IS VEGANISM A HEALTHY LONG TERM DIET CHOICE?

Beyond Broccoli: Creating a Biologically Balanced Diet When a Vegetarian Diet Doesn’t Work

By Susan Schenck, Lac

Much confusion exists today concerning what constitutes a healthy diet. Fad diets come and go, many of which are politically and economically motivated. Since our food supply has become centralized, (created, shipped and stored for us) people have gradually lost the natural instincts to forage for and to raise natural unprocessed foods. This unnatural separation from our food supply has dulled our intuitive faculties, resulted in poor food choices, and has produced a world of physical, spiritual and emotional suffering.

In the book “Beyond Broccoli”, the author, Susan Schenck, tackles the controversial and increasingly popular diet trends: vegetarianism and veganism. Having been a strict vegan for 6 years, followed by a year of vegetarianism, Schenck began experiencing health problems which she later attributed to certain vitamin and mineral deficiencies produced by her exclusion of animal based protein. Beyond Broccoli is written from this unique perspective of experience and gradual deterioration of health.

The author divides the book into five major sections, each section consisting of several chapters. The sections included are: 1. The Vegetarian Mystique  2. Evolution of the Human Diet. 3. Finding Balance in Fats, Carbohydrates, and Proteins. 4. Morality, Spirituality and Sustainability of Eating Meat. 5. What’s for Dinner?

 In chapter one Schenck shares her personal experience when following a raw vegan diet. While the author feels that veganism and vegetarianism are valuable aides in short term detoxification, she has experienced first hand that these diets, which exclude most or all animal protein, are not healthy long term solutions for most people. She relates to us how in the beginning of her vegan experience she gained abundant energy and felt very healthy. Schenck now feels that this increased feeling of well being was due to the detoxifying nature of a plant based diet….and that it is the long term exclusion of animal products that begins to take it’s toll on many. I found this to be an important point for those considering embarking on a vegan or vegetarian diet.  After several years of excluding animal protein, Schenck’s health gradually began to deteriorate. She discusses some of her symptoms and talks about the vitamin and mineral deficiencies, which she feels, may have caused these symptoms.

The author covers the myths surrounding vegetarianism and has researched into the origins of vegan and vegetarian lifestyles. Weston Price was very interested in the primitive groups who ate very minimal animal foods or none at all. Schenck shares with us a quote by Weston Price that reveals what he discovered in his research.

“ As yet I have not found a single group of primitive racial stock which was building and maintaining excellent bodies by living entirely on plant foods. I have found in many parts of the world most devout representatives of modern ethical systems advocating the restriction of foods to the vegetable products. In every instance where the groups involved had been long under the teaching, I found evidence of degeneration in the form of abnormal dental arches to an extent very much higher than in the primitive groups who were not under this influence.”

The author advocates balance in the diet and encourages the consumption of animal protein (sometimes raw), healthy fats, nuts, berries, plenty of fresh and preferably raw vegetables, apples and berries. She also thoroughly discusses why she feels the addition of grains to the diet should be limited. Schenck’s opinons are based on research and she backs up all of her ideas with documentation.

The book also includes detailed and interesting discussions focused on the politics of agriculture, the sustainablility of raising animals for food, the quality of protein in animal products versus the protein found in grains and vegetables, what specific foods are especially good for brain function, and the digestibility of different foods. Another important topic covered is diabetes. Schenck links the exponential rise in diabetes to the emphasis on grains, and other high carbohydrate foods, in the American diet.

The author also includes the sensitive issue of the morality or ethics of eating meat. I thought she made an interesting point when she speaks of the long drawn out chase when animals hunt each other down in the wild and the fear that the animal being chased must be experiencing. She compares this scenario to animals that are more quickly and hopefully humanely killed by humans.  Schenck expresses it this way…  “We should raise animals on farms in natural sunlight, letting them express their animal beingness.  It is said, “Let them have only one bad day in their lives,” the day in which they die. This day is unavoidable, domesticated or wild. Such animals on a traditional farm will live longer than they do in the wild and suffer less tortuous deaths.” We are also reminded that the world is set up in a way that all life feeds off of other life and that by denying this fact we are denying nature’s wisdom. When we disregard nature’s laws we will always suffer the consequences.

