VEGETARIAN FOOD GROUPS. Which one are you?

ESPAÑOL

More links to read:

The China Study by T. Colin Campbell. 2006

Position of the American Dietetic Association: vegetarian diets.

Vegan diets: practical advice for athletes and exercisers.

Metabolism and health effects of phyto-estrogens.

Why you should eat more beans. NutritionFacts.org

The pros and cons of phytoestrogens

Low Protein Intake is Associated with a Major Reduction in IGF-1, Cancer, and Overall Mortality in the 65 and Younger but Not Older Population

VEGETARIANISM & VEGANISM

The Science of Plant-base-food

Table extracted from the China Study, The most comprehensive study in Nutrition ever conducted, by Dr Collin Campbell. 2007

Veganism: 0% consumption of animal products.

Vegetarianism:

Consume animal base food, like eggs and dairy, but not consume animal flesh.

Semi-vegetarian: 10% or less consumption of animal flesh and products derived from them.

Pesco-vegetarian: Refers to a diet that consumes fish and sea products as their source of protein.

PROTEIN REQUIREMENTS

According to Dr. Campbell, relative to total caloric intake, only 5-6% of dietary protein is required to replace the protein regularly excreted by the body.

Around 9-10% has been recommended for the past 15 years, to assure that most people get their 5-6% requirements. We all exceed these recommendations, with an average of 11-21% and more than 21% for those of us that strength train.

The scientific evidence of the china study concluded that dietary protein within the range of about 10-20% is associated with a broad array of health problems, especially when most of the protein is from animal sources.

“International comparisons between countries show that populations subsisting on traditional plant-based diets have less heart disease.

That’s the diet, science, has found to be consistent with the greatest health and the lowest incidence of heart disease, cancer, obesity, and many other Western diseases” 

~ T. Collin. Author of the China Study.

For a food chemical to be considered an essential nutrient must meet two requirements: to be necessary for healthy human functions and to be something the body cannot produce on its own.

There are only four nutrients in animal products that plant-based foods do not have: Cholesterol, Vitamin A, D, and B-12.

Three of these are nonessential nutrients:

Cholesterol: is a component of animal-based food that is nonexistent in plant-based foods. Our body can make all that it requires.

300 mg recommended daily limit (1 egg= 200 mg).

Vitamin A: can be manufactured by the body from beta-carotene (colored red-orange pigment abundant in plants and fruits).

Vitamin D: can be manufactured by the body, by exposing the skin, to about fifteen minutes of sunshine every couple of days.

B-12: Made by microorganisms found in the soil, in the intestines of animals, and even our own. The amounts that the body's intestines manufacture, is not adequately absorbed by the body. So it is recommended that we consume B-12 in our food.

"When we feed ourselves in a way that promotes the best health for the human body, we are also promoting the best health for the planet"

To eat or not to eat meat? That is the question!

The answer might differ for each one of us. For some, the concept still sounds quite "hippy". But nowadays, a plant-based diet is recognized as not only nutritionally sufficient but also as a way to reduce the risk of many chronic illnesses.

THE MEAT MYTH

According to Dr. T. Campbell, author of The China Study, The story of protein seems to be "part science part culture".

Since the beginning of its discovery in19th century, protein created the illusion of belonging to a better economic, and social class. Back then, if you were rich, you ate meat, if you were poor, you ate plant-based food. And that same mentality is still present in the mind of many people.

The present American diet and the diet of most westernized countries consist of:

10% of plant products
40% of Calories from animals products
50% of processed foods.

Vegetarianism is not a modern concept. Historians tell us about a Greek poet, Pythagoras, who followed a vegan diet 500 years bc.

We also know of Buddha advocating kindness to all species. Promoting this way a vegetarian way of eating.

Veganism refers to a movement, rather than a diet group. It describes a subculture that completely avoids all products derived from animals. Vegan advocates do not purchase clothes made from animals, such as leather, fur, silk, or wool. Nether products that have been tested on animals, like make-up.

Their primary intention is to restore some balance in nature by protecting animals from cruelty and exploitation. For others, as a way to restore their health from the negative effects that might have resulted from the ingestion of animal products.

Produced by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the World Health Organization (WHO) published in 1999