The Greenprint. Marco Borges
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problems cleared up. Her hair began to shine. She dropped 3 kilos. She felt better and had more zip. ‘I never, ever felt hungry. I was always satisfied,’ she said. ‘Anything that pushes that shift to eat less animal products rather than more is good.’
The proof is in the change in her vital measurements, which astonished Bridget. Prior to the study, her vitals were:
Triglycerides: 125
Cholesterol: 230
LDL: 136
Weight: 156
Body Mass Index (BMI): 30.4
After twenty-two days, take a look at what happened to Bridget:
Triglycerides: 104
Cholesterol: 219
LDL: 122
Weight: 149
BMI: 29.1
‘I’ve thought more about the food I eat than I ever have before, and I care about what I’m putting in my body,’ Bridget concluded.
To me, ‘Eat more plants’ is a pretty simple law to follow. My family and I enjoy a 100 per cent plant-based diet, which studies have found to be the only diet in the world that can prevent, arrest and, in many cases, reverse heart disease. We also know that it’s a cruelty-free way to live that is as good for the planet as it is for us. I have one simple guideline: I don’t eat anything produced from or by something that has a face. This means no chicken, turkey, cows, pigs, sheep or fish of any kind. This also means I don’t eat dairy foods, including milk, cheese or butter, and I don’t eat eggs. I don’t use mayonnaise or honey, either.
One of the questions I’m asked most frequently is, ‘What do you eat?’ The answer is that I eat anything, as long as it doesn’t originate from an animal. I eat vegetables, fruits, beans, legumes, grains, seeds and nuts, and no, I never feel sluggish or weak, and I always get enough protein.
Of course, that’s the big question you get when you stop eating meat: ‘How do you get enough protein?’ Honestly, we are all eating more protein than we could ever need. We are not protein-deficient, and don’t let anyone or any source tell you otherwise. There are plenty of studies that prove this beyond a shadow of a doubt. In fact, studies have shown that the more animal protein we eat, the sicker we will get.
I HAVE ONE SIMPLE GUIDELINE:
“I DON’T EAT ANYTHING PRODUCED FROM OR BY SOMETHING THAT HAS A FACE.
THIS MEANS NO CHICKEN, TURKEY, COWS, PIGS, SHEEP OR FISH OF ANY KIND.
The average daily requirement of protein is 46 grams for women and 56 grams for men. Scientists at Loma Linda University in California conducted the largest study in history of nutrient profiles of vegetarians, vegans and non-vegetarians. It put to rest once and for all the perennial question, ‘Do vegetarians and vegans get enough protein?’ The study followed more than seventy thousand adults for close to six years and calculated their intake of protein, along with other major nutrients such as vitamins and minerals.
According to this landmark study, non-vegetarians get way more protein than they need, and so does everyone else. On average, vegans and vegetarians get 70 per cent more protein than they even require, and 97 per cent of all Americans get enough protein.
So no one is really lacking protein. But there is another nutrient that 97 per cent of Americans are deficient in: fibre. A fibre deficiency contributes to all sorts of life-threatening illnesses, from obesity to heart disease to diabetes to cancer. This nutrient is something we should be concerned about, not protein! (More on fibre in Law #3.)
We typically think of protein as coming from animal products. But the best sources of proteins are plant-based: beans, whole grains, nuts and seeds. Even vegetables like spinach have protein. When you eat a well-rounded, varied, plant-based diet, you get all the protein you need.
So – let’s stop obsessing over protein as the ‘cure’ for obesity, overweight, diabetes and other diseases. Let’s start obsessing instead – in a positive way – about eating enough food that grows from the ground or in trees.
Plants top the diets that protect against heart disease, stroke, cancer, high blood pressure, cataracts and macular degeneration. Cancer is often chalked up to bad genes. But according to Colin Campbell, Professor Emeritus at Cornell University and author of The China Study, ‘This is not about genes. Cancer is a function of nutrition.’ In fact, he has called the component of cow’s milk known as casein ‘the most relevant chemical carcinogen ever identified.’ Another plant-based advocate, Dr Caldwell Esselstyn, makes equally unequivocal statements about heart disease: ‘Heart disease need never exist. It is a food-borne illness’.
Clearly, science and growing numbers of scientists support plant-based eating. Research shows that both high blood pressure and high blood sugar – risk factors for diabetes, cardiovascular disease and stroke – begin to fall and normalise within just a week of starting a plant-based diet.
You don’t need to eat animals to get nutrients besides protein, either. You can obtain all the carbohydrates, fats, vitamins and minerals you need from plants, too.
Think about it: where did the nutrition in the animals you have been eating come from? Plants! Plants are the original source of all nutrients. Nutrient-rich plant-based meals will make you leaner and, in the long run, healthier. You will feel great, with your body buzzing with energy and nutrition. Life will become so much easier. Developing the habit of eating plants gives you the energy, strength and health to deal with life successfully – the energy to live your life in a positive, kind and compassionate way, and to make the right choices for yourself, so you can be the healthiest version of yourself, inside and out. What are those choices? Take a look.
BEANS AND LEGUMES
GREEN VEGGIES
COLOURFUL VEGGIES
FRUIT