Fast Food Genocide

by Dr. Joel Fuhrman

  THE MEAT SPECTRUM: HOW MUCH OR HOW LITTLE?

  I hope it’s clear that a healthy diet must consist predominantly of whole plant foods that are fresh, frozen, or minimally processed. So the pertinent question is how much animal products such as chicken, fish, and eggs are appropriate in a healthy diet? This question is difficult to answer, and it’s difficult for people to accept what’s best, especially with so many false and distorted claims circulating. Some people will tell you, for instance, that eating butter (high in saturated fat) and egg yolks (high in cholesterol) is fine.

  When you look at the evidence presented by those who make such claims, it’s typically from a study comparing two groups that are both eating a relatively unhealthy diet, both with excessive animal products included and then seeing whether high-fat animal products are worse than lower-fat animal products or whether one animal product, such as eggs, makes things worse compared with, say, chicken. In such studies, both study groups have relatively poor outcomes. Too often, researchers don’t have enough knowledge about nutrition to design the right studies. The question isn’t whether dairy fat is worse than lean meat or oil, or even bread or white rice, since these are all unfavorable food choices.

  The real question is this: When you lower or remove some potentially unfavorable option from the diet, what should you replace it with to achieve better health? Are you replacing those calories with a truly healthful option?—because if not, the results of any study will be almost worthless. We don’t need to know whether dark meat chicken is worse than light meat chicken if they both increase the risk of heart disease and cancer and the difference is slight. And if white meat turns up to be not as bad as dark meat, it doesn’t mean that white meat chicken is good for you. Whenever a study is performed and animal products are removed and replaced with vegetables and beans, the health benefits are dramatic.

  Likewise, just because commercial baked goods and high-glycemic carbohydrates such as white bread and white rice may be even more dangerous for your long-term health compared with eggs or poultry doesn’t mean that eating eggs and poultry regularly is a good idea or enhances life span. Thousands of studies have already documented the benefits of eating a diet low in animal products and rich in fibrous plant foods. It’s hardly worthwhile discussing whether eggs are better or worse than meat, because neither is favorable. The reality is that it is better to eat fewer eggs and less of other animal products and to eat more vegetables, beans, nuts, and seeds.

  In fact, when scientists from the World Cancer Research Fund and the American Institute for Cancer Research systematically analyzed more than one thousand studies on this topic, they found that diets low in fibrous plant foods and higher in meat were linked to cancer. As a result, these two organizations recommended that people consume a whole-food, plant-rich diet.3

  My point is to make it clear that no matter what type of animal product you choose to eat, it should be a minor part of your diet and not the major part. When you eat too many animal products, no matter what type you consume, they decrease the proportion of vegetation you eat and drive growth hormones produced by the body too high, which promotes cell growth and replication, and thus cancer.

  Generally, the most respected long-term studies show that the longest-lived Americans are vegans and near-vegans who include in their diets a bit of seafood. A vegetarian diet may include plenty of vegetables, beans, fruits, and nuts that are rich in phytochemicals, antioxidants, fiber, magnesium, vitamins C and E, and folate and are low in cholesterol, saturated fatty acids, and sodium. Of course, there are also lots of vegans who eat unhealthy junk foods, so just eating a vegan diet does not define dietary excellence. That is the purpose of the term “Nutritarian”—to identify a diet style that avoids fast food and junk food and emphasizes nutrients. Long-term studies repeatedly demonstrate that death from all causes is significantly lower in vegetarians than in omnivorous populations. Compared with omnivores, the incidence of cancer and type 2 diabetes is also significantly lower. Other than the risks from low vitamin B12 and omega-3 fatty acids, which are easily supplemented, vegans and vegetarians generally live longer than people who eat lots of animal products.4

  Animal Products and Heart Disease Risk.

  All animal products are rich in high biological protein, so they all raise IGF-1 levels unfavorably.

