Diet and Health FAQ

Tagged As: vegan diet plan

Question:
I'm about to start again a vegan diet plan (I stopped originally because I wasn't comfortable that I knew enough about vegan nutrition to stay healthy). My doctor directed me towards McDougall's various books, favoring those over sending me to a nutritionist. First question -- are Mcdougall's nutritional theories considered generally sound by vegans? Second question -- someone has told me that recent studies have shown that there's been much too much emphasis on carbohydrates in the diet, and that lots more protein is the way to go. McDougall's theories are very high carbs, some protein, and very very low fat. Are nutritionists really beginning to think that we need to cut carbs and raise protein? Lastly, any McDougall people want to let me know the favorite recipes on their vegan diet plans from the various books?

Answer:
First let me say that from my own experience I felt a little better when I gave up red meat, chicken and fish. But I noticed a vast improvement in my health and energy when I went vegan. I went from being barely able to run a mile or two to competing in triathlons. That old worry about protein is not warranted. Plant foods contain more than enough protein. You only need about 5% of Calories from protein. Most plant foods have much more than that. The primary advocate of the high protein high fat diet is Dr. Barry Sears. His diet is proven to cause heart disease, cancer, and other chronic ailments. Here are the best books I've found on the subject: FOOD FOR LIFE, Neal Barnard, MD VEGAN NUTRITION, Michael Klaper, MD WHY DO VEGTARIANS EAT LIKE THAT?, David A. Gabbe MEGA HEALTH, Marc Sorenson, Ed.D. Your local vegetarian group will probably have copies of all these books. I especially like MEGA Health by Sorenson. He covers every topic concerning diet and health, concluding that a vegan diet is best alternative. And he backs everything up with many many primary references published in peer review medical and scientific journals. If you want to win an argument with a meat eater by burying them with scientific studies to prove your point, arm yourself with Mega Health, then simply quote valid studies published in the New England Journal of Medicine, Journal of the American Medical Association, Lancet, American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, and other respected journals. Good luck,