The China Study
by T. Colin Campbell and Thomas M. Campbell II
It might be just another diet book to some, but The China Study has a special meaning for my family. My mom read it first, but after she gave it to my brother, he insisted we all adopt a vegan diet to save our lives. Naturally, after that, my dad and I read it while talking ourselves out of missing cheese. In one sentence, this book will tell you: Vegans won’t ever get cancer, diabetes, or heart disease. Healthy eating, and in particular veganism, is all the rage right now, but fifteen years ago, it wasn’t as popular a topic. It was stereotyped to hippies and those recovering from bypass surgery. But the father-son Campbell scientist and physician team put together 30 years of intense research to back up their hypotheses. This isn’t just a diet book that tells you to cut out milk to lose weight, and it doesn’t tell you to cut out butter for the sake of high cholesterol. It’s a heavy read with chapters upon chapters filled with scientific data and decades of research. If you make it through, you’ll think twice before eating four-cheese lasagna or an ice cream Sunday.
Perhaps the most relevant portion of the book in today’s world is the concept of a “junk food vegetarian”. Campbell and son introduce the topic that is largely ignored by modern health nuts. People eat packaged convenience food and processed meat substitutes, thinking they’re being healthy simply because they’ve cut out meat. However, they’re not getting very many nutrients – which is the point of adopting a whole foods, plant based diet. If you’re eating white flour pasta, soy meatballs, and a jarred sauce for dinner, followed by vegan ice cream, take another look at the ingredients lists. How many ingredients can you actually pronounce and identify? If you’re cutting out meat and dairy, try cutting out the imitations as well and focus on – well, whole foods and plants. Instead of “meatballs” which have fifteen different chemicals in them to try to inject some semblance of flavor, toss steamed kale, zucchini, and broccoli into your pasta. Instead of a jarred sauce with preservatives and excess salt, try making your own sauce. It’s not as hard as it seems: just take a couple of cans of crushed tomatoes and tomato paste and add onion and garlic. There won’t be any preservatives, chemicals, or salt, and you can freeze it in batches for whenever you make pasta! And finally, instead of vegan ice cream that has even more chemicals than the “meatballs”, and that, let’s face it, tastes terrible – just have a small portion of the five-ingredient vanilla Haagen Dazs ice cream.
Another part of The China Study that a lot of readers forget about is the 10% rule: according to the lab research, people can have up to 10% of their diet comprised of the no-no meat and dairy with the “good results”. This book doesn’t tell you to never eat meat and dairy again. It proposes veganism, but not rigidity. Think of all the food you eat during the day. If you have tons of fruit and vegetables during your meals and snacks, you can have a spoonful or two of dairy ice cream without developing cancer or diabetes.
It'll give you a different feeling to read this book now than it would have fifteen years ago. However, whether or not you’re going through a healthy kick or are seriously considering a lifestyle change, pick up a copy of The China Study. It really opens your eyes, but keep in mind a piece of advice from yours truly: keep it simple. It can seem overwhelming to cut out meat and dairy, but don’t let the stress take over and negate all the health benefits you’re gaining from your new diet. Instead of eating as many substitutes and imitations as you can, just stick with the fruits and veggies themselves. That way, you can add in 10% of the no-no foods and really appreciate them guilt-free.
Perhaps the most relevant portion of the book in today’s world is the concept of a “junk food vegetarian”. Campbell and son introduce the topic that is largely ignored by modern health nuts. People eat packaged convenience food and processed meat substitutes, thinking they’re being healthy simply because they’ve cut out meat. However, they’re not getting very many nutrients – which is the point of adopting a whole foods, plant based diet. If you’re eating white flour pasta, soy meatballs, and a jarred sauce for dinner, followed by vegan ice cream, take another look at the ingredients lists. How many ingredients can you actually pronounce and identify? If you’re cutting out meat and dairy, try cutting out the imitations as well and focus on – well, whole foods and plants. Instead of “meatballs” which have fifteen different chemicals in them to try to inject some semblance of flavor, toss steamed kale, zucchini, and broccoli into your pasta. Instead of a jarred sauce with preservatives and excess salt, try making your own sauce. It’s not as hard as it seems: just take a couple of cans of crushed tomatoes and tomato paste and add onion and garlic. There won’t be any preservatives, chemicals, or salt, and you can freeze it in batches for whenever you make pasta! And finally, instead of vegan ice cream that has even more chemicals than the “meatballs”, and that, let’s face it, tastes terrible – just have a small portion of the five-ingredient vanilla Haagen Dazs ice cream.
Another part of The China Study that a lot of readers forget about is the 10% rule: according to the lab research, people can have up to 10% of their diet comprised of the no-no meat and dairy with the “good results”. This book doesn’t tell you to never eat meat and dairy again. It proposes veganism, but not rigidity. Think of all the food you eat during the day. If you have tons of fruit and vegetables during your meals and snacks, you can have a spoonful or two of dairy ice cream without developing cancer or diabetes.
It'll give you a different feeling to read this book now than it would have fifteen years ago. However, whether or not you’re going through a healthy kick or are seriously considering a lifestyle change, pick up a copy of The China Study. It really opens your eyes, but keep in mind a piece of advice from yours truly: keep it simple. It can seem overwhelming to cut out meat and dairy, but don’t let the stress take over and negate all the health benefits you’re gaining from your new diet. Instead of eating as many substitutes and imitations as you can, just stick with the fruits and veggies themselves. That way, you can add in 10% of the no-no foods and really appreciate them guilt-free.