http://www.tcolincampbell.org/
Here is a bit of back ground on Campbell. Campbell grew up on a dairy farm. He is a notoriously famous nutritional biochemist and epistemologist. In his college years, Campbell did research on an impoverished population. He assumed that by providing protein (in the form of chicken) to a portion of society, those individuals would live a longer and healthier life. This results of this study indicated that the portion of population who received the chicken actually died younger than the rest of society who survived off of small farms/ plants and vegetables. This early study led Campbell to develop his research on the China Study.
41 comments:
I find Campbell's research interesting but at the same time I disagree with switching to a all plant diet. I have grown up on a family farm my entire life, where we grow most of our own vegetables and raise all of our own meat. I personally believe that rather than cutting out meat out of peoples diets completely, they should instead switch to eating healthier meats. The best way to do this in my opinion is by switching to locally raised hormone free meat. I understand the base argument that Campbell is making but I don't feel it is fare to put all meat in the same category. I know a burger from decary is a lot different than one I would eat at my house. I personally find this a flaw in his experiments. However with that being said his research is very interesting. One thing that I found particularly interesting was in his article on menopause in women from China. He found that they report less harsh symptoms than women in the united states, and while they can not prove exactly the reason why it is thought to be because they have less estrogen in their bodies. I find this very interesting because it shows that our estrogen levels are very important, not just as a breast cancer risk factors but also quality of life during menopause
When it comes to articles and research based on diet, I do find myself being confused with what is considered to be healthy especially with all the contradicting beliefs. Personally, I feel that moderation is key and there is no need to cut out something completely. Like with the previous post, I agree that instead of removing meat from your diet, you should find a healthier way of including it. Also, I feel like when people do become confused with what a healthy diet consists of, it becomes easier for them to simply eliminate the confusion(for example meat). I know a lot of girls my age who think that becoming a vegetarian is an easy way of becoming healthy and even to lose weight. I have nothing against people who don't eat animal products, but from my expereince, a lot of people cut out meat from their diet because they've heard that its unnecessary, and potentially harmful, but have no idea how to supplement the protein and other essentials they used to get from eating it. It's hard for people to understand what they should and shouldnt eat when they are able to find research for the pros and cons of either side.
I read the article "Low Fat Diets Are Grossly Misrepresented." The article talks about how a few years ago the thought process was that a low fat, high carb diet was best and would reduce the risk of obesity. Now the thought is that a low carb/no carb, high fat and high animal protein diet is best. Campbell states in the article that the low fat, high carb diets are not to blame for obesity. There has to be a distinction made between refined carbs (proccessed foods) and natural carbs (plant based). If you have a low fat high natural carb diet, you will lose more weight and maintain a healthy diet.Campbell recommends that everyone partake in a whole food, plant based diet which is low in total fat, animal protein, and refined carbs but high in antioxidants, and complex natural carbs.
I agree with the previous posts that animal proteins should not be completely removed from the diet unless you know what you are doing. Protein is an essential for healthy living so if you are knowledgeable in nutrition and can find alternate forms of protein then I feel that the plant based diet is a good idea. If not, then you should be able to limit your animal protein consumption but not completely eliminate it.
My first assumption was that this web site and research would be very one-sided. While I am not completely open-minded about how other people choose to eat, I generally disagree with the idea that one diet is superior to others. I was impressed to see that some of the research articles indicated that this was not necessarily the case. I especially liked the article, Whole Foods for Optimum Health, written by Brazier who states "Though I am a vegan, meaning I consume no animal-based products, you don’t have to go to such extremes to realize many of the benefits plant-based whole foods can offer." I found it interesting that it has been found that up to 40% of stress may be caused by diet. I've always looked at stress level and nutrition independently, but this suggests there could be a correlation.
