A Plant Based Diet Is Best
By: Dr. Skip Hellen ND, CNC (Health Doctor)  Rev. 6/22/2013

I have been consuming a 75-80% plant based diet for years and my health has never been better. There is no doubt that a predominant plant based diet significantly reduces all forms of degenerative (illness, disease, and rapid aging) related conditions. The following experts have made very compelling cases for the wisdom of adopting a natural plant based dietary lifestyle. Use the link to access all of this information on the www.organicathlete.org website. There is quite a range of information so you can browse around the many pages to locate the particular article of interest. I recommend reading all of them as the information is compelling indeed.

Organic Athlete asked its Health and Nutrition Advisory Committee, "Why is a plant-based diet optimal for health and peak performance?" Below are some answers.

Brenda Davis, R.D., author of Becoming Vegan
"Plant-based diets offer exceptional fuel for peak performance and optimal health at every stage of the life cycle. Organic vegetables, fruits, legumes, whole grains, nuts and seeds are loaded with vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals, antioxidants and fiber - the greatest protectors in the diet. They also effectively minimize the most damaging components in the diet - trans fatty acids, saturated fat, cholesterol, pro-oxidants, refined carbohydrates and environmental contaminants. Plant-based diets are naturally high the most healthful form of carbohydrates, helping athletes maximize glycogen stores, and allowing for harder work for longer periods of time. Those choosing plant-based diets also reduce their lifetime risk of heart disease, cancer, type 2 diabetes, gastrointestinal diseases, gallbladder disease, and many immune/inflammatory disorders. While the advantages to our personal health are quite impressive, it is the advantages beyond our personal health that are perhaps most remarkable. Among the greatest contributions a person can make towards the preservation of this planet is eating simple, whole foods that are low on the food chain. Animal-centered, processed-food diets are not ecologically sustainable. Consuming a plant-based diet is also arguably the most powerful step a person can take to reduce cruelty, pain, suffering and death in this world. Plant-based diets are rooted in compassion and reverence for life."

The following authors have added many articles supporting a whole natural plant food diet. Use the link above to locate and reference these articles.

Dr. Rick Dina
"Whole natural plant foods, especially in their raw and unprocessed form, can provide us with all of the essential nutritive components we need for optimal training and recovery.” This includes biologically active (structured) water, soluble and insoluble fiber, carbohydrates, amino acids, essential fatty acids, vitamins, minerals (including electrolytes), enzymes, antioxidants, phytonutrients, and other beneficial substances science has yet to discover.

Animal foods and processed plant foods are collectively deficient in fiber, water, vitamins, minerals, enzymes, antioxidants and phytonutrients. In addition, they tend to be too high in salt and pro-inflammatory fatty acids and advanced glycation end products. Processed plant foods additionally tend to supply us with an excess of refined carbohydrates, trans-fats, pro-inflammatory omega 6 fats, and acrylamide, a suspected carcinogen. Animal foods additionally tend to supply us with an excess of saturated fat, cholesterol, PRO-oxidants, pro-inflammatory arachidonic acid, and a wide array of environmental contaminants. They are completely deficient in carbohydrates (except for lactose in milk) vitamin C, fiber, and phytonutrients.

Arguably of even greater importance than the raw materials that foods do or do not supply is the ease at which they are digested, absorbed, assimilated, and eliminated. The less our food choices demand upon our digestive and metabolic capacity, the greater opportunity the body has available for recovery and regeneration after our training sessions. Animal foods and processed plant foods simultaneously demand a great deal of digestion, fail to supply us with all the raw materials we need, and fill us up with an excess of the performance inhibiting substances mentioned above. Therefore we have decreased capacity when training and the recovery process is inhibited. A properly designed, largely uncooked, unprocessed, plant food diet creates far less digestive demand, supplies all the raw materials we need, and avoids toxicity. This allows us to work out harder, recover faster, and therefore maximize our ability in whichever athletic endeavors we choose."

