Diets don't work, animal protein paves the way for a heart attack, and in general, the intestines governs the brain, and not vice versa: after reading the books on nutrition from our review, you will learn many unexpected things.
China Study, Colin Campbell
ed. "Mann, Ivanov and Ferber"
American boy Colin Campbell spent his childhood on a farm and, like millions of people around the world, was convinced that in addition to fresh air and clean water, the body needs a lot of protein food for health. For example, a hearty breakfast of scrambled eggs, bacon, sausages and a couple of mugs of milk is the right menu for those who are not going to be suffocated, but plan to grow strong and powerful.
It was in the late 1940s, but Colin held the same views later, starting a career as a scientist at Cornell University. That all changed when Campbell, PhD, spearheaded the world's largest human nutrition study in 65 counties in China and Taiwan. A Chinese study examining the effects of diet and lifestyle on disease mortality began in 1983 and is still ongoing and has already led to shocking findings.
The first break in the template - the origin of protein food matters: plant proteins are beneficial to health, and animals contained in the same bacon, eggs and dairy products provoke heart disease, diabetes and cancer. The second break in the pattern is that by reducing animal protein in the diet, one can not only prevent the disease, but also reduce its manifestations if it has already occurred.
Here are a few more discoveries (by no means all) made during the study:
- those who eat mainly animal food are more prone to chronic diseases;
- high cholesterol levels lead not only to cardiovascular, but also oncological diseases;
- the consumption of animal fats increases the risk of breast cancer;
- less than 3 percent of breast cancer cases are hereditary;
- fiber does not interfere with the absorption of iron from food;
- The favorite argument of opponents of vegetarianism, “vegetable protein cannot replace animal protein,” is not true.
Since the research results were released to the public, Campbell has gained a following - and even more haters. Often the arguments of both of those and others sound convincing. Therefore, a summary from what you have read (however, as always when it comes to revolutionary discoveries) - act without fanaticism. Can't live without meat and cheese sandwiches - okay. Nobody demands to convert to veggie faith. Just reduce your portions.
“Many consider themselves knowledgeable about nutrition. But they are wrong. We are fond of one or the other newfangled diet. We scornfully reject saturated fat, butter, or carbohydrates, and then enthusiastically take vitamin E, calcium, aspirin, or zinc supplements, in the belief that they will give us the key to health. And too often, fashion is more important than facts. In the late 1970s, Americans became addicted to the protein diet. She promised weight loss by replacing normal meals with a protein shake. In a very short time, almost 60 women have died from this diet.”
Plant-Based Diet by Lindsay Nixon
ed. "Mann, Ivanov and Ferber"
Логическое продолжение «Китайского исследования» – издание о вкусной и полезной растительной диете. Причем автор книги, американский эксперт по растительному питанию Линдси Никсон, неустанно подчеркивает: это не веганство, ведь веганы не просто не употребляют продукты животного происхождения, они также не носят одежду и обувь из кожи и шерсти, не используют косметику на основе животных ингредиентов. Мало того, такая диета подразумевает, что питаться вы будете лишь цельными необработанными растительными продуктами. И здесь вас ждут кое-какие сложности: к примеру, как при таком раскладе посещать рестораны и прочие заведения общепита; как не умереть от голода в путешествии; как не обидеть отказом маму, приготовившую для вас любимые блюда детства – острые куриные крылышки и пряные свиные ребрышки. У предусмотрительной Линдси на все это есть ответ.
Purely American, persistently and even boastfully, Lindsay Nixon, by her personal example, and at the same time by the example of her husband, parents and acquaintances, clearly demonstrates what can be achieved by switching to a plant-based lifestyle (crossed out) diet. To do this, she uses photographs from the “it was - it was” series. In the “before” pictures, everyone is fat and dull, the “after” pictures are thin and energetic. In addition to the disappearance of extra kilos, hormonal balance is restored, diseases recede, including infertility, allergies and even paralysis.
In order to inspire readers to feats for the sake of health, myths are recklessly debunked. It turns out that milk does not reduce the risk of osteoporosis; spinach and kale contain twice as much protein as beef; soy does not raise blood estrogen levels; vegetable oils have low nutritional value. True, the author does not really bother to support his statements with scientific data.
Lindsay also touches on two other important issues: the safety of a plant-based diet for pregnant women and children. In short, both have nothing to worry about. Only about the variety of the menu - but on the last pages, the author gives recipes for soup, hot and dessert. In general, everything would be fine, but the categorical tone and the lack of a scientific base are confusing, instead of which there are stories of miraculous healings after a couple of months of eating vegetables, fruits, nuts.
“A plant-based diet is suitable for children of all ages, from birth through adolescence to adulthood. The trouble is, babies need a lot of calories, but their tiny tummies often feel full before they get the calories they need. <…> Concentrated calorie sources such as dried fruits, nuts, seeds, grains, avocados, vegan yogurts, coconut milk, smoothies and vegan muffins are great for baby food.”
Nutrition Lab Secrets by Tracy Mann
ed. Alpina Publisher
"Diets don't work!" - states categorically at the very beginning of her book Tracy Mann, Ph. D. in psychology at Stanford University, founder of the Laboratory of Health and Nutrition at the University of Minnesota. And then, over two hundred pages and 12 chapters, he proves: sadly, it really is. The weight dropped with great difficulty will inevitably return - and not because you are weak-willed and worthless.
