilizers, pesticides and regional air quality. I would have liked to have heard the author’s thoughts about that and if any research has been done in that area re. disease/mortality rates.
January 11, 2010
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