Lisa Dorfman, M.S., R.D., L.M.H.C., Author of, "The Vegetarian Sports Nutrition Guide"
"It's no wonder a plant-based diet is optimal for peak performance. Foods like soy, beans, grains, vegetables and fruits provide the best sources of complex carbohydrate, high nutrient-vitamin, mineral, phytochemical rich choices that fuel muscles, the brain, and blood for strength and endurance sports. Besides that, soy ranks as one of the highest biological protein foods on the planet, vital for building the system and recovering from training and competition. Many plant-based foods are also ideal fluid sources, ones that contribute to the athlete's total daily needs."

Dr. Doug Graham, author of Nutrition and Physical Performance
"Every nutrient known to be essential for human health is available, in proper concentration, in plant foods. This is not so with animal-based foods, as there are many essential nutrients that are totally absent in them. A diet consisting of whole fresh ripe raw organic plants is ideal for human health and performance as it most closely accommodates our anatomical and physiological needs for food. We are, literally, built to consume plants. In exactly the same fashion that a car will run best when supplied with the fuel for which it is designed, so too will humans be able to reach their fullest performance potential when utilizing the diet for which we are best built to accommodate."

Dr. Ruth Heidrich, author of, "Race for Life"
"As a finisher of six Ironman triathlons, 67 marathons and countless other competitions, I know how important a plant-based diet is. Plants contain the optimal mix of carbohydrates, fat and protein; on average, 80% carbs, 10% fat, and 10% protein. Carbohydrates provide ready fuel for the muscles; fat provides insulation, padding, and a back-up source of energy; and protein provides the material for growth and repair of tissue on an as-needed basis. Obviously, athletes need lots of fuel which plants provide whereas animal foods lack carbs. Plants also provide the only source of phyto nutrients which our bodies need to neutralize the free radicals which exercise and ordinary daily living activities produce."

Are Organic Foods Better for Athletes?
Written by Dr. Bill Misner
"Pesticides kill insects and are implicated in carcinogenic cellular aberrations. Most pesticides induce a weak estrogen mimic in human metabolism. If an athlete is predisposed to genetic deterioration, cancer or cellular hormone imbalances may create a potential to be life threatening based on dose and frequency exposure. Pesticide-saturated foods stimulate erratic systemic cellular responses, inhibiting the proper mechanisms involved in balancing estrogen metabolism. Free-floating estrogen becomes persistent and excessive when the estrogen carrier system is invaded by relatively minuscule amounts of pesticide residues. Pesticides end up in the fatty stores. Health experts long have warned of the dangers of high-fat foods that can lead to heart disease or cancer. New studies show that each fatty bite may also carry a dose of highly toxic chemical pesticides. Sixty percent of all herbicides, 90% of all fungicides and 30% of all insecticides are considered carcinogenic by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). A 1987 National Academy of Sciences (NAS) report estimated that 20,000 cases of cancer a year can be linked to US pesticide use. The biggest dietary offenders come from commercially grown meats, dairy byproducts, and/or mass produce. Of these offenders, commercial produce carry only a fraction of the pesticide residues which meat and dairy products induce. 

Should We Take Dietary Supplements?
Written by Randall Phelps
"It seems as if we are constantly being bombarded with advertisements for the latest dietary supplements:"
"Amazing new herbs boost athletic performance!",
"Take these antioxidants to prevent cancer!"
"Special protein formulation yields maximum muscle growth!"
"Alleviate your ailments with new super-absorbable vitamins!"
"Lose weight with breakthrough discovery!"
"We are then told that some ingenious doctor has discovered the miracle substance that will make us thinner, stronger, smarter, or better at whatever we do. Best of all, we are told, this supplement works without any real effort and has absolutely no side effects. All we have to do is dig deep into our pockets, hand over our money, and then swallow the miraculous elixirs."

