The China Study: The Most Comprehensive Study of Nutrition Ever Conducted and the Startling Implications for Diet, Weight Loss and Long-term Health by T. Colin CampbellMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
This book was completely eye opening and as I read, I was convinced I needed to make certain changes in my dietary lifestyle -- so change I did. I began reading this book last year, but then left the book in Michigan. I picked it up again this year when my husband bought it for me. This book is thick with research and statistics that, for me, were shocking, and again, life changing. After 25 years of government supported research, Campbell has concluded that living a vegan lifestyle is the only way to prevent (and reverse) cancers, heart disease, diabetes, osteoporosis, and macular degeneration -- among other diseases of affluence. He doesn't deny that some of us are genetically predisposed to certain diseases, but what he does conclude, after these 25 years of first animal testing -- and then taking the research to people -- is that we have control over our genes. If we choose to eat properly (and again, he says properly is plant-based), then we don't have to trigger those cancerous genes to get going.
As shocking as all the research said, it wasn't a surprise to me. Over the past decade, I've seen and read more and more about this stuff...I had just never seen it so clear like this. I had never read the actual China Study, so I didn't know. He took their study -- the China Study -- and put it into a book. Why haven't we heard about this, even though his research was gov't funded, he receieved awards, and he along with other well-known and respected doctors are advocating diet as a way to control disease? Well, he talks about this, and it becomes political. That part of the book, though I actually really believe it, wasn't as appealing to me simply because that stuff wears me out. It makes me sad and it's discouraging.
Did he convince me? 100%. Am I a vegan? Not today. But we have started adjusting our eating patterns to reflect more of a plant-based diet. We are taking it slow, but I do feel really good about the changes we've made. I'm losing weight (but eating a lot of fruit, vegetables, and grains), I'm sleeping better, and feeling better all-around. It is a book that everyone should read sometime.
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5 comments:
sounds like a really good book!this stuff really interests me, so thanks for sharing. I've been following a website called word of wisdom living and it also talks about how cancer is related to meat consumption. Also the effects of processed sugars and carbs on our bodies. I can't imagine being vegan or vegetarian for that matter, but eating whole foods and getting most protein from plants seems do-able to me:)
This is the kind of book that I know I should read, but I won't, because I don't want to repent.
I'm not joking.
I am in the process of reading this right now. Food Matters is another good one along similar lines. I find that a big part of the difficulty of eating almost exclusively plant-based foods is my lack of creativity in thinking up good snack and dinner options.
I read this book last year and completely changed the way we eat! Last August we switched very quickly to a vegan diet. I found that I really needed that quick switch of throwing out and giving away the food I newly considered "junk" ...but I also quickly found that I should have taken some of the change slower because I simply didn't have enough vegan recipes up my sleeve. We had a lot of pbj's and pasta in early months while I was still figuring things out. :-p It's still a process for us but I really believe we'll become 100% vegan someday. I'm convinced! :) I'm glad you liked the book.
really cool and informative stuff..thanks for sharing..god bless :)
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