Schenck hopes that after reading her book vegans and vegetarians will try to include at least some animal protein into their diets. However, realizing that not everyone will want to do this, she includes a section advising what foods vegetarians and vegans should include and avoid.

I found “Beyond Broccoli” to be a very comprehensive and important examination of the subject of what we should be eating and why. It is equally important for us to understand how politics, population, and economics influence government nutritional advice. Schenck has done an excellent job in revealing the probable motivations behind nutritional propaganda. If we can understand these factors which influence what we eat then we will be better armed in determining what diet advice we should incorporate into our lives.  I found “Beyond Broccoli” to be a very enjoyable and informative book which should be of interest to omnivores, vegetarians and vegans.

FORKS OVER KNIVES Presents Unbalanced Advice

When viewing movies involving subjects which have such power to affect our lives in either a negative or positive way, we need to be very discerning.Studies can be manipulated and propaganda is rife. In all areas....not just with this movie...we desperately need to learn the tactics and methods of persuasion and manipulation if we want to maintain our health and freedoms.

The film...Forks Over Knives.... is telling us to eliminate several whole food groups from our diet. The producers claim that meat, dairy products and fats are bad for us and that eliminating all of these food substances and living solely on plant foods will produce robust health. The China Study and a few personal testimonies are used to back up this stance. If one believes that animal products are bad for people, due to the conclusions of The China Study, then one should read a few of the rebuttals to this study. Here is one response http://www.cholesterol-and-health.com/Campbell-Masterjohn.html  I feel that The Vegetarian Myth is also a book which needs to be read. It discusses the politics behind the obvious mainstream push for veganism and vegetarianism.

To avoid disinformation, we need to look at history and anthropological works on nutrition. Modern day research in the medical field and in the nutrition field often has more to do with corporate interests and control rather than health and well-being.I respect people who are vegetarians and vegans when they are doing so for religious or what they feel are moral reasons....but if they are following these types of diets for health reasons then they really need to read works such as the classic anthropological study by Weston Price....Nutrition and Physical Degeneration.Other helpful books are Deep Nutrition, The Vegetarian Myth and Vitamin K2 and The Calcium Paradox.

The movie, Forks Over Knives does have some good points. The film encourages people to avoid processed foods. This is excellent advice. However,having done some research in the art of propaganda, I have learned that we need to closely evaluate all information we are exposed to. Often partial truths are used...in books, on the news, on the internet and in film....to persuade and to promote certain goals or agendas. Partial truths are often used ...even by "supposed" alternative media...to draw us in.When it is made to appear that the producers or authors are against the corporations or establishment and seem to be on our side...then we tend to take the rest of their information in with less scrutiny. It is true that milk products from our modern factory farms are causing allergies and other health problems. The same may be true for the meat raised on factory farms, however this does not mean we should eliminate these crucial food groups. The solution lies in feeding the animals their natural diets. In the case of cattle, this diet is fresh grass growing outside in the sunshine.

One of the main issues the movie should have focused on concerns the way animals are raised in modern factory farms and the food the animals are fed. No distinction was made between grass-fed meat and grain-fed meat.When ruminants are fed corn instead of grass this practice changes their whole fat ratio. In addition, when animals are raised inside they no longer have access to the sun and the animal fat can no longer be relied upon to provide us with substances such as CLA, K2, Vit D...etc. You may find this hard to believe but pastured pork fat (lard) was considered by our ancestors to be very nourishing and was used often in cooking.Pastured pork provides vitamin D. The fat on meat helps us to digest the meat. We also need fat to aid the body in absorbing the fat soluble vitamins and also the minerals. The practice of buttering our vegetables is not just for making them taste better. The main point of combining fats and vegetables is to improve absorption of vitamins and minerals from the plant food.

 An all plant diet may be good for a short period of time for the purpose of detoxification but if this diet is followed for life, one is apt to suffer deficiencies which only show up later in life. Fat is needed for reproduction and especially for the growth and healthy bone structure of the fetus and growing child. Our brains are largely composed of cholesterol. It is not cholesterol that causes heart disease....it's the sugar and processed foods that negatively influence how our bodies handle and store the cholesterol.