  Lots of data have already accumulated suggesting that for excellent health, most people need to keep the consumption of animal products at less than 10 percent of total calories. People with known disease, such as diabetes or heart disease, or a high genetic risk of disease, should cut back on animal products even more, most likely to less than 5 percent of total calories to maximize the protective and healing potential of a Nutritarian diet.

  When choosing which animal product to eat, keep in mind that red meats have about 100 calories per ounce and white meats, fish, and eggs have about 50 calories per ounce. Especially if you are limiting your animal protein intake to 2–3 ounces, it still can be a relatively minor part of your total caloric intake for the day. And, of course, you should always try to find animal products, even this relatively small amount, that are as close to naturally and wild raised as possible, as opposed, for instance, to being raised in commercial feedlots with higher potential for containing toxins and being contaminated.

  The chart above is from my book The End of Heart Disease, where I demonstrate through scores of studies that reducing animal products to very low levels facilitates dramatic lowering of blood pressure and cholesterol lowering, and the reversal of advanced heart disease.

  Many Nutritarians are vegans and eat no animal products at all; others eat a small amount a few times a week or month; and some eat a small serving once a day. Most Americans eat animal products three times a day, at every single meal. I recommend that you eat no animal products at all for breakfast and lunch, and then if you want to eat some animal products, use only a small amount as a flavoring agent with lots of vegetables with your dinner. For example, make a savory vegetable dish in a wok with mushrooms, onions, cabbage, and broccoli and add just a small amount of shredded chicken or turkey for flavor, instead of eating an entire half chicken as your meal. Many people find that mushrooms and tempeh (fermented soybeans) have the right texture and flavor to become a meat substitute or meat extender, so thus they can use very little animal products in a dish.

  In order to get the most profound benefits possible from a Nutritarian diet style, people need to simultaneously cut out fast food and significantly reduce their intake of animal products. Many people reject this advice because they enjoy beef hamburgers and don’t want to give up fast food and barbecue. Some tell me, “I’m not giving up meat.” Then I show them how they can use only 1 ounce of meat per person, mixing this small amount to add flavor to a patty made from oats, mushrooms, walnuts, and red beans. They are amazed that this healthy burger tastes like a flavorful meat burger even though it contains only 1 ounce of meat.

  With proper meal design, even the die-hard meat eater is satisfied with very few animal products in a meal. I want people to eat for both enjoyment and health; therefore, food must be appealing.

  WHY SHOULDN’T I EAT FISH EVERY DAY?

  Science dictates limits on certain foods, like animal products and oils. And yes, even fish should not be eaten more than a few times a week. Almost all fish, whether it comes from the middle of the ocean, a local lake, or a fish farm, contains methylmercury and other pollutants. These pollutants accumulate in fish as the fish breathe polluted water through their gills. Larger, predatory fish tend to contain more mercury and pollutants than smaller, shorter-lived fish, but all fish contain unfavorable pollutants, including mercury.

  Part of the reason mercury is so toxic is because our body tissues accumulate all of the mercury we eat over the years, and it takes a very long time for it to be flushed from our tissues. You might digest a piece of fish in a day or two, but the mercury in the fish will stay with you for years and can continue to accumulate to da
ngerous levels in your cells if you eat fish too often. If you eat fish too regularly, you are bound to have unsafe levels of mercury and other pollutants from fish in your tissues.

  Studies indicate that the more fish a person eats, the higher that person’s mercury levels. People who eat fish more than a few times a week have been shown to have blood mercury levels exceeding the maximum suggested by the National Academy of Sciences (less than 5 micrograms). Women who eat fish more than a few times each week have been found to have mercury levels seven times higher than the levels of women who rarely eat fish. And children who regularly eat fish have been found to have mercury levels forty times higher than the national mean.5

  As we age, high body stores of mercury cause brain damage and memory impairment. Eating a lot of fish is also linked to breast cancer, perhaps because of the high levels of mercury and other contaminants in fish or some other factor, (such as excess animal protein) but studies on this subject are clear. In one such study, 23,963 women were followed, and researchers were most surprised by the strong link between high intakes of fish and breast cancer.6 The women in the study who ate little or no fish had less than half the rates of breast cancer compared with those who ate fish multiple times a week. Moderate amounts of fish may be safe, but too much is a problem. If you eat little or no seafood, you can still get those beneficial fatty acids via a clean supplement.