"Additionally, doctors and many health and fitness magazines would have us believe that without the benefits of vitamins, minerals, amino acids, herbs, botanicals or some concentrate, extract or mixture of these, that it is not possible to succeed with our health and fitness goals. Even the die-hard skeptic may find himself wondering if he should take a sulfur-based supplement for the worn cartilage in his knees or the latest green powder for his receding hairline."

"So, are we to assume these products are safe and effective? Should we take them as "insurance" against deficiencies, as many do? In many cases, no one really knows. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration do not check on the safety or effectiveness of dietary supplements before they are put on the market. The FDA must wait until it receives reports of problems caused by a supplement before it can investigate and ban it. This process can take years. Meanwhile, those who take dietary supplements are volunteering, even paying, to be the manufacturer's guinea pig at the risk of their own health."

"Each supplement is taken for specific reasons, and, while some ailments may improve, the side effects and nutritional imbalances eventually make them "detriments" instead of "supplements", as Dr. Douglas Graham, President of Healthful Living International, has said."

"What side effects? According to the New England Journal of Medicine, lead poisoning, impotence, lethargy, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and abnormal heart rhythms top the list of disorders resulting from taking powerful herbs and vitamin pills. These supplements often contain toxic contaminants and even potent drugs and hormones in products that were labeled as "all natural" and "drug free". In one study, 83 of 260 supplement samples were found to contain poisonous heavy metals such as lead, arsenic or mercury, or drugs not listed on the label. All of this doesn't even begin to take into account the long-term nutritional imbalances that are inevitably created by favoring certain nutrients in abnormally heavy doses."

"In spite of all these problems, according to a 2002 survey, 75% of American adults are confident in the safety, quality and effectiveness of dietary supplements, and 94% of consumers trust doctors or other health care professionals for reliable information on supplements."

"Aside from the misled consumer, misinformed doctor and greedy supplement pusher, health experts agree that the best way to get all the nutrients you need is to get them from your foods, as has been done from time immemorial. Nutrients must be present in specific, complex ratios with other nutrients in order to perform their functions. Too much of a nutrient will interfere with the effectiveness of another nutrient or may even build up to toxic levels in body fat. There are many more substances in our foods besides those that we have managed to name, measure, and isolate. Those nutrients that we have not discovered are already present in our foods, just waiting to synergistically interact with just the right proportion of other nutrients to nourish our bodies optimally."

"Our nutritional needs are easily met by basing our diet on fresh fruit, green vegetables and small amounts of nuts and seeds. These fresh, raw, organic foods most closely mirror the nutrient ratios that our bodies thrive on. Anything less than whole foods disrupt our bodies' nutritional balance to our long-term detriment, even if it does help one specific ailment short-term."

"Now is the time to decide. Are we going to be gullible guinea pigs who line the pockets of slick salesmen with our hard earned money, on the gamble that we will somehow benefit, or should we trust in the time-tested science of natural history?"

Randall Phelps studied at Heidelberg College and New Mexico State University, and has been competing as a runner and triathlete for over 20 years. His supplement-free diet has evolved through many years of study and experimentation.

What is a Dietary Supplement?
Written by Organic Athlete, Congress defined the term "dietary supplement" in the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA) of 1994.
"A dietary supplement is a product taken by mouth that contains a "dietary ingredient" intended to supplement the diet. The "dietary ingredients" in these products may include: vitamins, minerals, herbs or other botanicals, amino acids, and substances such as enzymes, organ tissues, glandulars, and metabolites. Dietary supplements can also be extracts or concentrates, and may be found in many forms such as tablets, capsules, softgels, gelcaps, liquids, or powders. They can also be in other forms, such as a bar, but if they are, information on their label must not represent the product as a conventional food or a sole item of a meal or diet. Whatever their form may be, DSHEA places dietary supplements in a special category under the general umbrella of "foods," not drugs, and requires that every supplement be labeled a dietary supplement."

