Conventional wisdom has led us to believe that milk gives us strong bones, eggs are a perfect protein, meat give us strong muscles and that plants contain low quality protein. Conventional wisdom differs from scientific wisdom in that scientific wisdom has been conducted without a bias for a particular result and is peer-reviewed by other scientists who have a strong knowledge of methodology and statistical analysis. In other words, the aim with science is to find out what is likely to be true, not what is popular. Unfortunately, the prejudices of big business food industries reach more people than that of the scientific community. "Prejudices are hard to uproot when they are not recognized as such, and even more so when they are still being repeatedly reinforced within the culture at large" (Diet for a New America, John Robbins). Lets take a trip back into history and follow a few studies that have helped shape the scientific viewpoint on nutrition and its relation to disease.
Over 2,500 years ago Plato and Socrates condemned the eating of animal flesh. 2,000 years ago, so did Seneca, tutor and advisor to the Roman Emperor Nero. Later Hippocrates, the father of medicine, understood that diet prevented disease and said "food should be our medicine and medicine our food" during his time, 460-357 B.C.
SACRED HEART MEMORIAL HOSPITAL DIET
In the 1800's a few scientists continued to shape our view on nutrition. One of those scientists was Dutch Chemist Gerhard Mulder, who discovered protein in 1839. Carl Voit was a German scientist in the late 1800's who discovered that humans needed only 48.5 grams of protein per day, but recommended 118 grams. Voit mentored a few young scientists, including W.O. Atwater who later developed the Unites States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Atwater continued to over-exaggerate the need for protein, which became synonymous with meat in the 19th century even though protein can be found in plant foods as well. This has led to classically misguided question posed to vegetarians and vegans still today of "Where do you get your protein?" (The Chins Study, T.C. Campbell and T.M. Campbell). This is also about the same time that Dr. Weston Price published his findings on the excellent dental health in primitive peoples vs. the horrible dental health in civilized peoples. He determined that processed foods were the culprit for the deterioration of dental health, even with hereditary traits such as dental arches and facial structure (Nutrition & Physical Degeneration, Dr. Weston Price).
At the same time, the medical field was being shaped by a few pioneers. Louis Pasteur, a famous French chemist in the late 1800's, supported the germ theory of disease. The Germ theory remains the corner stone upon which vaccines, parasites, viruses and antibiotics were created upon in the medical field. It states that the immune system is a victim to such insults. His theory was very controversial and many disagreed with him. One of his opponents to the theory was Henry Lindlahr, author of "Philosophy of Natural Therapeutics", who believed that lowered vitality weakens the immune system to fighting disease. He concluded that the well-being of a man depends on normal nutrition and wholesome surroundings and that normal nutrition allowed for proper, drainage and enervation. Dr. Rodemon further demonstrated that Pasteur was wrong by smearing his body with small pox and going out in public. Nobody got small pox. Although dramatic, he had demonstrated a very important point.
Scientists began to classify the quality of protein in animals, which contained all necessary amino acids, vs. the quality of protein in plants, which contain bits and pieces of amino acids. They concluded that animal protein was of higher quality than plant protein, but did not bother to factor in which protein was healthier for human consumption or the fact that eating a wide variety of plant foods does provide all the necessary amino acids (The China Study, T.C. Campbell and T.M. Campbell).
After World War I (1914-1918), an allied blockade cut off the supply of food to over three million residents of Denmark, causing them to have to ration the food supply. One measures taken was to re-allocate grain used to feed livestock for the people. During this time, the death rate dropped by 34% (The CHina Study, T.C. Campbell and T.M. Campbell).
During World War II (1939-1945), the Norwegian government was forced to ration their food, especially meat, while the country was occupied by the Germans. Norway experienced a drastic drop in death from circulatory diseases during this time. Death rates rose again when the Germans left and Norway returned to their former diet. Britain and Switzerland also experienced an increase in health while food was rationed during World War II, where infant and post-natal death rates as well as the occurrence of anemia dropped to the lowest recorded at that time. What rose during this time? Growth rates and dental health for children. After World War II, the National Heart Institute investigated why plaque in heart disease develops and how it leads to heart attacks. A comparison of the medical records of 5,000 residents from Framingham, Massachusetts enabled the research team to develop risk factors such as cholesterol. blood pressure, physical activity, cigarette smoking and obesity. More than 1,000 scientific papers were produced from this study that showed a strong correlation between high blood cholesterol and heart disease (The China Study, T.C. Campbell and T.M. Campbell).
In 1950, North Korea invaded South Korea and over 30,000 American soldiers were killed. Military medical investigators examined the hearts of 300 male soldiers and published their results in the Journal of the American Medical Association finding 77.3% of the hearts examined showed "gross" evidence of heart disease.
Many scientists have contributed to the development of true scientific understanding of nutrition in relation to disease since then. Dr. George Macilwain, a prominent surgeon of the 1800's and a vegetarian, has contributed fourteen books on medicine & health popularizing "the constitutional nature of disease." Dr. John McDougall, author of ten books on nutrition including "The McDougall Plan," also advocates a whole-foods, plant-based diet. Dr. Dean Ornish, Harvard graduate, is famous for his Lifestyle Heart Trial where he enforced stress management, meditation, three hours of exercise per week, breathing and relaxation exercises as well as cutting out almost all animal products from their diets. He found that 82% of his patients who adopted the lifestyle changes experienced a regression of their heart disease in one year.
Dr. Caldwell B. Esselstyn Jr., aka "Dr. Sprouts," was a surgeon at the Cleveland Clinic and at St. George's Hospital in London, president of the American Association of Endocrine Surgeons and voted one of the best doctors in America in 1994-95. Dr. Sprouts began studying nutrition and found that diets rich in meat, fat and highly refined foods caused disease. He began experimenting with his patients putting them on a vegetarian and had the greatest success ever recorded on treating heart disease. Never before has their been such a compelling mountain of evidence recommending a whole-foods, plant-based diet. This stacked up against the equally important and pressing issue of the record deterioration of American health with correlation to the Standard American Diet.
Many of us are unaware of these studies because there is no agency or industry with the motivation to share them with. As a Biology major graduate and a nutritional educator, I am not interested in what is popular, but what is believed to be true by the standards of the most well-respected scientists in the field. We cannot be held responsible for what we do not know, but hopefully, now you can make an educated decision on where to go from here. Stepping out into the unknown is scary. And often times people switching to a vegetarian or vegan diet, fill themselves with the wrong replacement foods. It is necessary to fill your diet with smarter food choices, ones that promote health and wellness. Start learning by reading as many articles and books you can written by reputable and unbiased resources and begin applying what you learn to buying food at the market. Sunrider International makes the most pure and concentrated whole food products that are so convenient to use. They are made from Chinese herbs, which have the backing of over 5,000 years of empirical knowledge of the Chinese royal family on their people. The owners of Sunrider are members of the royal family and have been handed down this ancient knowledge. Dr. Te-Fu Chen is a world renowned herbalist and pharmacologist. Dr. Oi-Lin Chen is a licensed western medical doctor. Together, they make the best foods on the planet! Their factories are pharmaceutical-grade and their quality control is unmatched by any company on the market today.
A History of Nutrition SACRED HEART MEMORIAL HOSPITAL DIET
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