  EATING HEALTHFULLY ON A BUDGET

  Dried beans are very inexpensive, and you can buy them, and intact whole grains, in bulk to save money. Plus, they store well. Millet, quinoa, wheat berries, and barley can also be purchased at significant savings in bulk, and families can buy together and share the cost. Root vegetables such as turnips, beets, carrots, parsnips, and rutabaga are not expensive and store well if you buy in quantity. Frequently, the healthiest foods in the world, such as thick green leaves—kale, collards, mustard greens, and different varieties of cabbages—are affordable and also keep for weeks if they are refrigerated or kept in a cool place.

  When my wife and I were still students, we would travel to wholesale markets where restaurants and food stores bought their produce, and we would purchase entire cases of fruits and vegetables wholesale and split them up with other families in our apartment building to save money on our food bills. We actually got other health-minded families to food share with us for a minimal fee. My wife even made and sold fruit-containing breads out of intact grains that she coarsely ground herself. Some weeks, with all the produce and breads we sold, our weekly food bill was zero.

  When we lived in New York we traveled to Hunts Point in the Bronx to buy food wholesale, and when we lived in South Jersey near Philadelphia, we traveled to the Philadelphia Wholesale Produce Market to buy food in bulk. We also purchased bananas and other fruits that were slightly damaged or a bit too ripe to fetch the usual price, often getting fantastic deals on lots of food that looked imperfect but was perfectly good to eat. We would cut away the bad parts and either freeze or dehydrate the extra food for another day. Certain fresh fruits, such as berries, can be prohibitively expensive, but they are about one-quarter the price if you buy them frozen in big bags. Remember: Frozen produce is still healthful because it retains most of its delicate nutritional value.

  So there are ways to save on your food bill: You can strategize about buying bulk and wholesale, coordinate your food purchases with family or friends nearby, or both. The additional benefit of this last option is the support you get from other people for eating healthfully. Develop healthful relationships with your neighbors rather than dysfunctional relationships with people who eat junk food and doctors who peddle drugs and drug paraphernalia (semi-funny joke).

  SIMPLE GUIDELINES FOR NUTRITIONAL EXCELLENCE

  1.Eat an intact whole grain (such as steel cut oats or quinoa) with seeds and fruit for breakfast.

  2.Eat a fresh green salad and veggie bean soup, stew, or chili for lunch, also with a fruit.

  3.Eat raw vegetables, with a dip, and a veggie stew or veggies cooked in a wok as a main dish for dinner. Add some root vegetables or squash.

  4.End with a fruity dessert, such as one of my “nice creams,” or fresh fruit with nuts.

  DON’T FRY FOODS OR COOK WITH OIL

  Oil is an example of a high-calorie, low-nutrient food. Even though some oils are worse than others, all are fattening and do not contain a significant amount of micronutrients. The more low-nutrient calories you consume in life, the shorter your life. Oil consumption has repeatedly been shown to cause obesity in animals. It is absorbed into the foods, spiking the calories, but unlike eating more fruits or nuts, oil does not make you feel full as it doesn’t have any fiber to tell your brain when you are full. In fact, using oil for cooking makes people want to eat even more calories.

