I would love to hear your opinion on Dr. Esselstyn's and Dr. Greger's (amongst others) research about the benefits of a plant based diet and how even world renowned oncologists are now touting an animal product-free diet as a way to fight and prevent cancer. I'm not vegan, but after hearing what they have to say and watching Eating for Tomorrow I'm leaning that way, but at the same time I'm also more confused than ever about who to trust and believe.
Hi Linda! I am not familiar with these doctors (will look them up) and am also not a cancer specialist, but it's my understanding that building healthy muscle tissue and maintaining a healthy body composition are important for preventing and fighting cancer. We need protein for this. I do think there are serious issues with meat processing and quality that increase cancer risk, but I also worry about carcinogenic pesticide exposure from plants and nutrient deficiencies from following a plant-based diet. My hope from this post is to give people who are plant-based options to increase their protein intake so they can build and maintain muscle mass. Health to me is all about resilience and building healthy muscle tissue is proven to increase your ability to handle stressors, such as illness. x
In a world of so much conflicting nutrition advice, it’s refreshing to have my same values and way of eating reflected here. It’s one of the reasons why I enjoy following you so much :) So many cookbooks I look through and think, I would never want to make that, but yours I love!
Hi Mia! Longtime plant-based eater here (and personally feeling great!), but I'm intrigued by your take as a nutritionist. If you're considering a follow-up piece to this, I'd love to read about why something like 60 grams of carbs from chickpeas is bad/undesirable. Especially considering all the fiber you'd get. TIA :)
Hi Alexandra - thanks for your comment. Glad you're feeling good! Excess carbs can cause blood sugar spikes, which can harm your metabolism (this is what causes insulin resistance and diabetes) and lead to weight gain. Those 2 cups of chickpeas have 60 net carbs (that's after the fiber is subtracted) -- the total carb count is over 100 grams. I'm not against eating plant-based (or really anything if it makes you feel good), just trying to give plant-based eaters the tools to build healthy muscle mass and improve their metabolic health. It's totally doable, but requires some more thought. Hope this helps!
Thanks so much for the reply! The blood sugar spike thing is of course super important. (So many things to keep track of haha). Curious if pairing something carb-heavy like chickpeas with healthy fats (avocado, olive oil, etc.) counteracts the blood sugar spike risk?
I know it can feel like a lot! Protein, fiber and fat curb blood sugar spikes, so they’re great to eat with carbs. Fat alone will definitely help but depends on quantity. Some olive oil on rice, for example, probably won’t do the trick. Going for walks or doing light exercise after a meal can also reduce glucose by 30% (!). That said, eating adequate protein is the key to building healthy muscle mass and is critical for balancing blood sugar levels. There are plenty of plant based ways to do this. I just often hear people say “I had quinoa” or “there were chickpeas in there” and I don’t think they realize that it doesn’t have sufficient protein alone and is very carb rich. That was the point of the comparisons. Animal protein is more efficient, but you can get there with plants. It just takes more time/effort and I hope this post helps with some ideas.
I would love to hear your opinion on Dr. Esselstyn's and Dr. Greger's (amongst others) research about the benefits of a plant based diet and how even world renowned oncologists are now touting an animal product-free diet as a way to fight and prevent cancer. I'm not vegan, but after hearing what they have to say and watching Eating for Tomorrow I'm leaning that way, but at the same time I'm also more confused than ever about who to trust and believe.
Hi Linda! I am not familiar with these doctors (will look them up) and am also not a cancer specialist, but it's my understanding that building healthy muscle tissue and maintaining a healthy body composition are important for preventing and fighting cancer. We need protein for this. I do think there are serious issues with meat processing and quality that increase cancer risk, but I also worry about carcinogenic pesticide exposure from plants and nutrient deficiencies from following a plant-based diet. My hope from this post is to give people who are plant-based options to increase their protein intake so they can build and maintain muscle mass. Health to me is all about resilience and building healthy muscle tissue is proven to increase your ability to handle stressors, such as illness. x
In a world of so much conflicting nutrition advice, it’s refreshing to have my same values and way of eating reflected here. It’s one of the reasons why I enjoy following you so much :) So many cookbooks I look through and think, I would never want to make that, but yours I love!
Thank you, Hana! This made my day :)
Hi Mia! Longtime plant-based eater here (and personally feeling great!), but I'm intrigued by your take as a nutritionist. If you're considering a follow-up piece to this, I'd love to read about why something like 60 grams of carbs from chickpeas is bad/undesirable. Especially considering all the fiber you'd get. TIA :)
Hi Alexandra - thanks for your comment. Glad you're feeling good! Excess carbs can cause blood sugar spikes, which can harm your metabolism (this is what causes insulin resistance and diabetes) and lead to weight gain. Those 2 cups of chickpeas have 60 net carbs (that's after the fiber is subtracted) -- the total carb count is over 100 grams. I'm not against eating plant-based (or really anything if it makes you feel good), just trying to give plant-based eaters the tools to build healthy muscle mass and improve their metabolic health. It's totally doable, but requires some more thought. Hope this helps!
Thanks so much for the reply! The blood sugar spike thing is of course super important. (So many things to keep track of haha). Curious if pairing something carb-heavy like chickpeas with healthy fats (avocado, olive oil, etc.) counteracts the blood sugar spike risk?
I know it can feel like a lot! Protein, fiber and fat curb blood sugar spikes, so they’re great to eat with carbs. Fat alone will definitely help but depends on quantity. Some olive oil on rice, for example, probably won’t do the trick. Going for walks or doing light exercise after a meal can also reduce glucose by 30% (!). That said, eating adequate protein is the key to building healthy muscle mass and is critical for balancing blood sugar levels. There are plenty of plant based ways to do this. I just often hear people say “I had quinoa” or “there were chickpeas in there” and I don’t think they realize that it doesn’t have sufficient protein alone and is very carb rich. That was the point of the comparisons. Animal protein is more efficient, but you can get there with plants. It just takes more time/effort and I hope this post helps with some ideas.
For sure! Thank you so much for sharing the extra info. It's super helpful :)