Milk: How's It Does A Body?
Got Milk ask famous athletes like Venus and Serena Williams, Tony Hawk, Marion Jones, Mark Mcgwire and Cal Ripken Jr. Milk, they claim, has nine essential nutrients active bodies need? Is milk their secret? Here in Sonoma County, a local cycling team is sponsored by a large dairy company. Their jersey features an image of a cute, happy cow on a bike with a quart of milk strapped to its back. Sound like a good way to get your calcium? Before you start putting milk in your water bottle, let's examine how milk can affect your health and performance.

The "9 essential nutrients" found in milk (calcium, protein, vitamins A, B-12, and D, potassium, phosphorus, niacin, and riboflavin) are important for health, but any nutritionist can tell you there are over a hundred vitamins and minerals critical for optimum nutrition (not to mention thousands of lesser known nutrients whose functions are not yet fully established). Just as intake of these nutrients is vital to health so to is avoiding anti-nutritive substances. Engineers know that garbage going into a system equals garbage coming out. The human body likewise processes junk we put in our bodies in the form of mucus and disease. In terms of nutrition, then, food that is good for us should not contain anything toxic that would have to be eliminated from the body. Would you eat poison ivy if it was found to be a good source of iron? Hopefully not. But what could be bad about a glass of sweet, creamy bovine mammary secretions?

To start, America's dairy industry is highly polluted. Much of the US dairy supply is contaminated with toxic pesticides and antibiotics1. A recent report by the Environmental Working Group exposed rocket fuel contamination in California milk2. Most dairy farmers continue to use the genetically engineered recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone (rBGH) in production, which increases levels of insulin growth factor (IGF-1) in the milk. An increased level of IGF-1 is associated with many diseases3. Pesticides, antibiotics, and hormones are certainly hazardous to our health, but even organic milk contains intrinsic toxins and allergens that cause alarming health problems.

Many leading health experts blame milk consumption as a primary cause for the ill health and unnecessary deaths of many Americans. Regardless of the exogenous (external) toxins introduced into the dairy supply, dairy naturally contains two components in particular that do not belong in the human organism: pus cells from another animal and casein, a highly allergenic protein. Milk is made as a dairy cow filters blood through her udder and uses dead white blood cells (pus cells) in the manufacture of her milk. Federal regulations set a limit to the amount of pus allowed in milk, but Hawaii is currently the only state whose milk meets this standard. Dr. Michael Greger traces Crohn's disease, a painful and deadly intestinal illness, to the possibility of paratuberculosis bacteria transmitted by these pus cells.

Robert Cohen, author of Milk: The Deadly Poison, wrote an article on the unexpected death of renowned track and field athlete Florence Griffith Joyner for the Not Milk website6. Using evidence from Flo Jo's autopsy records, Cohen indicts the allergic nature of dairy products that eventually led to the seizure and death of a famous milk mustache poster girl. The congested internal organs and respiratory system, the benadryl to relieve the congestion and the large hunk of cheese found in her stomach ten hours after her death point to a serious allergic reaction to casein. Infants can die from anaphylactic shock if they drink cow's milk due to its high casein content. And if you've ever had a sticky mouth and throat after drinking milk, it should be easy to recognize that casein is also used to make glue. And the issue of milk as an important source of calcium gets even stickier.

Flo Jo surely was not immune to dairy's stronghold in our culture's concept of nutrition. We've all heard that you need the calcium in milk in order to build strong bones and prevent osteoporosis. According to the Why Milk? Campaign, "America finds itself in a calcium crisis today because consumers aren't drinking enough milk" 7. What the dairy promoters fail to tell us is that foods high in protein (like meat and dairy) actually cause calcium leaching from the bones. These foods' acidifying effect in the body draws on calcium reserves to maintain a critical alkaline homeostasis. Contrary to what the dairy industry tells us, bone health depends on more than merely calcium intake from milk.

On the subject of osteoporosis, Dr. Robert M. Kradjian writes, "Consider these two contrasting groups. Eskimos have an exceptionally high protein intake estimated at 25 percent of total calories. They also have a high calcium intake at 2,500 mg/day. Their osteoporosis is among the worst in the world. The other instructive group is the Bantus of South Africa. They have a 12 percent protein diet, mostly plant protein, and only 200 to 350 mg/day of calcium, about half our women's intake. The women have virtually no osteoporosis despite bearing six or more children and nursing them for prolonged periods!"

