So sometimes you start hearing things for totally different people, from different parts of your life, and in different locations that say the same thing and the same time and it seems like one of those parallel universe/warp zone/twilight zone kind of things.
I guess the The China Study will be one of those things for me. Not only have I heard about it from different people from different places at the SAME TIME,
http://fitmepink.blogspot.com
also just posted about it. THE LAST LOG ON THE FIRE, I suppose!
Apparently in
the China study, they talk about why you should eat meat VERY SPARINGLY. Now I am a total granola girl, but I LOVE my protein. I really don’t want it to talk me out of eating meat.
I am a little leary because they lump red meat, fish, and poultry all as “MEAT” when fish with its Omega 3s has had SUCH positive impacts on people’s bodies and brains, which need Omega 3s to thrive, not to mention GREAT benefits on cholesterol, blood pressure and depression.
I am also wondering if it will address, as I mentioned to my friend Robyn at FitmePink, the studies of indigenous people such as Eskimos. 70% of their diet is Whale Blubber (sounds sooo yummy, right!) and they have one of the lowest percentages of heart disease, cholesterol and blood pressure in the world.
So, with an open, yet skeptical heart, I think I will read this to see what I think about “The Most Comprehensive Study of Nutrition Ever” book.
I also want to find out who FUNDED the study 🙂
Anyway – just want to do a call out to those in the universe who have read it!?! What did you think? What did you learn? Did you feel they altered or slanted any of the data or results? Are you going to stay away from meat forever after reading it?
I read The China Study a while back and was very impressed. But then I read Nourishing Traditions and was very impressed. I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormon) and in our book “The Doctrine and Covenants”, in Section 89, we are encouraged to eat meat sparingly, and mostly in winter or in times of “excess of hunger.” The Bible mentions milk and honey as being a good thing! I am blessed to have my own milk goats and I know the nice raw full-fat milk has greatly benefited my health. I have been learning more about naturally fermented foods. I have been making our bread for 38 years and now I make an overnight started bread so the whole grains can soak and deactivated the phytic acid, which reportedly interferes with absorption of minerals. Sigh…. there is so much to learn and experiment with. I do know that a low fat diet does not agree with me, but now believe that the KIND of fat one eats is very important. Now I use extra-virgin olive oil in bread, lite olive oil when I would previously used canola or something like that. I use extra-virgin coconut oil in place of shortening, and if I am going to fry something, which I don’t do very often, I use some nice kettle lard (not the icky stuff you can buy so cheaply at a grocery store.) We also eat real butter, in small quantities, and I plan to start making it for us when the goats freshen this spring. We do eat a small amount of meat and occasionally even have a hunk of meat of some sort. My husband and I are in our 60’s and in good health. Oh, I want to mention too, that you might want to read this:
http://www.westonaprice.org/The-Skinny-on-Fats.html
and this:
http://www.westonaprice.org/The-Oiling-of-America.html
We take 2 teaspoons of cod liver oil a day.
“They” are always jerking us every which way about what we “should” be or should not be eating. A lot of it comes down to what one can afford or find. But I think, personally, that a quest for the most wholesome diet possible with worthwhile. Here is what is working for us:
Raw milk
Good fats (olive, lard, coconut, butter)
Milk kefir
water kefir
lacto-fermented vegetables (raw)
fruits and vegetables, some raw, many cooked
whole grains, seeds and nuts that are soaked before preparation (I have a nice sourdough starter that I use for breads occasionally and also for knock-you-socks-off pancakes)
We keep a garden and I can, freeze and dry the extras. I pick berries and freeze those in the summertime and I also make some jams and jellies with (gasp!) sugar!!!! 🙂
Once in a while I buy ice cream too.
And I make pudding with the goat milk. Chocolate (with cocoa).
This post is way too long, and I wish we could actually talk it over. I would appreciate your insight too. Always learning.
Oh, yes, I make cheddar and ricotta and am hoping to learn mozzarella soon.
Best wishes to you!
I forgot to mention that we eat eggs that I buy or trade fresh milk for from local friends that keep chickens.
Thanks, I blog more often at http://www.babybumpfitness.com. Great stuff and I have written with Julie as well, she seems great. I love your posts, thanks for the contact.
Jacqueline
http://www.babybumpfitness.com
Ha ha! Well…you already know what I thought of the book, and holy cow…I feel like I just joined a new church and everyone around me is giving me their opinions, and finding “anti” literature! I really am excited to hear what you think about it, though. He actually does include eating fish in the “eat sparingly” category, and not in the “avoid at all costs” category. He doesn’t mention the indigenous people. Anyway–I just feel like it’s another little building block to add to my never-ending quest to find good, solid, nutrition/fitness information. Let me know what you think!
I read it. I had some qualms with it and some of the findings. Weston Price foundation had a very thought provoking response (I’d have to google it to find it again). Through much study, fasting and prayer, I have felt that the truth is that food, as it comes from nature (the way God made it), is the way we were meant to eat it. I felt that The China Study’s focus on eliminating all animal products is contrary to that belief. I also know, from personal experience, that I need more protein in my diet than what they recommend. An overly carby diet with little or no animal protein only makes me fat, and lead to terrible carbohydrate cravings (I know from experience – I’ve tried it). I don’t eat a lot of meat (maybe 3-6 oz depending on the day), but get a lot of protein from eggs and dairy.
I read a book a while back called The Metabolic Typing Diet, which suggests that the macronutrient ratio that we need (the ratio of Carbs/Fats/Proteins) is highly personal, and is determined by our genetics. I find a lot of truth in this – I know there are lots of people who are very healthy and do well on a vegetarian diet, but I am not one of them.
By the way – so sorry that I haven’t kept up my blog. I really need to get back on that 🙂 – and glad to see that you found some kefir!