Last night we sat down to watch the recent documentary Forks Over Knives. The film makes a simple but rather revolutionary statement, that “most, if not all, of the degenerative diseases that afflict us can be controlled, or even reversed, by rejecting animal-based and processed foods.” The film follows The China Study (2006), a book arguing that diets centered on animal products are ultimately detrimental to human health, showcasing a massive study that took place in China where dietary patterns were correlated with different forms a cancer, cardiovascular and other diseases. The authors of the study, biochemist T. Colin Campbell, Ph.D., and his son, Thomas M. Campbell II, M.D., promote veganism as a means of reducing and reversing disease. The documentary looked at the massive growth rate of cancers and heart disease in the United States, comparing it with other nations, connecting them with diet, and then showing how similar diseases have skyrocketed in countries that have adopted a Western diet heavy in meat and dairy.
The film also shows how a conglomerate of business interests has shaped United States government policy with regards to what Americans eat, how much of it they should eat, and why. Coming on the heels of pink slime revelations last week—that the USDA has agreed to purchase 7 million pounds of the lean beef trimmings treated with ammonia (to kill toxic pathogens) and use it as filler in public school children’s lunches–it only reinforced something I already knew.
Overall, the film convincingly argued that we should be eating an entirely plant-based diet, and I hope that more people will see it and take it to heart. It helps that what is intuitive about the diet–that too much meat is a bad thing, for example–is backed by serious science. From today’s Harvard Gazette:
A new study by Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) researchers has found that red meat consumption is associated with an increased risk of total, cardiovascular, and cancer mortality. The results also showed that substituting other healthy protein sources, such as fish, poultry, nuts, and legumes, was associated with a lower risk of mortality.
Senior author Frank Hu concludes:
This study provides clear evidence that regular consumption of red meat, especially processed meat, contributes substantially to premature death….On the other hand, choosing more healthful sources of protein in place of red meat can confer significant health benefits by reducing chronic disease morbidity and mortality.
That said, the film doesn’t offer much nuance. There is little in the way of differentiating what kinds of meats people are eating, whether they are antibiotic and chemical laden, come from abused and traumatized animals, have a terrible environmental, health, and spiritual signature, and whether people are eating clean and healthy meats. The argument is that we would all benefit by going vegan, and I feel uncomfortable with one-diet-fits-all approaches (especially when so many vegan products are highly processed and full of soy). I’d love to see more about the studies that were performed, or studies that look at different animal-product based diets, but in the end, this is a film that I’d want my dad to see.
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I truly enjoy reading the articles posted on Beyond Halal. Until recently, I too was trying to cut down on my meat consumption. That was until I read the book “Primal Blueprint”. The primal diet is rapidly gaining followers and many have amazing success stories with reversing disease as well as weight loss and overall well-being. It is based on eating whole foods that mimic those that were eaten by our hunter-gatherer ancestors. This involves eating mostly animal products, vegetables, fruits, and nuts.
It seems to me that most studies that find a detrimental effect of eating red meat do not take into consideration the quality of the meat (i.e. feed lots vs. grassfed beef) nor do they differentiate much between processed and unprocessed meat. I encourage you to read this book and follow the movement in order to see “the other side of the coin.” An excellent website is http://www.marksdailyapple.com.
I look forward to seeing the introduction of the primal/paleo movement to your readers soon…even if you don’t agree with it. I’m sure your readers will appreciate you bringing them a wide array of information from the world of food and wellness.
Hi Mona,
I totally agree, and this was one of my major issues with Forks Over Knives. I wish there were studies that look at diets where the meat is free from all the crap that goes into the meat that we find at the grocery store (which includes halal meats, of course). In the first version of this article I actually listed a bunch of those points, but then the Harvard thing fell in my lap so I went with that instead. But yes, arguments against meat are very un-nuanced. I only know a little about the primal diet, but my position right now on pretty much all diets is this: we all have different constitutions, and some of us are better able to handle a vegetarian or vegan diet and some a more meat based diet. We can think of this in terms of traditional medical constitutions (whether in Chinese, Ayurvedic, Yunani, etc) or things like blood type. The more I learn, the less I advocate that all people should eat one particular diet, though I generally advocate that people eat less meat because, in general, the meat that people are eating isn’t all that great, especially what people are eating in the Muslim community. Also with the primal diet, as someone with an anthropology background I tend to push back against a modality that claims to connect us with an ancestral diet going back that far. A lot has happened between now and then and our bodies have adapted in a variety of ways, and I think this touches back on the constitutional aspect. I’m definitely open to learning more, but just knowing myself and my dietary proclivities, I can’t eat more meat than I already do. I also feel very strongly that as a Muslim, I need to take into account the wider ethical impact of my eating, which then brings in a variety of other personal moral concerns. Lastly, I want to follow the example of the Prophet Muhammad (sws) who ate very little meat, for whatever reasons, and model in whichever ways my life after him. Thank you for posting, and I’ll definitely check out the website!
Salam Krystina,
A good book to read is Dr Weston A. Price’s ‘Nutritional and physical degeneration’. In it Dr. price, in the 1930′s (I think) travelled to visit many tribes alL over the globe and found very different diets yet they all had terrific health. He found no Vegan communities (Because its a 20th century invention obviously) and VERY few vegetarian tribes, and found that tribes nearby who did eat meat were more strong and exuded better health. Its shows before and afters of pictures showing the poeple’s teeth (Dr. Price was a dentist) of what happened as soon as these tribes adopted western diet (NOT meat like the article describes) but things like refined sugar, white flour etc. There is a foundation in his memory and philosophy that focuses on traditional farming, health, organic farming etc. which would definitely fall in line with this great website! =)
The website is http://www.westonaprice.org/
Also a good book describing why different diets affect people differently is William Wolcott’s ‘Metabolic Typing’. This book changed the way I looked at diets and made complete sense why an Eskimo eating ALL meat and fats (Fruits & Veg dont grow on ice) is as healthy as someone in the past living in more tropical climates eating more plant foods. The book primal blueprint is a good book if your someone like me who is classed a ‘protein type’ but the book doesn’t address individual needs in terms of micronutrient ratios needed for different people, as people have different macronutrient needs described in the book metabolic typing.
Anyways, first time on this site. Looks good. Im glad that some people are stressing the issue of halal meat not meeting real Islamic guidelines. Currently in the UK i can only find one place (Online) who sells organic & free range meats, however they are way too expensive (more expensive than non-halal grassfed for instance) and hopefully if more people stress on this subject, more free-range and organic halal meats will become available. Again many thanks to however that started this site!! =)
Wa salaam, yes, we’re big Weston Price lovers! Nourishing Traditions is one of our favorite cookbooks
Check out our business directory for halal meat businesses that we like: http://beyondhalal.com/resource/halal-meat/