November 2020
5
Honest Slate
Food for Thought :
Vegan versus Primal
by Joyce Chicoine, Nutrition and Education Committee We thought that it would be interesting to compare a whole-foods, plant-based diet, outlined in Gene Stone’s Forks Over Knives (2011), with the Primal diet described in Mark Sisson’s The Primal Blueprint (4th edition, 2019). The Primal Blueprint is longer, with recipes appearing in a separate cookbook, whereas Forks Over Knives includes 125 recipes within the same book. In addition, Forks Over Knives was written as a companion to a video documentary of the same name, which we watched as well. Forks Over Knives describes the most serious health concerns faced by Western society. It explains the science behind a whole-foods, plant-based diet and how it alleviates many of these concerns. The authors say that this way of eating is “good for your health, good for animals, and good for the environment” and explain how to transition to such a diet. Several points made in Forks Over Knives are irrefutable: that cardiovascular disease, cancer, and diabetes are major health concerns in our society, for example. In numerous cases, such diseases have been prevented, or even reversed, with dietary changes alone. It is also clear that eating whole fruits, vegetables, and grains is much healthier than a diet of calorie-dense, nutrient-poor processed foods. Furthermore, there is ample evidence that meat and related products from animals raised in “Confined Animal Feeding Operations” (CAFOs, also sometimes referred to as “factory farms”) are not healthy for human consumption. The China Study, a landmark study led by T. Colin Campbell, PhD, in collaboration with researchers at Oxford University and the Chinese Academy of Preventive Medicines, is a cornerstone of the argument for a completely vegan diet. The team conducted a 30-year investigation of the “health and nutritional habits of 6,500 Chinese adults in 65 rural villages” whose diets were consistently low in fat and high in fiber and plant material (FOK, p. 35, electronic version). They then compared the data with that of American men and concluded that Amer-
ican men are 17 times more likely to die from heart disease than rural Chinese men. They also concluded that “maintaining a whole-foods, plant-based diet can minimize or reverse the development of chronic diseases.” While this study has been well received in the vegan community, it is not without its critics. One such critic, Denise Minger, shares Campbell’s concern about Big Pharma’s role in scientific research, and admires his “philosophy towards nutritional research and echo[es] his sentiments about the dangers of scientific reductionism.” However, she discusses flaws in Campbell’s data analysis and questionable leaps in logic in great detail in her blog. According to Minger, “The China Study is a compelling collection of carefully chosen data. Unfortunately for both health seekers and the scientific community, Campbell appears to exclude relevant information when it indicts plant foods as causative of disease, or when it shows potential benefits for animal products.” Still, the whole-foods, plant-based Forks Over Knives Diet can reap astounding benefits, as was experienced by the seven individuals featured in the documentary and book. In addition to reduced hypertension and weight loss, their lab tests revealed reductions in total cholesterol and blood glucose. One man was able to stop taking six different medications while maintaining improved health. All reported increased energy and a greater sense of well-being. The Primal Blueprint is not just another diet book. It’s about a healthy lifestyle. Mark Sisson, who also maintains a popular blog and owns the food/supplement business Primal Kitchen, admits that he is not a scientist or a doctor, but “an athlete, coach, and student on a lifelong quest for optimal health, happiness, and peak performance.” While most of his recommendations are based on the lifestyle and eating habits of our primal/paleolithic ancestors, he also references modern scientific findings and medical doctors when appropriate.
Sisson is not shy about challenging conventional wisdom when it comes to health. For instance, Sisson recommends against including whole grains and for including saturated animal fat in the diet. “Grains,” he says, “drive excess insulin production, fat storage, chronic inflammation, leaky gut syndrome, and heart disease.” He also says that cholesterol is only a problem when oxidation and inflammation are also present. Similarly, he challenges conventional wisdom regarding exercise (“inconsistency is key!” and “move frequently”) and sun exposure (important for meeting vitamin D needs). Sisson breaks down the Primal lifestyle into 10 “laws” and recommends a whole-foods, minimally processed diet. Rather than being strictly regimented, the Primal Diet allows for some “personal preference and self-experimentation.” While the Primal Diet is similar in concept to the Paleo diet, Sisson emphasizes that the main reason to avoid “certain modern foods” is because they are “unhealthy,” not necessarily because they were unavailable to our ancestors.
The biggest difference between Paleo and Primal is that the Primal Diet can include whole-fat dairy products from humanely raised, grass-fed animals, whereas the Paleo Diet advises against all dairy products. Primal Blueprint Laws:
1) Eat Plants and Animals 2) Avoid Poisonous Things 3) Move Frequently 4) Lift Heavy Things 5) Sprint Once in a While 6) Get Plenty of Sleep 7) Play 8) Get Plenty of Sunlight 9) Avoid Stupid Mistakes 10) Use Your Brain continued on page 6
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