Forks Over Knives: The Plant-Based Way to Health
Roberto Modesto Sedycias
By Roberto Modesto Sedycias
Jul 13, 2012
More and more, researchers are showing that plant-based diets, along with changes in our lifestyles will mean longer, healthier lives and in yet another summation, a researcher shows this to be true.
Working with some of the finest writing in the field editor Gene Stone has drawn on the works of Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn, who is an advocate of a major change to a plant-based, vegan lifestyle. His research has shown that many problems that traditional medicine had considered solvable with traditional means (drugs, pills, shots) can be treated with more activity - yes a change in lifestyle on the patient's part - as well as a move
…show more content…
Essential's work, as well as that of Dr. Colin Campbell, whose studies of the primarily vegetable-based diets in China show they have fewer diseases such as cancer. That is the type of disease that skyrockets when patients begin eating huge amounts of red meat. (It is true that, among other things, paleontologists have shown that men tend to be meat-eaters, however, when you look at the history of man and meat, you begin to see a corollary between the cattle industry's use of performance-enhancing drugs such as steroids to get their products to market faster and, in the meantime, the customer, faces and eats many useless drugs, for most people. There are some people who do need them, but they are a very rare minority and are monitored by physicians.)
Stone's work touches on the work of the Drs. Neal Barnard and John McDougall, who also advocate a plant-based diet, as well as changes in a patient's lifestyle (exercise is usually included) and more. The result is one of the best researched lifestyle books on the market.
This couldn't have come at a better time as more and more specialists believe that gluten-based food should also be placed on the "don't go there list" when it comes time to put together your menu for
“Forks Over Knives”The documentary “Forks Over Knives” discussed the work of two researchers thatexamined the connection between a plant-based diet and a significant improvement in overallhealth. More specifically, the researchers put food to the test and not just any foods but a Wholefood, plant-based diet instead of animal-based foods. Campbell and Esselstyn served as pioneersfor their research on the claim that most ailments that afflict us today such as Cardiovascularissues, diabetes, cancer can be reversed or controlled by the way we eat. Dr. T. Colin Campbellis a Nutrition scientist and brought up an interesting observation which was that wealthierchildren who consumed higher amounts of animal-based foods were more prone to becoming illor diagnosed with liver cancer. In addition, Dr. Esselstyn, a Top surgeon and elite healthcareprovider, stated that most of the diseases that he treats are not as common in other parts of theworld where the diet is different.
He uses Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn’s patient study as well as himself to show these benefits and by doing so, he effectively gets his point across. Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn shows credibility through successfully treating over 250 patients with heart disease by mainly using a whole food, plant-based diet and shares some of his patient’s stories (Forks 00:36:58). Dr. Esselstyn was given 24 patients, who were very sick. Six of his patients dropped out in the first year, leaving him with only 18 to carry on and after five years of eating the plant-based diet, 11 patient’s heart diseases halted and the rest and slowed (Forks 00:43:49). This report should something that expensive medicine and surgeries never have and is thought to be ground breaking for the study and is a very important detail of the documentary that Fulkerson uses to, again, prove his argument.