Our world runs on diets. There is always a new and more accurate diet that comes out that everyone raves about. But do people really get the results they need? With the all plant diet I personally feel like there is really no need to eliminate something out of one’s diet in order to consider you healthier. I think with the right portion sizes and exercise, one can achieve the results they wish to see. I agree with some of the above posts in the sense that people who may go on the all plant diet and choose to not eat any meats, don't necessarily know how to achieve the right amounts of protein that their body still needs. This can lead to unhealthy situations rather than healthy ones. As for something interesting on the website, I found that the research articles were interesting to read. However I feel as if the people who came up with this diet only believe that this is the right and only choice to achieve a healthy status.
What isn't going to kill you? I feel like every week new research comes out contradicting the previous weeks research about what is healthy and what is not. I think what needs to be stressed more, like what bmiller said, is we should be stressing moderation and healthy lifestyles, not all or nothing diets.
I agree with alucas previous statement. I grew up on family farm eating meat, eggs, and milk all grown in my backyard. Truthfully I feel much safer eating foods that were produced by my family and it tastes a lot better too! There is too much processing that takes place when it comes to food and that is what makes it unhealthy. I find this website to be very one-sided and I don't think a plant based diet is a person's only choice when it comes to becoming healthy.
One thing I discovered was in the article by Brendan Brazier titled "A Lean Muscular Body: A Mere By-Product." He actually gained body fat when he was exercising for 40 hours per week. The stress on his body was actually hurting his hormonal health and causing him to gain weight.
I don't mind the idea of eating whole foods and vegetables. I myself tried a vegan diet for a couple of years, and it wasn't too hard. Like Brazier explains in one article, I simply chose to stop because of taste. While I liked all of the foods I ate on a vegan diet, I enjoy eating and I like to be adventurous in my diet. I am no longer vegan but I still stay away from red meat, poultry, and most dairy. I found it interesting that many of the articles suggested smoothies, which seem to me would loose my interest over time. I think they should provide more options if they want to persuade people to switch over to the whole foods and vegetable diet. I think this website does provide a lot of important information on the harmful effects associated with foods we eat, and I think the China Diet is a good place to begin because it seems like it would draw people in. However, I do agree with mwoods because moderation seems to be more of an issue in the United States, or at least a less drastic step to begin with in making people healthier.
I think the idea of switching to a plant-based diet is kind of the extreme when it comes to diets. I have to agree with mwoods, instead of taking all these diets to the extreme maybe we should focus more on eating in moderation and promoting a healty lifestyle not dependant on what you choose to eat. One of the first things that popped out to me on his site was that type 1 diabetes is linked to infant feeding practices. This really proves that in order to have a healthy lifestyle we have to be exposed to what is "healthy" from the start. Maybe instead of promoting weight loss all the time, we should focus on the benefits of changing our diets, and the risks if you don't?
I have read many articles like this being in a health profession major. There is always a new diet or a new way to lose weight coming out. Some say cut out carbohydrates. Some say cut out the meat. This list could go on for hours. In America, it is probably true that we eat too much fatty foods but I believe the key to keeping your weight down is moderation. That is what everyone battles with and it really is the healthiest way of going about it. There is some validity in lowering the fat intake but that's not the final answer since fat is needed for bodily processes.
I find it very interesting that Campbell believes that diets including protein cause chronic diseases. Meat gives your body important nutrients that it needs to function properly. While some people supplement these with vitamin pills, I still stand by the fact that it is better to get the nutrients from the direct source. I looked at a research paper that Campbell wrote and posted on his website which talks about decreasing meat intake because of the fat content within it. Of course it is healthier to eat less fat, but shouldn't the loss in protein be accounted for too? Also how can he verify that the link between the meat and chronic diseases isn’t because of all the pollution, pesticides, etc. within our environment? Like we discussed in class, cancer causes require a web of causation, if we all stop eating meat, I doubt it will cure cancer universally.