Forks over Knives featured patients who went on the no meat, no dairy, no fat and NO PROCESSED FOOD diet and whose cholesterol and other health parameters improved. They also claimed to feel much better. When analyzing this information one needs to take into consideration that the patients gave up all of these foods together so how does one determine whether it was the avoidance of animal products or whether it was the avoidance of processed foods which caused the improvement? Again....there was no mention whatsoever as to whether the patients had been eating grass fed or grain fed/antibiotic/hormone fed meat products.

In his travels,Weston Price(author of Nutrition and Physical Degeneration ) www.ppnf.org  was hoping to find cultures that were totally vegetarian or what we now term vegan. He did find some groups who ate less animal food but he did not discover ANY cultures that were totally vegan. He discovered that those who ate the more starchy diets, were less robust and were easily overtaken by other groups or societies. If one is thinking of totally eliminating meat or animal products,don't just listen to modern propaganda but go to the older books and try to find research that substantiates that there are cultures who have been able to reproduce through generations on a total plant diet. The Price Pottenger Nutrition Foundation is a great place to begin www.ppnf.org

I was also disappointed that the movie did not address the serious issue of plant anti-nutrients and toxins.....or the extreme importance of soaking our grains. Grains, such as oatmeal, wheat, rice, quinoa...etc...need to be soaked before cooking to remove the protective plant substances which when present in the food, keeps us from assimilating and or absorbing certain vital nutrients. I am continually amazed at how our ancestors knew to do these things...without information from formal studies and chemistry labs. Additionally we should not eat certain vegetables raw for the same reason. http://www.foodfreedomrevolution.blogspot.com/2011/11/is-totally-raw-diet-safe.html

The movie also did not address the vital issue of fermentation. Fermentation was used by our ancestors to store food but this process also rendered certain toxins and anti-nutrients as harmless and even increased the nutrient values of food. Beneficial bacteria from fermented foods is another absolute must for anyone who wants to maintain robust health and avoid infectious disease. Instead of getting a flu shot...buy yourself a fermentation crock..

The movie, Forks Over Knives also fails to mention the fact that historically people ate meat and meat products... extensively.... and thrived without heart attacks or cancer and diabetes(which the movie attributes to animal products) The Native American Indians ate alot of guts and grease and had magnificent bone structure, stong immunity, and respect for nature. They preferred the older animals as they had a better accumulation of fat. http://www.manataka.org/page2200.html . Many people look to the Native Americans as an example of deep spirituality and dignity....so it follows that if we want to emulate these qualities, then taking an honest look at what they really ate would help us to live more "sustainably" and healthfully. We need fat and we can thrive on meat and animal products....BUT these animals must be treated humanely and raised on pasture, eating their natural food. When the animals are healthy, they pass on their health to us. Our farms also need the recycled foods of farm animals to be able to sustain nutrient dense soils.

I will sum up what this movie is advocating. The movie is promoting the elimination of all animal proteins, dairy products and fats. Eliminating these food groups prevents us from adequately absorbing certain vitamins and minerals. There was no mention of soaking grains, fermentation and the need to cook certain vegetables. These essential methods of preparation are also necessary for the elimination of plant toxins and for the absorption of vitamins and minerals. In other words, Forks Over Knives is promoting a diet which prevents the consumption and absorption of crucial nutritional factors. A population which is lacking vital essential nutrients will become prime customers for medical industrial complex.
So...if you haven't yet watched Forks Over Knives.....please do so with a discerning eye and take the time to research what our ancestors really ate and just as importantly....how they prepared their foods before cooking. Of course we need plenty of vegetables and fruit in our diet (they are very healthy foods) but not to the exclusion of meat, dairy and fats, which our ancestors have eaten for thousands of years.We would not be here today if these foods(produced naturally) caused cancer, diabetes....etc. These are modern diseases caused by processed foods.

Watch the video below and learn more about the benefits of grass-fed meat. Granted, it is an advertisement, but I feel it accurately portrays the research and it makes sense.
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