  Not only does oil have 120 calories per tablespoon and is exceedingly fattening, but when you heat it and fry food in it, it becomes more dangerous. When oils are heated to varying temperatures, aldehydic lipid oxidation products are produced, which are highly mutagenic and carcinogenic.7 The foods that most link childhood and adolescent diets with adult breast cancer may be cooking oils and French fries. A prospective observational study as part of the Nurses’ Health Study II compared women with the lowest quintile of fat intake in their adolescent years with women who had the highest quintile of fat and found a clear increased cancer risk with increasing oil consumption.8 Similarly, but more ominous, was the link between consumption of French fries between ages 3 and 5 and breast cancer in later life. For each additional serving of fries per week, adult breast cancer risk went up 27 percent.9 I call them cancer fries.

  BASIC COOKING METHODS AND EQUIPMENT

  A few cooking techniques and pieces of kitchen equipment will help you make delicious Nutritarian dishes. Let’s review them before you begin to enjoy the recipes in the next chapter.

  SAUTÉING WITH WATER AND USING A WOK

  You can use water or low-sodium vegetable broth instead of oil to sauté onions, garlic, and other vegetables. Simply heat a skillet, pan, or wok on high heat, add 2–3 tablespoons water or broth, and when it’s hot, add your vegetables. Covering the pan occasionally will help the food cook faster. Add additional liquid as needed until the vegetables are tender, but don’t add too much or the food will be boiled, not sautéed. Let the pan get dry enough for the food to start to brown just a little before you add more liquid. If you are cooking with mushrooms, they give off their own liquid so you may not need to add any more. Coconut water, tomatoes, and wine are also good cooking liquids.

  A wok or large skillet is a kitchen essential. Cook up a variety of vegetables with a tasty sauce and you can have dinner on the table in minutes. Cut ingredients into uniform-size pieces and allow plenty of room so they are not crowded and can cook evenly. Give harder vegetables such as carrots, cauliflower, and broccoli a head start before adding any leafy greens since they only need a short amount of time to wilt a bit. For the best nutrient value, flavor, and texture, cook vegetables only until they are crisp tender, meaning that they are softer than raw but still have some firmness to them.

  STEAMING

  Steaming is a quick and gentle cooking method that allows valuable nutrients to be retained in the food. It’s better than boiling, which causes more nutrients to be lost in the cooking water. Steam on the stovetop with a pot containing a small amount of liquid that you bring to a simmer. Place the item to be cooked in a steamer basket above the liquid, and cover the pot. Steam vegetables only until they start to become tender but still retain some firmness. Depending on the vegetable, 8–12 minutes is all it takes. Steamer baskets are very inexpensive and can be used in any pot that has a lid.

  BLENDING

  I blend up whole food ingredients such as vegetables, nuts, seeds, fruit (fresh, frozen, and dried), and beans to make my salad dressings, sauces, dips, creamy soups, and desserts. A blender is a critical piece of equipment when it comes to making Nutritarian recipes. Invest in a durable, high-powered blender; you wo
n’t regret it. It’s helpful when the machine has enough power and speed to process your ingredients to the desired smooth consistency.

  If you have only a standard, moderately priced blender, add liquid first and then gradually add the other ingredients. You may need to add a bit more water or liquid than the recipe calls for. You may also need to do a bit more chopping before adding fruits or vegetables to the blender. If you are using nuts, soak them in water overnight to soften them before blending. You can also substitute raw cashew or almond butter for whole nuts. You will only need half the amount because the ground nut butter is denser.

  EAT INTACT WHOLE GRAINS

  Intact grains are whole grains that have been left as close as possible to their unprocessed, natural state. They still contain all the parts of the grain seed—the bran, germ, and endosperm—and have not been milled, ground, or flaked. Intact grains are even better for you than products made with whole grain flour. They have a superior nutritional profile of antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, and fiber and because they are digested slowly, they have a more favorable glycemic index.

  Here are some intact whole grains that are easy to incorporate into your meals:

  Amaranth: A gluten-free seed that is popular in South America, amaranth maintains a bit of crunch even after cooking. It is higher in the amino acid lysine than most grains, which makes it a good protein source. It can be simmered like other grains or popped in a hot, dry skillet and then used as a crunchy topping for soup, salads, or vegetable dishes.