I agree with alucas 100%. I too have grown up in a family that eats a lot of local meat and produce, and could not imagine cutting meat out of my diet entirely. I do, however, believe that moderation is key in eating such protein and can understand the push to get away from certain meats. Yes, Campbell's research is compelling and certainly substantiated by data and research, but I do not believe that eating an all plant-based diet is the only answer. There is an extremely healthy population out there that does eat meat and is not suffering from all the heart disease, cancers and osteoporosis that Campbell describes. These people instead have adopted active lifestyles that complement there eating patterns and make a healthy body possible. One thing that I found particularly interesting in exploring this site, was the suggested connection between eating dairy products and having acne. I had never heard of this before and it prompted me to do some further investigating on the subject. Apparently, the hormones in milk are thought to stimulate the sebaceous glands and produce oilier skin. This connection has not been solidified yet, so I did not like how Campbell used this idea to appeal to people who had acne by saying: Want to be beautiful? Stop eating dairy!
Campbell's research is very based on epidemiological observations. He isn't trying to see us anything, or to further an ideology around food. He was surprised by the fact that the research was so firm... that eating ANY animal proteins/fats increased rates of morbidity and mortality. It didn't matter where the meat came from.
Why might we see a plant based diet as 'extreme'? Is it really extreme to eat a diet of vegetables, legumes, etc?!
I personally would not be able to switch to an all plant diet. I grew up in a family that ate a lot of meat and even though I do not eat as much meat now that I am in college and making my own meals, I think it would be hard to not have it at all in my diet. I also think that everyday in the news there is something new about what Americans should or shouldn't be eating. And it flip flops. For example in the blog involving soy, individuals were told to add more soy to their diets and then research found that it could be harmful and all of a sudden it was bad to eat too much soy. In order to follow the new trends Americans need to stay involved every day in what should and shouldn't be eaten. Unfortunately not a lot of Americans are well educated when it comes to diet and nutrition and therefore this idea would not be successful
So I'm looking through this website as I am eating a bag of chips. This reminded me of the soy bean article. Anyone can write a diet high carb, low car, low fat, high protein, or whatever else they think will get the audience to buy into it. It is also easy to write about how great the diet is by throwing in some science that lets face it, seems convincing especially to the uneducated person who is desperate to loose weight. It seems as more and more research is being conducted there are always new claims. I just wonder if completely cutting things out of your diet is healthy? I've been told to not eat red meat, stay away from dairy and sugar. Oh and eating seafood can be bad for you too. So basically everything is bad for you? Well how about moderation? While I realize not every person has the opportunity to take a nutrition class and understand how the body metabolizes the food, there are definitely enough resources out there for people to be able to make better choices regarding their eating habits. Also, what works for one person may not work for the next. It is easy to get caught up in everything and in our society we are presented with the pro's and forget about the con's until they come back to bite us in the rear. This website definitely is a great resource with a lot of research.
I found that Campbells research was very interesting. I agree with many other posts that moderation is key in any diet. While Campbells study may have found that providing a protein source to impoverished people reduced their life expectancy, I think there are some flaws in his argument. Like many people said before me, I do not think all meat should be grouped into one category and labeled bad for us. Locally raised animal produce free of hormones and antibiotics provide significant sources of proteins not found in plant only based protein sources. I think that if individuals pay attention to servings sizes, and eat meat in moderation it is part of a healthy diet.
I found Campbell's research interesting. However, I am not sure I am convinced. Like previously stated meats have been grouped into one category, those produced with high hormone levels and high antibiotic levels. I believe we should be taking a closer look at how we prepare how foods (for distribution and consumption) before deciding what is "good" or "bad" for us. If we stop putting so many chemicals and hormones into our food it would be much healthier for us. Like stated in other comments, it is all about moderation as well. These are the factors we should be looking at before completely eliminating a food from our diets.
I was really surprised to read the recommendations for a diet with no meat at all. Usually diets recommend limitting consumption or meat but still maintain the idea that meat is needed for protien in the body. I don't think that an all vegetarian diet is an extreme, but that is probably because I did it for six years and did not really find a problem. I think that we look at vegan diets as an extreme because so many of the foods we think of as staples contain animal products. We have to alter the way we aproach making food, such as using applesauce instead of eggs in brownies, in order to cut the products out of our diet. With so many premade foods, such as bread, it is hard to find a way around animal products on a day to day basis.
