Fake Health News

There is a huge amount of financially motivated misinformation or half-truths on the internet. To the point that is causes so much confusion with contradictory advice, quick fixes and magic potions that people throw up their hands and end up believing whatever fits their own bias and preferences.  

The problem with this fake news is that the truth is lost.  People either become entrenched with a particular point of view so that facts will not change their mind or become so skeptical that they believe nothing at all.  

Who suffers?  We do, because we may not be doing the right things to preserve our health even when the evidence exists.  We become victims of those with a great sales pitch and a profit motive for whom your health is not a priority. 

The solution is to keep an open mind and see what the science says.  This could be an enormous and daunting task even for trained professionals considering the amount of data out there. Who has the time??  However, we are fortunate the have Dr. Michael Greger and his website www.nutritionfacts.org and his pod cast.  He sifts through the scientific literature discarding biased or poorly done studies to bring you the best evidence in nutrition. This is one of the most reliable and unbiased sources of nutrition information. It is presented in a very entertaining and easily understood manner.

Whenever we have questions, we will review what Dr Greger has to say on the topic because we know he has done an unbiased in-depth review. We encourage you to do the same.

So Why are we recommending a Whole Food Plant Based (WFPB) diet?

A Whole Food Plant Based (WFPB) diet has consistently been shown in multiple scientific trials to be the optimal dietary strategy for health and longevity.  It reduces weight without food restriction, hunger or counting calories.  It also improves or reverse diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and triglycerides.  It is the ONLY diet shown to reverse heart disease.  It prevents gout and kidney stones.  It reduces cancer risk.  It reduces inflammation in the body and improves many autoimmune diseases such as Rheumatoid arthritis, Lupus and even Multiple Sclerosis. 

These are big claims. Where is the evidence?

For more information about the science and evidence for a WFBP diet, we recommend you do the following in the order given.  This is a big change and we want you to be convinced of the benefit.

1. Watch the following movies: (on Netflix, Amazon Prime, Youtube) – Non-Medical explanation.

2. For more a detailed presentation of the science watch the following lectures on Youtube

• “How Not To Die: The Role of Diet in Preventing, Arresting, and Reversing Our Top 15 Killers” by Dr. Michael Greger (Youtube) Aug 5, 2016 
• “Proteinaholic” by Dr Garth Davis. (Youtube) Apr 23, 2018
• For those primarily interested in Weight Loss.Please see Dr Gregers latest youtube video promoting his book called “How Not to Diet”
• “Reading Food Labels” useful skill for shopping. 

3. Look up specific questions related to your medical problems at  www.NutritionFacts.org  website.

Encyclopedic in proportions with thousands of references. Great as a reference to lookup your particular health issue.

Dr Fuhrman explains the importance of micronutrients a much-overlooked area of importance in the general discussion of nutrition which tends to focus only on the macro nutrients of carbohydrates, fat and protein. 

Very easy read and conversational in nature.  Highly recommended starter book

Great job of presenting the facts and fallacies about protein and a plant-based diet. 

The book that probably started the scientific plant-based movement in America.  It tell the story of how Dr Campbell discovered the connection between animal proteins and increased cancer and disease risk. 

A scientifically proven system for reversing diabetes.

Dr Dean Ornish has for decades been at the forefront of some of the most ground breaking research on nutrition, lifestyle and health.  In this book he  presents a simplified approach to lifestyle changes for reversing disease.  Highly recommended.

1. Download the Plant based quick start guide from the Plantrician project website

    Read thoroughly for a good grounding on eating plant based 
2. Try the 21day quick start Plan at PCRM.org  A  simple to follow 21 day vegan meal plan including shopping lists and how to cook.  Free.  An Excellent introduction.
3. Forks over knives Plant based primer
   
4. How to transition to a plant-based diet

Ok I have started eating a WFPB diet.  Where can I find more recipes?

There are many good sites but you can start by checking out some of the following. 

In addition to recipes there is also a information about benefits of plant-based diet.

https://rouxbe.com/recipes  (instructional cooking video and video recipe gallery)

https://nutritionstudies.org/recipes/

https://www.drfuhrman.com/recipes

https://www.drmcdougall.com/health/education/recipes/mcdougall-recipes/

https://www.pcrm.org/good-nutrition/plant-based-diets/recipes

https://dreenaburton.com/recipe-page 

http://www.planteatersmanifesto.com/recipes/

https://forksmealplanner.com  

Note – While most of the recipes are Whole Food Plant based, there may be exceptions so use your judgement. If they include meat, eggs, sugar or refined flour or oils then avoid those recipes. 