When I was growing up I was taught how to hunt, fish and trap animals for food as well as being fed an omnivorous diet, but today I have found that I no longer need animals in my diet. The Vegetarian Times recently found that out of the 311 million people in the US, 7.3 million eat a vegetarian based diet and 22.8 million eat a vegetarian inclined diet. Over the past century people have begun looking into the health implications of plant based diets as a way of improving their health and increase their longevity. This research paper is intended
When I grow up, foods becomes popular especially processed food. I stayed alive and healthy because of those foods. Although now that I am more knowledgeable about foods, I realize that I do not need those food to survive. What I consumed everyday is very toxic and very unhealthy. When we get a chance to understand more about it, I realize and got inspired that I should go on a Plant-Based Diet. First of all, what is Plant-Based Diet? According to the article from Kaiser called The Plant-based Diet Booklet the author defines this plan as “This eating plan includes lots of plant foods in their whole, unprocessed form, such as vegetables, fruits, beans, lentils, nuts, seeds, whole grains, and small amounts of healthy fats. It does not include
In Policy and Medicine’s blog, a response to an article posted in The Atlantic, Thomas Sullivan recounts whether modern medicine is on the decline verses alternative medicine becoming a more popular choice despite evidence that points to the contrary. By addressing the article in The Atlantic entitled The Triumph of New-Age Medicine by David H. Freeman, Sullivan’s thesis not only questions whether contemporary medicine is falling short in providing care but, loudly exclaims the opposite is true. Staying in tune with the pace of the article the main point is brought out early in the paper through data and statistics. Sullivan wastes no time in taking an implied view against alternative medicine. Implied because Sullivan does not overtly state opposition to alternative medicine, but by tone and supporting evidence it is clear he believes modern medicine has been given a bad rapport. In this rhetorical
Dr. Esseltyn is a top surgeon in the film from the Cleveland Clinic. He found out that many of the disease that we in America struggle with are not common in cultures where they rarely consume meat or other animal products. Their discoveries inspired them to conduct several interesting studies. One of these studies took place over in China and was a very thorough study. During the research, they noted some important findings regarding common American diseases. These diseases such as cardiovascular disease, adult diabetes, and some cancers, could in many cases be prevented by consuming a diet consisting primarily of food from plants. The study’s findings were relatively unknown to the general public. This film also introduced the novel idea of food as medicine. The film follows actual people with chronic diseases /
In the article, “Escape from the Western Diet” by Michael Pollan, he argues that, “people that eat the Western diet are prone to a complex of chronic diseases.” Since meat is available everywhere in the United States, everyone is able to get their hands on meat and processed meat on a daily basis. We can eat more than double our weight of meat in the entire year, that just shows us that we tend to eat a heavy meat diet on a daily basis but we are too stubborn to change that. Pollan also states that, “the flood of refined carbohydrates has pushed important micronutrients out of the modern diets.” We live in a world that wants stuff to be done as fast as possible and well that includes food. Since we mass producing meats with the use of drugs and other forms of processing it causes some of the important nutrients that we need to leave the food. In Pollan’s article, it states that, “since healthcare is an industry, it stands to make profit on new drugs and procedures to treat chronic diseases than people changing their eating habits.” Not only are we harming ourselves in not making the proper eating choices but the healthcare industry will stay idly by in order for them to release a new drug to make money. In order for us to improve our health we have to take the first move into that direction
Living in a melting pot, different foods and spices come from all over the world. You have your salty foods, sweets, and of course the greens. It’s always fun having a variety of food to choose from so your food life can always be different. Even though trying different things can be tasteful, it does not make it healthy or good for your health all the time. Following a plant based diet is good for a lot of reasons, it promotes heart health, prevents diabetes, and it helps shed weight (in a good way). Now doing a western diet might cause negative things to your body since the foods are high in fat and sugar, leading to obesity, high blood pressure, and diabetes. Eating clean entails having all your fruits and vegetables so you can get all the nutrients and vitamins your body needs from fresh foods. That being said I will explain my position on clean eating, otherwise known as a plant based diet.
. . 30 to 40 percent of all cancers are caused by diet”(Davis and Melina 32). The consumption of meat has also been liked to Osteoporosis; “When you eat meat, your blood becomes acidic . . .In order to balance all the acidity, your bones come to the rescue by releasing some of their minerals”(Silverstone 17). “Diets”, in America revolve heavily around meat and dairy products; no wonder cancer is the second leading cause of death.
A critical discussion on how a plant-based diet extends the life expectancy of those with existing cardiovascular diseases.
There's a lot more to gluten than people realize. Stay tuned for the next part of the article, which is coming
Replacing all the meat in the human diet with vegetables and fruit is difficult. At the expense of refraining from eating meat, we are expected to partake in excessive
According to Donald D. Hensrud of the Mayo Clinic on Healthy Weight, “Eating well – choosing a plant-based diet, which emphasizes vegetables, fruits and whole grains – also will reduce your risks of some of our nation’s biggest killers and related conditions. Many cancers, heart disease and high blood pressure, among other conditions, are linked to diet, most notably to diets high in fat and saturated fat. Even without weight loss, adopting a healthier eating style can be beneficial. (Hensrud 49)”
Later on, by 1920s a German scientist known as Max Gerson started a therapy which was based on using raw juices and a vegetarian diet. By 1936, another person, namely Dr. Norman Walker published a book on the benefits of the raw vegetables juicers. Known as the “Norwalk Juicer,” the book became known for its innovative view of looking at health as it relates to
Before I get ahead of myself I will tell you how plant-based foods are far healthier for your body than animal products.