The article I read was titled “A lean muscular body: A mere by-product” by Brendan Brazier. This article was about a carbohydrate restrictive diet and exercise; how limiting the intake of carbohydrates could lead to internal organ damage, the reduction of muscle, and excess body fat accumulation. The article states that the body first uses carbs for fuel but will then burn proteins. Burning proteins will create toxins in your body which will then increase the amount of stress on your body. If your stress levels become too high it is possible to gain body fat. In this article this man found that although he was getting 40 hours of exercise in a week he was gaining body fat, he then decreased his intake of calories which worsened his problem and caused him to gain more fat. He found that if he would have increased the amount of nutrient rich food the stress on his body would have reduced his percentage of body fat. I was surprised that he gained body fat with a lower intake of calories. I think this shows that it is more important to eat nutrient rich food than to cut out calories. A lot of diets recommend cutting out the calories or restrict the number of carbohydrates you eat but this article shows otherwise. That you need carbohydrates and an overall balanced diet.
Since I have recently become a vegetarian (5 months ago), I have read many articles like the ones on this website and enjoy learning more about this lifestyle. I liked this website but also think it is alittle one sided and not enough facts with too much opinion. I didn't go vegetarian to become healthier like this site promotes, I didn't like the idea of killing animals and putting them on our plates. I do feel alot healthier eating this way, but that may be contributed to the fact that I am now forced to pay more attention to what I'm eating in order to get enough nutrients .I don't see it as eliminating a food group as others do. I still get protein and vitamins and any other nutrients that a meat based diet would get, I just get them in different forms. I think people can be healthy eating meat just the same as being vegetarian, its all about moderation..its a personal choice really.
After looking at some of the research from the website and looking at the blog I find myself agreeing with a lot of the people on the blog. For one I think it would be very difficult to switch to a all vegetable diet because I would really miss eating meet, as well as a variety of processed food. I think that everyone acknowledges that if it were very simple to switch to a all vegetable diet and live forever we would all be doing it. I think a more reasonable approach would be to eat things in moderation and live a more active lifestyle. After all eating meat isn't something that is brand new. One thing I did find interesting is that at the end of one of his articles he stated that people needed to try the diet long enough for the taste buds to adapt so maybe after a while peas would taste as good as steak.
Campbell's website presents an abundance of reasons why a plant-based diet is a better choice for ones physical and mental health. One of the reasons I found interesting was that ;" High animal protein intake increases metabolic acid, causing the body to draw calcium from the bones, weakening them and leading to osteoporosis and bone fractures." Knowing this and the many other reasons to be on a plant-based diet is very tempting to be a part of . However, like Campbell pointed out individuals have become accustomed to these diets that satisfy our taste and it is difficult to switch although I am tempted through this research.
Today it seems like anything you consume can hurt you in some way. I don't believe in diets. Every diet I hear about you either lose weight for a small amount of time then gain it right back, or you become sick and unhealthy because you are cutting out basic nutrients you need in your body. All you need to do is eat healthy and exercise.
I agree with what most everyone else is saying. Every article seems to tell you something different. They all seem to only look at one side of things and never the whole picture. I feel that moderation is the only true safety. And, as for everything else that is said you must take it with a grain of salt because they're just trying to prove their point, or sell their product. They aren't really looking out for your best interest. The part about being on a diet long enough for taste buds to adapt was cool, because it seems this could be true if you started to forget how good certain foods tasted maybe something else would take its place.
I agree with what some of the other people are saying. We need to be concerned first and foremost with being healthy, and not just on dieting. There are always new dieting strategies (what seems like every few weeks), but I think that the ones that work best are when people are most educated about what is really healthy. I agree with FHgoalie4lyf with talking about how switching to plant-based diet is extreme. There are so many different research studies out there on what the best diet is and I think that everything in moderation, along with exercise is the best way.
