A Natural Plant-Based Diet Is a More Sensible Approach

For ideal nutrition, I recommend a low-fat, lowered-protein, low-sodium diet;
one that is high in raw, unrefined carbohydrates. Meals can consist entirely of
fruits, vegetables, legumes, whole grains, and raw nuts and seeds used
judiciously. This will cut the protein content to less than 75 grams per day. A
large salad of green lettuce should be consumed daily.

This ideal diet consists of at least 40 percent of calories from vegetables,
including raw vegetables, steamed green vegetables, and cooked starches such
as squash and potato. Fruit comprises another 25 percent of the diet, and
grains, beans, nuts, and seeds another 25 percent. This diet would derive not
more than 15 percent of calories from fat, 10 to 15 percent of calories from
protein, and 70 to 75 percent of calories from complex carbohydrate. The fat
would come from the natural foods themselves, not from extracted oils.

Refined food products, all sweeteners, added-salt and salted products, as well
as soft drinks, coffee, and caffeine drinks would be excluded from an optimal
diet. Dairy products would be eliminated or consumed infrequently.
If we look at a sample plant-food menu of approximately 2,000 calories (the
caloric intake appropriate for an average adult female), we see that it contains
a desirable level of protein, including generous amounts of all the essential
amino acids. Even without any nuts or beans, the menu contains much more
protein than the RDA.

Breakfast

Oatmeal (3 cups cooked)

Oranges (2 medium)

Apple (1 medium)

Lunch

Vegetable salad,

made from

lettuce, sprouts,

cucumber,

carrots, jicama, and

lemon

(8 ounces)

Kale (3 cups, steamed)

Potato (1 whole, baked)

Snack

Banana (1 raw)

Dinner 

Vegetable

salad, made from

lettuce, celery, red

pepper, carrots,

tomato, and lemon

(16 ounces)

Sunflower seeds (1 ounce)

Broccoli

(16 ounces,

steamed)

Brown rice

(2 1/2 cups

cooked)

Snack

Grapes (2 cups)

This sample diet provides 2,095 kilocalories, of which 13 percent come from

protein, 74 percent from carbohydrates, and 13 percent from fat. It can be seen

from the following analysis that there is plenty of protein in this diet, along with

the other essential nutrients. The percent of sodium, rather than being too low,

is actually appropriate. The ridiculously high RDA for sodium is reflective of the

American norm and is much too high for optimal health.

On a strict vegetarian diet such as this, the only nutrient that might need to be

supplemented is vitamin B12. One B12 tablet weekly is sufficient, as the body

stores vitamin B12

effectively and our needs are very small. Most strict

vegetarians do not need to take vitamin B12

supplements as their blood level of

this nutrient is adequate, probably because of production from bacteria residing

within the intestines. I advise people avoiding animal foods to either take a

supplement or get a blood test yearly. In a more primitive environment humans

on a plant food diet received the small amount of B12 needed from bacteria on

the foods they ate. Improved hygiene, careful washing, and modern processing

destroy this bacteria so, today, it is wise to play it safe by assuring adequate

intake.

A compromise diet plan for those desiring to move closer to good nutrition

from their present eating habits, but unable to give up animal products, would

contain animal foods in very limited quantity. These concentrated foods are

such a significant health risk that if they must be consumed, they should be

limited to not more than 3.5 to 4 ounces every other day. Even then the

animal-based food should be utilized in small quantities, perhaps as a

condiment to flavor a vegetable dish or soup. This 3.5 ounces should include all

types of animal-based foods.

Another suggestion for those who do not want to restrict themselves to

vegetarian foods and who are otherwise in good health would be to eat animal

foods such as fish and chicken a few times a month, as in foods for special

occasions. Thus one wouldn't have to worry about quantity.

If dramatic improvement in your health is what you have in mind, then

dramatic changes must be made in your diet. These changes must be

permanent. A miraculous recovery from disease, as I see with so many of my

patients who adopt these changes, requires dramatic changes in eating habits