Plants contain very powerful and life-saving antioxidants. In the human body, oxygen inevitably generates reactive molecules throughout all the tissues of the body called free radicals. These free radicals are dangerous to body cells because they can damage essential molecules such as DNA and the enzymes necessary for proper function of cells. Antioxidants capture these reactive free radicals and safely convert them back to normal. Although the body does produce antioxidant molecules on its own, these work together with antioxidants that are delivered through diet, mainly from fruits and vegetables.
Antioxidants include vitamins, carotenoids, such as beta-carotene, lycopene, lutein, and astaxanthin, and flavonoids found in most plants. All these antioxidants are molecules that plants use to protect themselves against environmental factors as solar radiation, heat, toxic chemicals, molds, etc. Antioxidants also protect all life on earth (plants, animals, and humans) against the damaging effects of oxygen radicals, which are always formed in an oxygenated environment.
A nutritional approach to disease prevention and reversal.
Research shows that a low-fat, whole food, plant-based diet results in optimum health, as it can prevent, and even reverse chronic degenerative conditions such as cancer, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, obesity, and other autoimmune disorders. A plant-based diet also reduces the risk of inflammation, anxiety, depression, lupus, multiple sclerosis, arthritis, osteoporosis, Alzheimer’s, and many other conditions.
Over the last 40 years, medical studies have led discoveries that could change the current health care system, the food system, and benefit the planet’s eco-system.
Such studies show that eating a low-fat, whole foods, plant-based diet can be the key to a more practical medical care. Pioneering physicians and researchers have discovered that diet has the power to prevent and reverse disease, and their work has opened up a new path for future treatment protocols for chronic diseases.
Such studies show that eating a low-fat, whole foods, plant-based diet can be the key to a more practical medical care. Pioneering physicians and researchers have discovered that diet has the power to prevent and reverse disease, and their work has opened up a new path for future treatment protocols for chronic diseases.
A nutritional approach to cancer.
Hundreds of medical studies support the fact that a lifestyle medicine approach can help prevent and even reverse certain forms of cancer. Dr. T. Colin Campbell, Professor Emeritus of Nutritional Biochemistry atCornell University, author of over 300 research papers, and co-author of The China Study, has been able to debunk the myth that animal protein is healthy.
Animal protein increases growth rapidly, therefore, eating animal products will only initiate and increase the size of a cancer tumor. It has been proven that animal protein can literally turn on and off the development of tumors or early lesions that lead to tumors.
If fact, decades of research show that animal protein is a powerful cancer-causing agent. In the past, research has focused on genetics as the primary source for disease development. However, it is lifestyle, especially the nutrition aspect of it, which establishes whether gene expression develops into illness or whether those harmful genes stay dormant.1 (See Preventing and Reversing Cancer)
A nutritional approach to reducing cholesterol and reversing heart disease.
A plant-based diet combined with nuts and/or fiber reduces low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol by an average of 25% – 30%. This is comparable to what can be achieved with statin drugs but without the costs and potential side effects.2
In addition to the effect of a plant-based diet on hypercholesterolemia, its effects are also beneficial to coronary disease, diabetes, hypertension, obesity, prostate cancer, breast cancer, and other conditions.
A reason that these conditions are often associated is that they often share common diet and lifestyle origins. The consumption of oils including olive and coconut is absolutely not recommended for individuals with heart disease related conditions such as high cholesterol, high blood pressure, stroke, heart attacks and other heart conditions. (See Reversing Heart Disease).
A nutritional approach to weight loss and weight management.
Following a whole food, plant-based diet, will not only help lose unwanted weight naturally (without harmful supplement or pills), but it will cleanse the body’s arteries, veins, organs, and blood. The current system has confused consumers thinking that calorie and carbohydrate count is the optimal way for weight control.
Consuming complex carbohydrates (found in plant-foods) such as potatoes, legumes, and whole grains don’t cause weight gain. It is saturated fat, such as animal foods (eggs, meats, dairy), empty carbohydrates (pastries, cookies, crackers) that produce weight gain.
Sustainable weight loss comes down to animal vs. plant protein, as there is a substantial difference between the two. When measuring the quality of proteins, meaning, the efficiency with which the proteins of these different foods are used within the body, it is found that the weight gained from animal protein is greatly larger than any possible weight gained from plant protein. (Losing Weight)
A nutritional approach to energy and improved performance.
Several world-athletes attribute their whole foods, plant-based nutrition with their enhanced performance. From bodybuilding to track, football, hockey, and basketball, many super athletes attribute their success to following a plant-based diet including Mr. Universe Barny Du Plessis, Aaron Foster, Jim Morris, Martina Navratilova, Rich Roll, Georges Laraque, Mac Danzig, Tony Gonzales, or Maureen Shea, among many others. (See Athletic Performance)