What Should I eat? 

(from Dr Greger’s Daily dozen – see original)

• Beans (legumes) and lentils, Whole grains, brown rice, Quinoa, Steel cut oats. 
• Salads - A Large salad every day.  Experiment and make your salads interesting and tasty.
• Fruit – Eat fruit every day and start using it as your default for in place of snacks and desserts. Smoothies are a great way to get your fruits if you don’t like eating them whole, but AVOID juices.
• Vegetables especially cruciferous vegetables - broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, brussels sprouts, kale.
• Nuts (unsalted almonds and walnuts are the best), not more than a handful a day.
• Berries every day in your diet especially Blueberries and Blackberries. 
• One or Two tablespoons of flax seed per day

What Should I not eat?

• Avoid Fast Foods.  Caution with restaurant food. It is often high in fat, salt and sugar. 
• Avoid processed foods. (anything that has more than 5 ingredients or is unfamiliar is processed!!)
• Minimize added sugar.  Processed foods and especially sweetened beverages (Sodas) are very high in sugar. Note sugar from fruit comes with fiber and nutrients and there is no restriction on whole fruit. If you have a sweet tooth use the following to help wean off your sugar addiction. Stevia or Erythritol in drinks and dates or molasses as sweetener in cooking.  Keep to a minimum.  AVOID other artificial sweeteners – these are frequently present in so called diet or sugar free foods. 
• Eliminate oils, even olive and coconut oil.  Remember It is a processed food (oils do not grow on trees).  Oils are very high in calories and can prevent weight loss. 
• Minimize salt - aim for less than 2 grams a day. 
• Avoid meat (this includes fish and chicken). You can get enough protein in a plant based diet – see talk by Dr Davis – Proteinaholic.
• Avoid dairy-milk, cheese, eggs – high cholesterol and saturated fats. The myth you have to eat these to get enough protein/calcium or iron has been debunked with evidence-based nutrition research.  
• Don’t waste your money on supplements.   The only recommended vitamins are Vitamin B12 1000mcg by mouth a day or twice a week sublingual and Vitamin D supplement 1000 to 2000 units a day.  Multivitamins have never been shown to make a difference. Specific vitamins taken AS SUPPLEMENTS such as A and E have been shown to Increase risk of cancers.

Eating healthy does not have to be expensive 

Plan well, shop smart and in bulk. Cook for multiple meals.  When you go to a supermarket/grocery stores, shop mostly in the periphery, especially the produce aisle.

There are multiple websites offering tips on how to eat plant based on a budget. 

Easy whole food substitutes 

• ☹Breakfast cereal/milk   → ☺ Steel cut oats
• ☹ White bread  → ☺ Whole grain bread e.g. Ezekiel bread, Dave’s killer bread
• ☹ White rice → ☺ Brown rice or Quinoa 
• ☹ White pasta → ☺ Whole wheat pasta (high in fiber) 

1. Steel cut oats (20 min in instant pot) 1cup water + 1/3rd cup steel cut oats per person.
2. Once cooked add ¼ cup nut or soy milk and mix to make creamy. 
3. Topped with 1-2 tablespoons ground Flax seed
4. Chopped fresh fruit -  (apples, pears, mangos, kiwi, pineapple whatever you like and is in season)
5. Fresh or frozen berries (blueberries – give the most bang for the buck)
6. Handful of walnuts
7. Tablespoon of seeds –  Sunflower or Pumpkin.
8. Yummy.  Vary the fruit, berries, nuts, and seed for a different breakfast every day!

I WANT TO EAT HEALTHY BUT I DO NOT HAVE THE TIME / FACILITIES / PATIENCE!

There are a number of businesses now providing mail order meals which are healthy and based on whole food plant-based diet principles.

This is something you may consider a healthy alternative to fast food or restaurant food.

A few examples of companies are provided below.

Note this is not a comprehensive list and we have no financial or other connection with these businesses.

Premium Services

Purple Carrot: - 100% vegan. Nationwide delivery. Meal kits and prepared meals

Mosaic Foods: - Plant-powered meals.  Delivery East Coast and parts of West Coast

Veestro: - Fully-prepared vegan meals. Organic. Lower sodium options.

Health-Focused Options

Splendid Spoon: - 100% vegan and gluten-free, smoothies, soups, and bowls.

Thistle: - Never frozen. Delivery in select regions of West Coast and East Coast

Budget-Friendly Option

Daily Harvest: - Frozen plant-based meals and smoothie.