Olympic swimmer Amy Van Dyken says she performs a "world-class chug-a-lug" with milk to help her "get the one mineral every Olympian craves. Gold."9 Those athletes really good at their sport might be able to make a few gold coins on dairy endorsements. But for the rest of us, milk is not doing anyone's body any good. Fortunately, fruits and vegetables provide the 9 essential nutrients that milk athletes so proudly extol plus a whole lot more!

Where do you get your protein?
A short guide to protein for vegan athletes
First, you don’t need nearly as much protein as most people think, and it’s easy to get what you do need from beans, nuts, seeds, grains, soy, and even green leafy vegetables. I have been bodybuilding for close to 2 years now and I have gained over 30 lbs. of solid muscle in that time with no performance enhancing agents of any kind and around 25% of the protein frequently recommended for aggressive bodybuilding training. Yes! I do follow a very strict supplemental regimen designed to align my chemistry for maximum muscle gain. No! I don't sacrifice optimal internal biochemical balance by consuming excessive animal based protein. My pH stays in a very healthy range between 6.5-7.5 most of the time. In short, I am living proof that enormous muscle gains are possible without the over use of protein.

How much protein do you need?
"According to various international scientific organizations, including the World Health Organization, human dietary protein needs range from 2-10% of total calories. Even the USDA's Dietary Guidelines for Americans says, Protein is not limiting in vegetarian diets as long as the variety and amounts of foods consumed are adequate For an athlete consuming 2500 calories per day, 2-10% translates into 12.5-62.5 grams of protein per day, within the range of what the Institute of Medicine recommends."

"Yes, you may say, but athletes need more protein than the average person. For some athletes less than 100 grams of protein per day means withering away. It is true that athletes have greater protein requirements than sedentary people, but in direct correlation to the increase in caloric needs. Active people will need to consume more calories to meet their energy needs. If these calories come from whole plant foods, then protein needs are also met. Consider this: human infants who are developing at rate much faster than any of the worlds athletes need only 5% of their calories to come from protein. Human mothers' milk contains approximately 1.5 grams of protein per 100 calories. With this in mind, we can use the table to compare various foods for their protein content." If the above facts don't prove that excessive protein consumption is unnecessary, nothing will. Excessive protein intake not only doesn't make you stronger or build bigger muscles it turns internal biochemistry acid which can lead to rapid biological degradation (aging) as well as illness and disease.

There Is No Food
There's a myth that eating large amounts of protein translates into stronger, bigger muscles, as if beef muscle becomes human muscle or protein stimulates muscle growth. However, there is no food or nutrient that will cause you to gain muscle. If that were the case, bodybuilders would be in the kitchen getting stronger, not the gym. Protein is the building blocks from which muscle is made but many other things are required to develop large, strong muscles. Protein is like any other nutrient, there is a point of diminishing return. In short there is a sweet spot and any more protein above that point not only won't help, it may be dangerous to you health.

Just for Insurance
Isolated protein supplements are often touted and sold as a recovery elixir. Many athletes take a protein supplement or eat animal products just to be sure they get enough protein for recovery. There is a certain danger in this. First, high protein diets are associated with numerous diseases. Secondly, athletes should be keen to give their body exactly what it needs nutritionally, no more. Anything less than that and the body will weaken in trying to make up for a deficiency. Excess protein is exhausting for the body, leading to loss of strength and endurance and eventually illness and disease. Give yourself health assurance by eating your fruits, vegetables, nuts and grains. I have found that balancing the body's internal biochemistry by providing it with precisely what is required given the current demands produces exponential results not only for achieving optimal health but building a stronger more muscular body at an age 62 that most are battling chronic degenerative conditions of illness and disease.

