Forks Over Knives

I try not to do much preaching on the blog (to each his own, right?), but the time has come. I would love for all of you to watch, or at least read about, the incredibly important documentary Forks Over Knives.

The film tracks the dramatic and convincing research conducted by Drs. T. Colin Campbell (of The China Study fame) and Caldwell Esselstyn, and encapsulates much of the information I've collected here and there from all the "How to Beat Cancer"-type books I've read over the past several months. But these lessons apply to all of us, not just those esteemed members of my cancer warriors crew.

Forks Over Knives is essentially the mirror opposite of Super Size Me: a few people with major health problems (hypertension and diabetes, Stage IV breast cancer, and heart disease) go on a super healthy (as in, plant-based, vegan) diet, and their results are recorded. These results are astounding. Folks who used to be on multiple forms of medication to simply stay alive no longer have to take them. They are strong, fit, and healthy. The woman with Stage IV breast cancer (the disease spread to her bones) is in remission and runs triathalons. Naturally, she is a personal hero of mine.

The director of the documentary, Lee Fulkerson, decided to give the plant-based, whole foods diet a whirl while filming the documentary. He lost 20 pounds and dropped his previously dismal cholesterol and blood pressure numbers to very healthy levels in just 12 weeks -- just by switching to a plant-based diet.  

The data out there -- serious, iron-clad data -- points to the following things:

• High protein diets (20% of calorie intake) are linked to the proliferation of cancer cells. But only animal protein -- plant-based protein has not shown the proliferation effect.
• High fat diets (20% calorie intake or even less) are linked to the acceleration of heart disease and diabetes.
• Diets deficient in fiber have a high correlation with colon and other digestive tract cancers. Animal products have no dietary fiber at all, and we're supposed to eat about 40 grams of it daily (spoiler alert: most of us don't come close to hitting 40 grams).

I have no doubt that "the cancer" found its way in my body, flourished, and attempted to settle in for the long haul because of my diet. Does that mean that everyone who loves steak and cheeseburgers and deep fried Oreos (ok, I only had those once and in North Carolina (where all bets are off)) will get colon cancer? No, not at all. I'm sure people eat far, far worse than I ever ate and will not have to deal with this idiotic disease.

But why roll the dice? Why not eat the kinds of foods that your body wants and needs and knows how to process? Even if you're not ready to become a full-on vegan like me (trust me, if Bill Clinton and I can do it, so can you -- nobody loves McDonalds more than us), just reducing the amount of meat and processed foods you eat while upping your veggie and fruit consumption will make a big difference in your overall health. If you want to hit the kitchen right now, you can find some awesome recipes at Dr. Esselstyn's son's website, the Engine 2 Diet. Rip Esselstyn is a firefighter, as buff as you'd ever want to be, and a vegan.

If this cancer-killing adventure of mine does anything for others, I hope it inspires people to really love and take care of their bodies. And it all starts with what you eat.