A plant-based diet for health

[DebbieMember]

Charles, thank you for recommending The China Study. I’ve bought a copy, have read the first three chapters and am already quite convinced of the science supporting the idea of a plant-based diet for health. I’m now giving it a try. This is quite a radical change for me, but I’ve spent years carefully ignoring such advice, various life events and lifestyle factors have influenced me and the penny had to drop, some time!

After a couple of days of radically reduced meat and dairy, I’m thoroughly enjoying experimenting in the kitchen. Today’s breakfast was porridge made with a few raisins and apple juice and water, instead of milk and water, and a little homemade coconut sauce, to serve. Goldilocks, eat your heart out! (So to speak.)

Somehow, the term ‘plant-based diet’ is something I can get behind, whereas ‘vegetarian’ or ‘vegan’ has always been something that other people do. Naturally, I’m planning my crops for the year ahead with renewed enthusiasm and will no doubt relish the opportunity to prepare and serve my home-grown veg, salad and fruit in new ways, as the harvests come in.

I’m quite looking forward to a ripe old age, too!

[charlesModerator]

 Thanks for this Debbie, I agree about the issue of words and ‘vegan’ seems to provoke considerable ire in some people. Also any label carries expectations and boundaries. I eat honey and drink beer that is apparently fined with fish scales! There needs to be another word although plant based food is good, if long. The other aspect is wholefood rather than refined and processed….

[caroline scottMember]

I am thoroughly convinced by the ideas behind a plant based diet, but am also passionate about eating locally. It seems at the moment many of the vegan staples such as beans, chick peas, lentils, soya and nuts can not be or are not produced locally, whereas meat and dairy products are. When i look through vegan cook books, I realise that if i were to go vegan my diet would be a lot less local than it is now.

Maybe a different approach to cooking and what we grow in this country is required? Is there a vegan cookbook that concentrates on uk grown food?
Currently I am just limiting the amount of dairy and meat I consume, which seems to be a good compromise for the moment. .

caroline, Leeds

[CharlieMember]

Hi Caroline,

This is a good point. I have never seen a vegan book specifically for exclusively UK grown foods. Have you read River Cottage Veg Everyday (Hugh F-W)? It has wonderful recipes for putting plant based foods at the centre of a meal, about 1/3 are vegan and most of the others could easily be.

Raw Food recipe books/websites are inspirational but not local. Perhaps we need to move the UK to a warmer place where we can grow avocados!

One can grow many different types of beans for drying in the UK as well as many nuts – the latter needing more land than most people have though (Fresh nut milks are easy enough to make with the right equipment).

Some ideas here: http://www.organiccatalogue.com/Seeds-Vegetables-Vegetables-A-B-Beans-Drying/c21_22_44_71/index.html

Pumpkin/squash seeds are a good source of protein that can be grown here, as are sunflower seeds. Of course there is a lot of protein in fresh leafy greens.

This isn’t a UK link, but it does give nutritional values for many different plants:

http://www.healthalternatives2000.com/vegetables-nutrition-chart.html

[charlesModerator]

 Another point is that many farm animals (not all) eat protein from imported soy, so although the animal seems local, it may not be entirely… at which point one starts to go a little crazy working it all out! 

The lower amount of energy and food that is required to feed people on plant based foods is an excellent reassurance that it is a sound diet.

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