For Optimal Health and Performance, Eat Your Fruits and Veggies
The body becomes stronger and faster with the adaptations from training; therefore, recovery is tantamount to athletic development. Fresh fruit and vegetables not only provide optimal amounts of protein, but uncooked fruit and vegetables do not challenge the body with mutagenic substances resulting from the cooking process. Cooking changes the chemistry of fats and proteins in natural foods, rendering many of them carcinogenic. Carcinogens and other toxins diminish the body's capacity to recover quickly from training.

So leave the protein powders at the store and let the animals roam, and you will reach your peak potential quicker. With dedicated training, a healthy lifestyle, and a diet rich with fruits and vegetables you can achieve your health and fitness goals faster than you ever dreamed. I have made comparable, much healthier gains in the past 2 years than I made 25 years ago while using potentially health compromising performance enhancing compounds. Get plenty of regular exercise, adopt a predominant plant based diet and live a long, illness and disease free life.

"Illness and disease are optional, choose not to participate" ~ Dr. Skip Hellen

Important understanding
It’s important to understand that optimal health can only be achieved and maintained when nutritional, physical, and mental requirements are met resulting in systemic biological balance (homeostasis).

The following are the cornerstones of success with anything in life, make these qualities an important part of your life strategy and you will achieve excellence in anything you do. 

   Personal responsibility encourages excellence,
character requires personal excellence,
commitment advances positive action,
discipline strengthens personal power,
tenacity promotes success ~ Dr. Skip Hellen 

OPTIMAL HEALTH ACTION STEPS
1. (Develop) a strong sense of self respect and discipline
2. (Pledge) Take the "Declaration of Health Independence" pledge
3. (Test) Complete the health assessment test (establish a personal health baseline)
4. (Decide) Set a goal to achieve personal health excellence (optimal health)
5. (Education) Learn health principles how to achieve optimum health
6. (Heath Compass) Buy a pH litmus test kit, start testing frequently – keep a test result log
7. (Manage/Adjust) Change behavior habits for best results
8. (Commitment) Stay the course until achieving personal health excellence
9. (Mentor) Help another achieve personal health excellence

Since behavior habits and nutrition are critical components of human health and longevity, denial, shortcuts and misguided beliefs can be very costly not only in terms of lost monetary wealth but in compromised health leading to rapid aging, illness, disease and death. DON’T TAKE YOUR HEALTH FOR GRANTED. IF YOU DON’T TAKE PROPER CARE OF YOUR HEALTH, WHO WILL?

The important thing to remember is consumptive habits (foods) will form the foundation of either optimal health or illness and disease. The old saying "you are what you eat" is absolutely true when it comes to health.

Developing strong personal character (respect, belief, knowledge, discipline, commitment) are the cornerstones of all personal excellence accomplishments. Taking the "Declaration of Health Independence" pledges and adopting the behavior principles solidifies a vital first step on the road to optimal health success. These pledge commitments not only help develop the skills required to accomplish the goal but better define the path to personal health excellence. The second step is purchasing a litmus test kit to accurately monitor health progress. (see below for event test kit sale)

Perhaps the hardest part of achieving optimal health is changing unhealthy behavior habits to healthy habits.

YOU provide the Courage, Dedication, Commitment and Action,
UHRI will provide the EDUCATION/KNOWLEDGE and DIRECTION

To get health help and learn more about “Mastering the Secrets of Ultimate Health” and achieve personal health excellence goals, log onto the web site below. UHRI is ready, willing, and able to help everyone achieve optimal health.

Litmus test kits are on sale for $10 (Events Only)
(A litmus test kit is an absolute must for those who are serious about ultimate health)

To learn more information on how to resolve health problems or achieve personal health excellence, refer to UHRI at www.uhealthri.com. Educational classes, programs, mentors and consultants are ready to help you achieve all your health goals including optimal health. Contact UHRI Office at - 714-969-1681

Live long, happy, ultimately health and wise

Dr. Skip Hellen