Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Meet what you Eat - Don't eat Meat

My friend Randy asked me to watch the documentary Forks over Knives and offer my thoughts. The movie advocated for a plant based diet citing evidence that as we migrate toward processed foods and animal based foods, health has declined and obesity and obesity related illnesses have skyrocketed.

I'm not sure what his motivations for asking me about this were, but I was a 19 and 1/2 year vegetarian who recently incorporated meat back into my diet. At a high level, Forks over Knives was a wake-up call to me. Not necessarily to go back to vegetarianism but to pay attention to what I eat and how my body feels as a result.

Overall, I feel the movie overhyped nutrition and and underhyped calorie restriction. I do believe that a plant based diet is healthier than a meat and junk food centric diet and science supports this as well. However, there are dangers in vegetarian lifestyles especially vegan. It is difficult to get all of the amino acids your body needs from a strict plant based diet. It can be done, but only with more work than most people are willing to put into their diet. I think restricting calories is the better approach. If you base what you eat on a calorie limit, you are less restricted on what you can eat, you just need to ration how much. This way you are free to listen to your cravings, which is your brain's interpretation of what your body is screaming for (your body wants salt and your brain gives you a picture of pickles or potato chips). You are also more likely to balance your desire for sugar and fat with your need to feel satisfied by opting for lower calorie foods with more protein, complex carbohydrates and fiber. Unfortunately, portion control is also work, mainly logging everything you eat, but with the freedom of full choice rather than full exclusion of entire food categories, I believe the long term success goes up (e.g. Atkins was the meat lover's veganism and look what happened to that fad).

Forks over Knives cited scientific studies with fun graphics and charts. It also personalized the message by spotlighting individual success stories. Finally, it juxtaposed irony like the former farmer turned scientist advocating against dairy and livestock consumption or fire fighters from Texas moving off of meat for their meals at the fire house. I think the movie tried to oversell the lifestyle by overpromising an end to cancer and heart disease and understating the role of genetic markers, exercise and primary and secondary environmental factors in health and wellness.

Despite these drawbacks and my own personal skepticism this movie was motivational in making me rethink the attitudes and behaviors I exhibit with respect to the number one factor under my control - what I eat. I need to challenge my lazy notion that a calorie is a calorie is a calorie. It's time for me to meet what I eat.

Randy, now I have a Netflix recommendation for you - Fat Sick & Nearly Dead.