I agree with other comments people have posted. There are so many different diets out there claiming to lose weight fast or reduce something. In exchange you probably giving a major food group up llike carbohydrates or meats. I've have probably tried almost all of them including a plant based diet, except it was only to be for about a week as a detox, but either way it was very difficult. Now I just feel to have a balanced diet and to excercise. Like the soybean article, you want to eat something, then eat but in moderation.
Campbell's research is interesting in it own way. What many other reader's believe as something that is out ofthe ordinary for us may be ordinary for others. What I mean by this is that there are some religions that have more of a plant based diet than others. Personally I grew up on a meat diet and I have a hard time going without it. Now in resent studies like Campbell's studies, researchers think that an all plant based diet is a good thing. But what some people don't realize is that soon it will be another diet that will prove more evidence that this "new" diet is the best thing for Americans. What we need to know is that what we read about will continually change. Someone will always be out there to make a quick buck.
By changing a diet to consume only plants seems unreasonable because most people in the US have grown up in a society where there is a large emphasis on the consumption of meat. I think that the people that only eat plants probably have a lower rate of morbidity and mortality because they have a higher focus on what they are consuming. This focus may translate into other areas of their lives, like transportation, living environment, etc. These environmental factors probably have a larger impact on their health then just what is being consumed.
I read the article "Nutrition: The future of Medicine". I defiantly agree with what Campbell is saying. There is no definite definition to what nutrition is today. There are so many contradicting ideas that it is hard to say what is the healthiest way to eat. Every company and ad says a different thing and it is hard to know what is real and what is not when long term studies are incredible difficult and not very definitive. Campbell puts a lot of emphasis on plant-based foods and how he believes a diet filled with these types of foods is the healthiest way to live. I don't agree with this. As said in earlier comments, meat can defiantly be beneficial if the healthier choices of meats are used. I think all the food groups are essential in ones diet, the key is picking the healthiest choices of each food groups in order to keep a healthy diet.
I find Campbell's research interesting, however, I disagree with an all plant diet. I understand some believe we can get protein and other vitamins from meats from other sources, however, I think it is necessary to get the natural source as well. Although there are countless forms of artificial vitamins available, I believe they do not react in the body the same as the natural vitamins and proteins. Many cut out meat from their diets as a way to prevent and protect themselves from heart diseases and other cardiac problems, however, I think the best and most healthy way to do this is by changing ones diet by limiting the amounts of certain food groups and balancing what you eat.
I chose to read the article that he had written on low-fat diets. While I don't agree that either no-fat OR no-carb diets are the way to go, I found myself most stongly agreeing with one of the article's first and smaller points. Campbell points out that low-fat diets have been linked to weight gain not because you need the fats, but because people tend to overeat these 'diet' foods. Since I sell people food on pretty much a daily basis, I could not agree with this point more! I wish more people were better eductaed about what they are putting into their bodies instead of just looking for claims on the front of the labels. My Mr. Bagel actually no longer carries low-fat cream cheese, and every single time I work I get yelled at for it. One man actually told me I would be getting an angry letter from his cardiologist. One, each and every one of these people looking for a 'healthier' alternative refuses to try our tofu spread. Also, they often ask for extra low-fat cream cheese but just a little regular cream cheese. Look at the nutrition facts. The low fat would end up with more total calories and fat with the double portion.
I think that switching to an all plant based diet is not really feasible. I couldn’t imagine a person not eating dairy or other things like meat but maybe that’s is just because I grew up with a different style. I believe in a more balanced approach to meals and not going straight to a diet or changing over to a lifestyle this drastic. In this day in age you would really have to have the time to shop for all these ingredients and be at home to create a meal like this. Most people don’t have the time to spare or have the taste buds for it.
Campbell has an interesting take on what nutrition really is and what a healthy and "ideal" diet consist of. Like others have said before me, I feel that the best diet is a balanced one. That's what I've known since I was little. Sure, an excess of meat in one's diet may do more harm in the long run, but that doesn't mean that someone should flat out eliminate it from what one eats. I know that once I try to eliminate a specific thing from my diet, it backfires terribly and I go on a sort of binge of that particular food. This is why I feel that eliminating food groups might not be the best answer for a healthy diet, which makes me a little skeptical of Campbell's research and methodology.
