Food Revolution Summit highlights — Ocean and John Robbins
Perhaps you have read Diet for a New America, the book by John Robbins that revealed the damage caused to health and the planet by a meat centered diet, and documented the deplorable cruelty to animals raised as food. John walked away from the family business, Baskin & Robbins ice cream, and all the money his father had planned on giving him, to chart his own path. This book, published in 1987, influenced me greatly; as a health teacher in community colleges, I assigned parts of it to my students and also saw my own mother stop eating meat after reading it. John and his son Ocean are passionate advocates of a vegan, minimally processed diet; they interviewed many health experts as part of the “Food Revolution Summit” in early May.
The U.S. food industry is not benign for people or planet!
The “SAD” diet
60% of the calories in the US diet come from processed food, loaded with sugar, salt and fat, chemical additives, preservatives, and designed to be addictive so people will keep buying them. The average person in the US eats 140 pounds of sugar per year. Sugar suppresses the immune system and causes cancer; it turns into triglycerides and causes insulin resistance, leading to diabetes. Over half of the US population is now obese, and the norm is that people eat 500 more calories than they need. The standard American diet (SAD) contains less than half of the recommended daily amount of fiber. “Adult” onset diabetes is becoming increasingly common in children. More Americans suffer from chronic illnesses (such as heart disease, cancer, diabetes) than ever before, despite a record $3.2 trillion being spent on US disease-care per year. 80% of antibiotics produced in the US go to animals, mainly beef and pork, and these get into the meat. The result is proliferation of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
Why doctors pay so little attention to diet: They don’t learn about nutrition at all in medical schools; the focus of their education is on disease care, not prevention. The medical reimbursement system disincentivizes prevention. The reality is that only 10% of cancers are now known to be caused by genetics, while the rest are a result of nutrition, lifestyle and environment.
Gut microbiome: 90% of the immune system is in the microbiome. We feed the beneficial bacteria with prebiotics such as garlic, onions, leeks, dandelion, asparagus, leafy greens, legumes. We need variety: 30 different types of plants per week in our diet is good. A low-carb diet is not healthy. Antibiotics, alcohol, guar gum, artificial sweeteners, ibuprofen are hard on the microbiome. Sauerkraut decreases inflammation, raises prebiotics, helps a healthy gut. The healthy microbiome produces short-chain fatty acids, which improve mood. “Resistant starches” found in beans, seeds, cooked white potatoes refrigerated overnight, also cooked and refrigerated rice, are helpful for the gut microbiome.
Superfoods:
Almonds have vitamin E (anti-inflammatory), magnesium, zinc; help calm mood.
Arugula (my personal favorite vegetable!) is high in vitamins K1, C, A, folate, and minerals such as calcium, iron, and potassium. It has the most anti-oxidants of any cruciferous vegetable, and the highest nitrates of all greens, which help regulate blood pressure, support heart and brain health, combat inflammation, regulate blood sugar, and inhibit tumors. It’s also high in sulforaphane, which fights osteoporosis. It’s ridiculously easy to grow. Try it in a pesto! You can cook it, freeze it, it’s versatile.
Avocado has vitamins C, E, K, B6, B9, riboflavin, niacin, lutein and zeoxanthine, all helpful for the brain; the last 2 prevent macular degeneration in the eyes, too.
Beans, lentils, split peas have protein, fiber, folate, magnesium, choline, and more; raise serotonin & dopamine, lower depression; be sure to soak for 24 hours, changing the water every 8 hours; rinse and cook until soft (to avoid gas).
Berries: blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, raspberries, acaí berries (ALL berries) have phytonutrients and anthocyanins, which are anti-inflammatory and raise serotonin, lower diabetes; good for the heart, keep the brain sharp. (For best benefits, don’t mix berries with bananas or dates.) Frozen berries are cheaper and almost as good for you. Avoid non-organic strawberries — they are especially high in pesticides.
Chia seeds have omega-3, helping raise serotonin and dopamine; also have protein and fiber.
Chickpeas have tryptophan, fiber, zinc, protein, raise serotonin.
Chocolate (dark) raises serotonin and dopamine levels.
Cinnamon has polyphenols, stabilize blood sugar, manganese (lowers brain inflammation).
Coffee: rich in polyphenols, antioxidants; magnesium, potassium, B2, B3 which produce neuro-transmitters; decreases rate of Alzheimer’s, obesity, heart disease, and cancer. Yes, coffee is good for you, although some are highly sensitive to the caffeine and acid, and suffer loose bowels or insomnia.
Cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, cabbage) — prevent cancer.
Eggplants, skin left on, have anthocyanins.
Flax seeds have omega 3s, folate, fiber, isoflavin, decrease depression; must be ground (or they slip through your digestive tract without getting absorbed) and kept in refrigerator or freezer to avoid rancidity.
Garlic, especially raw, can lower the risk of colon cancer by 50%; also prevents/heals colds and flus.
Ginger is anti-inflammatory, has vitamin C and magnesium. It works well with turmeric and black pepper to maximize anti-inflammatory benefits.
