Changes

Last weekend, Jim, Shannon, and little Jacob came over. We had grown some potatoes and acorn squash for them and it was time to harvest it. One of the many things we talked about was a book that Jim was reading, The China Study. He had found out about it through a documentary that Shannon has discovered, Forks over Knives, which explored the role of protein in our diet. Wow, scary stuff.

Now, Debbie and I have been essentially ovo-lacto vegetarians for years. Not because we're anti-meat (we aren't), but because we prefer to stay low-fat and we like vegetables and fruits better. So, I wasn't surprised by some of the things Jim was reading. But, I had always thought that the problem was the fats and cholesterol. Nope. Seems the problem is the form of protein in animal products.

My interest was piqued, so last night I went to the library and checked out the book (see the link above). I have only read about 100 of the 400 pages, but it is forcing me to re-evaluate my diet. You see, I love cheese and I love milk. I drink over 2 gallons of milk a week by myself, plus about a pound of cheese and 2.5 pints of yogurt. That's a lot of protein! If what I've read so far is correct, I need to cut that down to almost nothing. If he had said to get rid of steak, I would have been in the AMEN! chorus. If he had said eat more vegetables, I would have joined the choir. But, he was telling me to give up one of my favorite foods. That's hard. If you've read this blog for very long, you know that I enjoy making cheese, yogurt, and cottage cheese. Ouch.

So, I'll continue reading, but the documentation in the endnotes makes me know that he's right. This is a readable, but scholarly, book. The author is a well-respected university professor who has been doing this research for over 30 years. I'm out of wiggle room. I have to make a choice. Sort of like where God gets us when we consider his claims, isn't it?

Stay tuned and I'll post periodically on what I've decided and how I've changed my diet...