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A plant based diet is best for achieving optimum human health
I have been eating an 80+% plant based diet for years and my health has never been better.
There is no doubt that a plant based food lifestyle reduces all forms of degenerative related
conditions. The following experts have made a very compelling case the wisdom of adopting a
natural plant based dietary lifestyle. Use the link to access all of this information on the
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.
OrganicAthlete asked its Health and Nutrition Advisory Committee, "Why is a
plant-based diet optimal for health and peak performance?" Here is what they said.
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 does 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 OrganicAthlete, 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 Do 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 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 standard4. 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
“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."
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, 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."
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.
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. Anything
less than that and the body will weaken in trying to make up for a deficiency.
Excess protein is exhausting for the body to deal with, leading to loss of strength
and endurance and eventually disease. Give yourself health assurance by eating
your fruits and vegetables.
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 the challenge
the body with mutagenic substances resulting from the cooking process. Cooking changes
the chemistry of the fats and proteins in food, 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 still
reach your peak potential. With dedicated training, a healthy lifestyle, and a diet rich
with fruits and vegetables you can achieve your health and fitness goals.
Contact Dr. Skip directly at
http://www.uhealthri.com/contact_us.asp or under consulting at
http://www.uhealthri.com/Consulting.htm for specific
information on personal counseling, nutrition, fitness or mental training
programs/seminars/workshops.
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