I finished The China Study last night. But, even before that, I had made up my mind—and acted on it. I'm done with animal protein. No more. Nada.
What did it? The chapter on prostate cancer. My dad already had an enlarged prostate over 15 years ago and there is some evidence that it could be genetic. Large intake of dairy products was shown to increase your chances between 2-4 times. Later, he cited a study that said 9.5 times. Not worth it!
So, why not just reduce? The data showed that if you kept animal protein under 10% of your protein intake, everything was fine. Right. That's something like a 1/2 cup of milk/yogurt or 1 ounce of cheese a day. Why bother? Besides, I was nearly a vegetarian anyway.
Just to give some perspective, I'm healthy and quite fit. My resting heart rate is in the low 50s. My cholesterol was under 100 the last time I had it checked. I ride 11 miles a day to work and back all year round. I don't take any medication—prescription or otherwise. I like it that way; I don't want to increase any risk that there might be in ingesting animal protein. Oh, and my grandfather was a dairy farmer. I spent many hours on that farm growing up. I was drinking a quart of milk a day and loving it—until this week, so I'm anything but anti-dairy.
I welcome your feedback—even if you tell me that the study is flawed (it isn't, but the dairy and meat industrie$ would like you to think $o...).
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4 comments:
Genesis 9:3 and Acts 10:15. If God gave it to us to eat, can it be bad for us?
Peter,
No, in moderation. But, in American society today, moderation is virtually impossible. I have chosen to forgo it.
It will be a bit interesting at conferences, but we'll see what happens. If I have to ingest some animal protein, I am not going to freak out. It is not a conviction from God, but a personal choice.
Hope that helps.
James
You are a better man than I! I've gone vegan for Lent, but that's the longest journey I've taken down that path. Lacto-ovate is my usual MO.
Jim,
I've been ovo-lacto for years. Surprisingly, I'm not missing it. We made a pizza last night—with out cheese—and I did miss the cheese a little bit, but found that the flavor of the vegetables and sauce were more distinct.
James
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