Tormenting yourself with a guilt complex, accusing yourself of intemperance is useless. Firstly, no one has canceled heredity, which determines a given range of body weight at different ages (this was proved by observations of adopted children, whose weight tended to those of biological parents, not adoptive ones).
Secondly, any diet is stressful. And stress makes him want to … seize. Here's a vicious circle. Thirdly, the human body is designed in such a way that it ignores your willpower, and considers every restriction (especially restriction in food) as a challenge. Have you given up sweets? Hallucinations in the form of cakes will haunt you 24/7 and finally make you give up - well, or earn an eating disorder or neurosis.
Now what? Accept the prospect of obesity as inevitable? Not at all. Tracy Mann suggests doing science: calculating your body mass index, consulting a nutritionist, switching to healthy foods without counting calories. And, having reached the optimal weight, stop and maintain the result without a manic desire to lose pounds in order to lose weight to the state of stellar anorexic women. Plus a lot of movement. And finally, accept your body - it's so cool!
“Diets affect our thinking, causing obsessive thoughts about food and stress, which in turn leads to an increase in the stress hormone cortisol. In high concentrations, cortisol causes many problems and also leads to weight gain. By avoiding diets, you will eliminate the source of stress from your life."
Adorable Gut by Julia Anders
ed. "Eksmo"
Now get ready to be very surprised. Because you have not heard this about the intestines even from the family doctor. And in general, it is not customary to talk about this organ in a decent society - there are too many not the most attractive physiological features associated with it. By the way, read this book with caution: strictly not during meals and not on public transport, where neighbors on the subway car can secretly look at the pages and then look at you for a long time in bewilderment.
The reward for the inconvenience will be a lot - no, not so - a MASS of useful information that will greatly facilitate your life. Of course, the physiological details will be full. But even more - facts from the life of the intestine, which, as it turned out, is the main organ of the human body. And if earlier we believed that not a single process in the body occurs without the blessing of the brain, then the author of the book, Julia Enders, a microbiologist from Frankfurt, easily convinces: even the omnipotent brain obeys the intestines.
It is there, in the depths of a 7-kilometer “pipe”, where 100 billion (about 2 kg) bacteria live, vital minerals and trace elements are assimilated, 80% of immunity is laid and even emotions are formed. Unbelievable, but true: the intestines have an effect on memory, can provoke attacks of fear and depression (it has been proven that malfunctions in the intestines can lead to suicide), and there are more nerve cells in it than in the spinal cord.
In addition, the author explains the close relationship of the intestine with diseases such as allergies, fructose and gluten intolerance, lactose deficiency, and most importantly, gives recommendations on how to alleviate these conditions or completely eliminate them with the help of proper nutrition.
“If our intestines have an excessive amount of fructose, which is not absorbed, but excreted from the intestine, then along with the excess fructose we lose [the amino acid] tryptophan. Tryptophan is a building block for serotonin, which in turn acts as a neurotransmitter and is also called the hormone of happiness. Insufficient synthesis of serotonin can become one of the factors in the development of a depressive state."
Vitamania by Katherine Price
ed. "Mann, Ivanov and Ferber"
To write this book, author Katherine Price, a journalist, Yale graduate and author of many popular science articles, visited laboratories and pharmaceutical factories, studied the history of nutritional science. As a result, the book turned out to be diverse. To begin with, a detailed excursion into the history of the discovery and study of each of the main vitamins is offered. A, B, C - in this case, not just letters, but unidentified several centuries ago, the culprits of serious diseases. Scurvy, pellagra, beriberi, night blindness - this is not a complete list of diseases, to the causes of which scientists were able to get to the bottom only in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Now, of course, there is no such terrible deficiency in vitamins (exceptions are some countries in Africa and Asia). But now the civilized world has a different problem - uncontrolled intake of vitamins, which means overdose and its negative consequences. This is especially true of fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, K, which do not dissolve in water, and therefore are poorly excreted from the body. In addition, guided by the erroneous opinion “Well, we, the children of progress, know everything about vitamins,” people have, to put it mildly, a strange idea of the benefits of total vitaminization. Admit it, you also believe that a 1000 mg effervescent vitamin C tablet is guaranteed to keep you from colds, even if everyone around you sneezes? Will not save. Moreover, in a high dose, this vitamin can provoke the formation of kidney stones. Another misconception concerns vitamin A. Studies have shownthat, contrary to its reputation as an antioxidant, beta-carotene increased smokers' chances of developing lung cancer. But multivitamins did not have any oncological effect - but they did not serve as prevention (again, according to scientific data).
A large chapter in the book is devoted to dietary supplements, in particular the problem of their uncontrolled production and sale. However, the most valuable and informative section is an application with a list of vitamins, a detailed description of their action, pros and cons, the consequences of hypo- and avitaminosis.
“Vitamin A in this sense [of hypervitaminosis] is the greatest danger, since its overdose can lead to irreversible dysfunction of the liver, congenital pathologies and, in some cases, to death. <…> An overdose of another irisoluble vitamin - E - prevents blood clotting, and too much vitamin K can interfere with the action of the drug "warfarin", which thins the blood. Excessive intake of vitamin D leads to a dangerous increase in the level of calcium in the blood, which, in turn, promotes the deposition of calcium in the most inappropriate places, for example, on the walls of arteries or in the kidneys."
Text: Marina Syutaeva
