Where do I vegan? Part III

Another selling point of "The China Study" was that it didn't have a selling point. As you read the book, and as you listen to Dr. Campbell, it becomes evident that he is publishing this to help people. Yes, he has the book to sell, but a book is the most reasonable method for delivering the amount of information he has to share.

Dr. Campbell is not selling a magic pill. He is not selling a magic diet. There are no accessories with this book, like the China Study Companion Meal Journal, or the Chinese Calorie Calculator. He's not selling "WWDTCCD" (What Would Dr. T. Colin Campbell Do?) bracelets. It is evident early on in the book that his intent is to get this information, which he has collected over his 40-year career, to people.

Our nation is overweight, yet nutritionally we are starving.

Dr. Campbell does spell out a diet in this book, but it is conveyed in all of 2 paragraphs. Literally. He refers to a full page table that shows foods in 3 categories: 1) the all-you-can-eat category, 2) "minimize," or eat-in-moderation category, and 3) the "avoid" category. He suggests that you "eat all you want (while getting lots of variety) of any whole, unrefined plant-based food."

"That's it. That's the diet science has found to be consistent with the greatest health and the lowest incidence of heart disease, cancer, obesity and many other Western diseases." (from page 242, The China Study).

It was important to me that Dr. Campbell has nothing to sell. His mission is to help people. That speaks volumes to me. It is consistent throughout the book. And it is why, of the millions of titles out there related to diet and health, I am willing to put a stake in the ground with this one book. The information in this book has helped our family tremendously.

Where do I vegan? Part II

So after I had first listened to the podcast (mentioned in my first "Where do I vegan?" post), I was intrigued. I listened to it two more times on that same day. Campbell's message was enough to lead me to the decision to look into an all plant-based diet. I resolved to at least try it for a month or two.

After listening to the podcast three times, or maybe it was while listening, I also researched as much as I could find online about Dr. Campbell. Unfortunately I feel I have to approach all of this type of info with a bit of skepticism. It seems like a diet book and subsequent program comes out every day. No carbs. No fat. Low-fat. Low nutrients. The protein diet. The carb diet. The no carb carb diet. Painfully obvious that at least some of the info out there is wrong, and it feels more like a lot of it is wrong. Especially after having tried some of the diets.

The next piece of the puzzle that sold me on Dr. Campbell's message, though, was the first few chapters of his book, which you can download as a preview. Honestly, if all I had were those few chapters it would have been enough for me to make the drastic change. But the chapters were compelling enough for me to buy the book.

If you've got a minute, check out the first few chapters for yourself.

Where do I vegan?

Over a year ago, my wife and I made a radical, life changing decision. One day we were eating what I would consider the standard American fare. The next–plants. Almost exclusively. I'll explain.

For years I had sought information about a healthy diet, mainly out of concern for high cholesterol and for weight loss. Our diet consisted of healthy choices for what we knew at the time, like lean meats (mainly poultry and fish), vegetables and fruit, dairy, while managing (but not eliminating) simple carbohydrates and fats, especially fried foods.

Meanwhile back at the ranch, Nicola, my wife was dealing with a complex mix of health conditions. In about 2001 Nicola was diagnosed with fibromyalgia. Because of her sore muscles and achy joints, Nicola often did not feel she could exercise, though exercise is one of the few ways to battle her condition. Stacked on top of her fibromyalgia were symptoms from allergies and a (potentially) paralyzed vocal chord. At age 35, Nicola felt like she was old and worn out all of the time.

Nicola had been going in a constant circuit for months between four physicians, some of them specialists. The medical bills were mounting. We were receiving answers, but some of them were conflicting, and none were working. I have a great deal of respect for modern medicine. I'm not opposed to medicine, at all. However, something just smells a little funky to me when the "fix" is a script and a pat on the back. Antidepressants for fibromyalgia... I'm not buying it (says with a "wha chu talkin' 'bout, Willis?" look).

Frankly, she was discouraged to the point of tears and very concerned for her future. I was fearful, too, but my tendency is to react with anger. We needed help. We were willing to travel anywhere and pay anything within reason to get to the answer.

I remember praying specifically that God would give us some direction and give us the wisdom. Within the same season I listened to this podcast. Listen to it to get a feel for what this blog will be about. Part 2 of this story to follow.