Green salads are high in folate, which increases neurotransmitters and happiness.
Green tea has anti-oxidants and polyphenols, lowers anxiety and stress, protects against cognitive decline, supports bone health, lowers cholesterol, decreases inflammation, lowers BP.
Greens (mustard greens, spinach, arugula, collards, kale, chard, beet greens, romaine, etc.) are full of vitamins and minerals, prevent cancer, diabetes, osteoporosis, and heart disease; eaten daily, they slow the brain’s aging by up to 11 years.
Herbs & spices: basil, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, cumin, chamomile, lavender, lemon grass, parsley, oregano, rosemary, sage, thyme, turmeric are all beneficial; turmeric prevents Alzheimer’s, lowers inflammation, and decreases heart disease.
Mushrooms of all kinds (esp. shiitake, maitake, Reishi) fight cancers of breast, colon, stomach, prostate; even white button mushrooms are helpful. Mushrooms are high in fiber, full of prebiotics & amino acids, and low in fat; many types lower depression. Always cook mushrooms, don’t eat raw.
Nuts & seeds have magnesium and zinc, protein and fiber; high in vitamin E, which cuts Alzheimer’s risk; high in omega-3 fatty acids (esp. in flax & chia seeds and walnuts) which lower BP, reduce joint inflammation, prevent and alleviate dementia, depression, asthma, migraine, diabetes, and prevent heart disease. Raw are best; if roasted, they are more likely to get rancid, so refrigerate.
Olive oil is anti-inflammatory and doesn’t break down into harmful compounds when heated for cooking.
Quinoa is high in protein, antioxidants and fiber, helps lower cholesterol and blood sugar, thus strengthening immunity and protecting against heart disease, diabetes and cancer; also has magnesium, potassium, iron, folate.
Sauerkraut contains lactobacilli, lowers gut inflammation, helps against allergic reactions, builds a healthy microbiome. Just a tablespoon a day confers benefits. Don’t buy in cans, it may taste good but will have no microbes..
Sprouts: can resolve prediabetes, IBS, bronchitis, lower BP, improve energy and sleep; sprouted lentils give double the antioxidants, 3x the vitamin C, 4x the fiber of unsprouted; broccoli sprouts detoxify lungs, regulate insulin, are high in fiber, full of prebiotics & amino acids, and low in fat.
Sweet potatoes with their skins, a staple in diet of Okinawan Blue Zone (longevity); purple sweets, even more nutritious; high in B vitamins, antioxidants; resistant starch feeds the microbiome, lowers cholesterol & BP.
Did you know?
Diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease can be reversed with a plant-based diet.
Diet change alone would lower Alzheimer’s incidence by 53%.
Meat and fish eaters have twice the risk of Alzheimer’s as vegetarians.
Bacon and sausage consumers are especially at risk of Alzheimer’s.
Saturated fat prevents oxygenation of the brain. Iron improves oxygenation.
Low folate levels lead to low mood.
The US government gives $38 billion in subsidies to producers of animal products and their feed, but only $20 million to growing fruits and vegetables.
4 corporations control 90% of grain globally.
Intermittent fasting means waiting from 12–16 hours from the last meal of the day to breakfast. Start with 12, for example, finish eating by 7 pm and have breakfast at 7 am. This is the best way to be sure you get all the nutrition out of your food through complete digestion, and it will be easier to lose unwanted fat accumulation. For maximum metabolic benefit, work your way up to 16 hours.
Environmental impacts of diet choices:
Livestock cause 40–50% of all greenhouse gases (due to methane, plus industrial production of animal foods); in a 20-year timeframe, methane has 85 times the greenhouse gas/warming impact of CO2.
Half of all US arable land is used for raising animals and growing food to feed them. Worldwide, 80% of the land is used for production of meat, eggs, and dairy; these together provide just 18% of food calories.
Comparison by weight: 60% of mammalian weight in the US is livestock, and this number doubles every 20 years; 35% is humans, and 4% is wild animals.
The methane from cattle alone causes more global warming than the entire transportation system globally.
Current trends of meat production would cause us to run out of water by 2050; 700 billion gallons of water are used for fracking, but 70 trillion gallons are used for animal agriculture.
80% of the plastic in the oceans comes from fishing gear breaking down. All fish now have plastic particles in their flesh. If you eat fish you eat plastic. Fish farming poses threats to wild fish populations.
Chemical fertilizers, herbicides, and pesticides kill rivers and create dead zones, kill the soil food web causing soil structure to collapse, leading to topsoil loss. 40% of topsoil is already gone, and it is lost 10x faster than it is being replaced.
Solutions:
With a plant-based diet, many chronic health conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, and asthma, disappear.
Re-wilding would draw down CO2. 75% of arable land could be returned to wildland by stopping meat production.
Organic agriculture emits 30% less greenhouse gases, uses 45% less energy if no-till, cover-cropping and composting are used. An increase of 1% organic matter in the soil lets it hold 25% more water.