Eating like an idiot

The China Study by by T. Colin Campbell, Thomas M. Campbell II

Do I feel like an idiot. 

A fat stupid American idiot.  I read Francis Moore Lappe's Diet For A Small Planet a thousand years ago and came to believe, implicitly, in protein combinations.  I experimented with vegetarian eating for a while, but since protein was king, I made sure to combine my beans and corn.  My weak, unevolved human body wasn't capable of nourishing itself without complete (a.k.a. animal) protein.

Then, a couple of years ago, I read Sears' The Zone diet.  At the time, I was interested in losing weight, period.  For losing weight, it's a winner.  You don't even feel hungry.

Now I'm interested in heart health, endurance, and cancer prevention.  And it took me all
these years to question what Big Mother National Dairy Council and Big Papa Animal Torture Organization was feeding me.  In simple, a pack of lies.

It's all I can do to keep from ordering a handful of copies of this book and sending them to everyone I care about.  But I won't--a good example and kindly dropped hint or two will hold more power than any amount of bludgeoning.

Do you know what's the highest praise I can give this work?  It's that early on, it got me thinking about science, research, and honesty, which in turn made me think closely about the contents of the book as I was reading it.  Which meant that any little exaggeration--any hint of inaccuracy--jumped out at me like a hot vegetable.  (No pun intended.)  Places where he states unequivocally that animal husbandry decimates the environment bugged me.  There are many landscapes that are unsuitable for agriculture but can easily nourish goats or rabbits.  Cheap food and unhealthy, but food for the starving nonetheless.

So much for my cheese cubes and sliced (free range) turkey breast.  Pinto beans for supper.