The China Study Dilemma – “Pay the grocer now, or the doctor later.”
Weekly I have people questioning me about why I advocate eating animal products because they have read
the information about the China Study, or watched the movie Forks Over Knives, or have been told that the
“Thrive” diet by McDougall is the ONLY way to eat.
It is almost a daily “battle” to try to defend the validity of other perspectives on eating such as the “Paleo Diet”,
Modern Day Hunter Gatherers, or simply just eating REAL FOOD.
While the China Study and many recent documentaries have certainly increased awareness of the general population
about the connection between diet and health, the details of their studies / research should not necessarily be taken as
“the gospel”, where any other possibilities are immediately refuted as harmful or wrong.
There are truly many inconsistencies and shortcomings of The China Study, but the overall benefit of encouraging people
to eat more fresh, green, alive, nutrient rich foods is far more important than dismissing the entire study and the benefits
people have experienced. On the other hand, the “Eat Right for Your Blood Type” diet may also provide some useful information
in that some people may do better without animal protein, while others may not. Adapting the information from the China Study
to apply to other blood types leads us to something like the Paleo Diet again.
In the documentary Forks Over Knives – again an excellent message to add significant quantities of fresh, alive, green, colorful, fruits
and vegetables to your diet – they advocate almost no animal protein at all, and almost villain’ize’ any consumption what-so-ever. One
detail they seem to pass over is the type of animal products they are truly referring to. The villains are PROCESSED milk, PROCESSED,
dairy products, PROCESSED beef / chicken / fish, as compare to WHOLE, RAW milk and dairy products, GRASS FEED and FREE RANGE
beef and chicken and WILD fish. It is the processing of our food supply (whether for safety (ex. pasteurization) or for profit) that has adulterated
the nutritional content of animal protein and products.
It seems to me that Forks Over Knives also discusses the issue in two extremes – all meat and no meat. In their opinion people either ate dairy products
and meat ONLY at every meal and then they were sick. Or they ate NO MEAT or DAIRY – ONLY – and then they were healthy. There was no discussion of
plentiful consumption of fresh, local, green, alive, nutrient rich, colorful foods (9-11 servings of fruit and vegetables), AND healthy animal products (grass fed,
free range, minimally processed).
If you do well on a low animal product 
nutrition program – that is excellent – however, this may not be the best thing for your spouse, your child, your neighbor,
your co-worker, your mother…. If you have a chronic or terminal disease, avoiding animal products (for a period of time) might be beneficial for you…. I am not
saying there is no benefit to a vegetarian or vegan diet, but at the same time I am not saying that everyone has to consume massive amounts of (processed) animal
products.
Although the sweeping generalizations gather media attention – the beauty is in the details. If you are concerned about a nutrition program that is right for you and
your lifestyle, especially if you have a history of disease, or family history of disease it is likely in your best interest to consult with a knowledgeable practitioner to
determine where you are today, and what might work for you today and possibly plan for how to modify your nutrition in the future. Your life situation is always
changing, your stress, your exercise, your daily demands, your goals….. your nutrition might need to change to help support you during your different life stages!
For a detailed analysis of the China Study and why it may not “extrapolate” and apply as simply as Campbell ascertains please see:
http://rawfoodsos.com/2010/08/03/the-china-study-a-formal-analysis-and-response/
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