Comments on: Healthy Monday: Prophet, apologist, prankster – Michael Pollan goes meatless http://blog.eatwellguide.org/2009/05/healthy-monday-prophet-apologist-prankster-%e2%80%93-michael-pollan-goes-meatless/ Find Good Food with the Eat Well Guide. Mon, 08 Mar 2010 21:10:52 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Ed Bruske http://blog.eatwellguide.org/2009/05/healthy-monday-prophet-apologist-prankster-%e2%80%93-michael-pollan-goes-meatless/comment-page-1/#comment-1873 Ed Bruske Thu, 21 May 2009 03:52:55 +0000 http://blog.eatwellguide.org/?p=362#comment-1873 Chris, thanks for that response. But I think there is an ill-conceived movement afoot to eliminate red meat--even animal based protein--from the diet. Listen to Mark Bittman, who thinks we have a vegan future ahead of us. To me, that's crazy talk. Meat, fat, animal protein--it's the most nutritious food we know. The human body is designed to eat it, because that's how we evolved. Many people have problems with a plant-based diet. And since people need to get their calories from somewhere, discouraging meat consumption naturally directs them to eat more carbohydrates, which causes the insulin response that is behind the cluster of modern diet diseases. No, I don't see this as a benign movement at all, and the consequences are potentially far reaching. Chris, thanks for that response. But I think there is an ill-conceived movement afoot to eliminate red meat–even animal based protein–from the diet. Listen to Mark Bittman, who thinks we have a vegan future ahead of us. To me, that’s crazy talk. Meat, fat, animal protein–it’s the most nutritious food we know. The human body is designed to eat it, because that’s how we evolved. Many people have problems with a plant-based diet. And since people need to get their calories from somewhere, discouraging meat consumption naturally directs them to eat more carbohydrates, which causes the insulin response that is behind the cluster of modern diet diseases. No, I don’t see this as a benign movement at all, and the consequences are potentially far reaching.

]]> By: Chris Elam http://blog.eatwellguide.org/2009/05/healthy-monday-prophet-apologist-prankster-%e2%80%93-michael-pollan-goes-meatless/comment-page-1/#comment-1871 Chris Elam Wed, 20 May 2009 14:44:23 +0000 http://blog.eatwellguide.org/?p=362#comment-1871 Ed, you are absolutely right that humans require protein and fat for survival. I think you'll find that Pollan and others like him are advocating for limiting - but not totally cutting out - fats. Their goal is to reduce saturated fats, but increase healthy fats. To substitute beef, pork, poultry and fish with beans, legumes, nuts and seeds. The primary vegetarian protein sources, including most beans and legumes, are high in complex carbohydrates. (Meat contains no carbohydrates.) If you are restricting carbohydrates, choose nuts and seeds, eggs, and low-fat dairy products as your primary protein foods. Green vegetables, low in carbohydrates, are an excellent source of protein. You can follow the path of moderation that Pollan promotes (his family goes meatless just once a week), while still get more than enough protein. Ed, you are absolutely right that humans require protein and fat for survival. I think you’ll find that Pollan and others like him are advocating for limiting – but not totally cutting out – fats. Their goal is to reduce saturated fats, but increase healthy fats. To substitute beef, pork, poultry and fish with beans, legumes, nuts and seeds.

The primary vegetarian protein sources, including most beans and legumes, are high in complex carbohydrates. (Meat contains no carbohydrates.) If you are restricting carbohydrates, choose nuts and seeds, eggs, and low-fat dairy products as your primary protein foods. Green vegetables, low in carbohydrates, are an excellent source of protein. You can follow the path of moderation that Pollan promotes (his family goes meatless just once a week), while still get more than enough protein.

]]> By: Ed Bruske http://blog.eatwellguide.org/2009/05/healthy-monday-prophet-apologist-prankster-%e2%80%93-michael-pollan-goes-meatless/comment-page-1/#comment-1851 Ed Bruske Mon, 18 May 2009 17:07:31 +0000 http://blog.eatwellguide.org/?p=362#comment-1851 During 2.6 million years of evolution--approximately--humans evolved eating predominantly proteing, meat and fat whenever they could get it. The plant-based diet that Michael Pollan is advocation is something previously unknown in human existence. People have eased up on the consumption of meat and fats, with disastrous consequences. Since we need calories from somewhere, we've turned more and more to carbohydrates, and as a result we are seeing a cluster of carb-related diseases expand and multiply--obesity, diabetes, hypertension, atherosclerosis. Cleary, for many millions of people, a plant-based diet is not a good thing. The human body requires protein and fat for survival. Plant foods--carbohydrates--are in fact completely unnecessary. If you wish to reduce carbon emissions, take public transportation, install solar panels, protest Amazon deforestation. But please, leave our protein alone. We need more of it, not less. During 2.6 million years of evolution–approximately–humans evolved eating predominantly proteing, meat and fat whenever they could get it. The plant-based diet that Michael Pollan is advocation is something previously unknown in human existence. People have eased up on the consumption of meat and fats, with disastrous consequences. Since we need calories from somewhere, we’ve turned more and more to carbohydrates, and as a result we are seeing a cluster of carb-related diseases expand and multiply–obesity, diabetes, hypertension, atherosclerosis. Cleary, for many millions of people, a plant-based diet is not a good thing. The human body requires protein and fat for survival. Plant foods–carbohydrates–are in fact completely unnecessary. If you wish to reduce carbon emissions, take public transportation, install solar panels, protest Amazon deforestation. But please, leave our protein alone. We need more of it, not less.

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