I really like the idea of the plant-based diet. I also occasionally enjoy the taste of meat products, but have been trying to cut down on the quantity of meat I eat. I think as a society, our meals revolve too heavily on the meat and not enough of the foods we should be having more of and, according to this research, are worlds better for your overall health.
I think it's hard to turn away from a diet with animals or animal products because the animal inside of us and our evolutionary past has classified us as omnivores. Switching away from societal and possibly evolutionary pressures is something that most people either don't want to do or couldn't imagine doing. Personally, I don't think it would be difficult with sufficient resources and funds, but these materials aren't available to a lot of people in our society and around the world.
On the positive side (for Campbell and others in his camp)- recently, Yahoo showed an article featuring a plant which had meat-like nutrients (that were also in comparable concentrations) which previously hadn't been seen in plants. This must have been a great discovery for plant-based diet followers, as they now can have a completely balanced diet without supplements.
Determining the healthiest diet for your lifestyle and body type can be very challenging and confusing. I don't believe that any one type of diet is the perfect diet for everyone, and that everyone has different nutritional needs in order to maintain health. Campbell's China Study is very interesting, and although it is rigorous, could be worth a shot if I was looking for a change in diet to healthier food choices. However, just because Campbell's research is appealing, it does not mean I should jump off of my personal eating habits and into this one.
Wow! I'm sort of surprised I haven't heard of him before (although we don't really cover much medical history at all in the medical biology program). I, too, am skeptical and hesitant to accept research as facts. The most interesting research that I came across on the website, though, was probably the stuff from the 90's that showed the importance of acquiring nutrients from food rather than from dietary supplements. It was literally shown to have OPPOSITE effects! I guess his research wasn't accepted enough to shut down the dietary supplement industry. =\
This is a very interesting diet. I actually was informed the other day that dairy is not really that healthy for you and that if you do in fact need to use milk (say in coffee) you should instead use heavy cream. The premise that plants and fruits are healthier to eat makes sense to me because essentially you are cutting out the middle man (the animal that eats the plants) in getting nutrients. My hesitation to this diet is first, our bodies adjust to certain diets and hence if a drastic change in food like this were to take place it should happen slowly rather than an abrupt change. Additionally, plants and vegetables with alot of protein would need to be taken so that your body can still get the same amounts of calories and proteins and you wouldn't see a loss of energy and function.
I think Campbell's idea of a plant-based diet is not a bad one at all, especially in the sense that it would cause both lower fat and protein intake. His idea that we are 'prisoners of taste preferences' was one that I found very intriguing. I agree that we are aware that we can change our taste preferences. I also believe that it is not in our society's norms to want to change our habits or preferences to improve something. In general, no one really likes to compromise the taste of something for health, though most of us know we should. I think this is evident in some weight loss systems that say you can still eat your favorite meals, as long as it comes from their company....they are trying to promote weight loss without compromising someone's favorite foods.
Switching to an all plant and legume diet seems really drastic, and in my opinion unnecessary. You can be healthy and eat meat. If you are really worried about the chemicals that the cow is exposed to prior to being sold in pieces, then buy it from locals farms and stuff. Also if you really incorporate veggies and legumes in your "diet" (and I mean, in what you would normally eat, not some sort of special diet) then you should be as healthy as someone who doesn't eat meat. Personally I could never give up my meat.
~Cami
The all plant diet is most certainly better than a no-carb or all-protein (Adkin's) diet. Yet, even with its numerous benefits it would likely be difficult to convince those in our society to adopt new eating habits. People are used to seeing meat on their dinner plates and often show distain for leafy greens because they complain they don't taste good. While evolutionary studies suggest that humans adapted affinities for salts, fats, and sugars due to their scarcity in the enviroment, today's world overindulges in the use of these ingredients. There is no recollection or integration of lean meats, fruits and vegetables in many cultures' diets. The overprocessing of food has led to a divide in what people crave and what their bodies actually need.
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