
What Should We Eat?
Diet wars keep raging as we humans try to solve one of our most controversial issues: what should we eat?
In a recent study, a diet strikingly similar to what is suggested in Ayurveda has been found to dramatically lower risk of cardiovascular disease and stroke, the second leading cause of death in the world. Stroke is also directly linked to age-related dementia, suggesting a diet reducing risk of stroke could also reduce risk of dementia.1
Ayurveda calls for a vegetarian, unprocessed, 90-95% plant-based, whole food diet, including small amounts of cultured dairy (mostly yogurt, ghee, buttermilk, and soft cheeses like paneer). There are no eggs, alcohol, stimulants, or meat, except for medicinal purposes. Rice, beans, fruits, vegetables, tubers, nuts, seeds, and whole grains make up the bulk of an Ayurvedic diet—all eaten seasonally.
A recent study in Neurology supports the Ayurvedic prescription: “People who eat a vegetarian diet rich in nuts, vegetables and soy may have a lower risk of stroke than people who eat a diet that includes meat and fish.”1
Their study was done on two large groups from Buddhist communities, where alcohol and smoking are discouraged. The first group had 5,050 volunteers, followed for six years, and the second group had 8,302 volunteers, followed for nine years. The average age was 50 and none of the participants had experienced a prior stroke.
30% of both groups were vegetarian, meaning no meat or fish. They ate more nuts, vegetables, fiber, plant protein, and less dairy than the non-vegetarians, but the same amount of fruit and eggs.
After adjusting for age, sex, smoking, and health conditions (like high blood pressure and diabetes), researchers found vegetarians in the first group had a 74% lower risk of ischemic stroke than non-vegetarians.
In the second group, vegetarians had a 48% lower risk of overall stroke than non-vegetarians, a 60% lower risk of ischemic stroke and a 65% lower risk of hemorrhagic stroke.
Benefits of Vegetarian Diets
Many other studies cite the benefits of vegetarian diets. Vegetarian diets encompass several diet types, including semi-vegetarian (flexitarian), pesco-vegetarian, lacto-vegetarian, ovo-vegetarian, lacto-ovo-vegetarian, vegan, and raw-food vegan diets. Semi-vegetarians include small amounts of meat, mainly from fish and poultry. Pesco-vegetarians ingest some fish, in addition to foods of animal and plant origin. Milk and dairy products are ingested by lacto-vegetarians; ovo-vegetarians include eggs; and lacto-ovo-vegetarians ingest both dairy products and eggs. Individuals who adhere to vegan diets exclude all meats and animal products.2
In general, these vegetarian diets have been found to lower blood pressure and decrease risk of heart disease, diabetes, cancers, cataracts, intestinal diverticular concerns. They reduce arterial stenosis2 and lower risk of ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke, gout, cataract, dementia, and depression compared to regular consumption of meat.3
Whether you are a semi-vegetarian, vegan, or some sort of vegetarian in between, the science suggests there are numerous health benefits linked to a primarily plant-based diet.2 To be fair, there are studies that suggest consumption of a meat-based diet can have health benefits, but when a red meat diet was compared to a poultry and fish diet, the poultry and fish diet was healthier.5 When a poultry and fish diet was compared to a mostly plant-based vegetarian diet, the plant-based diets were healthier.2
The Centenarian Diet
According to Dan Buettner, author of bestselling books on the Blue Zones, centenarians around the world eat a seasonal 90-95% plant-based diet. Their diets revolve around leafy greens, such as kale, spinach, and collards, along with beets, nuts, seeds, seasonal veggies, fruits, whole grains, mostly olive oil for fat, and a daily serving of beans.
Only ~5-10% of this diet is derived from animal protein, which includes small amounts of meat, dairy (from cow, sheep, and goat), eggs, and fish. They drink large amounts of water, along with some tea, coffee, and wine.
Whatever diet you choose, make sure it is whole food, unrefined, and non-processed. More than ¾ of food purchased in American households is moderately to severely processed, which has been linked to a number of health concerns, including soaring rates of obesity.4 Avoiding processed foods alone would likely change the rising rates of chronic illness.
Save the Planet by Changing Your Diet
Thirty longevity scientists deliberated for three years to design a diet that would be able to feed the growing human population by the year 2050. The diet, called the planetary health diet, says we should eat primarily plant-based with small amounts of meat and dairy.6,7
The planetary diet is not suggesting vegetarians start eating meat or dairy. Vegetarians are way ahead of the curve—it is just making the urgent case that if we do not cut meat and animal protein consumption down, we will not be able to feed the population nor ward off the impact of global warming. They did also consider the health benefits of eating less meat and animal protein.
The commission suggests eating one-half ounce of beef per day, three ounces a week, or a 12-ounce steak once per month. Traditionally, as seen in the Mediterranean Diet and with centenarians, our ancestors would cook a piece of meat in a stew and everyone in the family would get a very small portion once or twice a week, delivering roughly three ounces per week.
What is your diet like? Are there any changes you would like to make? Let us know so we can support you!
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Izabella says
I cannot believe you are referencing the EAT-Lancet report as evidence in support of your argument in this piece!
‘Food in the Anthropocene: the EAT–Lancet Commission on healthy diets from sustainable food systems’
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(18)31788-4/ppt
As a scientist, if you have read this report and its recommendations closely, you MUST know that it’s a far from independent and deeply flawed report in terms of data, selectivity and thoroughly untenable conclusions.
You MUST know that EAT-Lancet has been extensively debunked and called out by top nutritional science and health researchers, by environmental scientists and by sustainable food and regenerative agriculturalists … and even by the World Health Organisation!!
https://www.anhinternational.org/news/anh-intl-special-report-analysis-of-the-eat-lancet-report/
https://www.zoeharcombe.com/2019/01/the-eat-lancet-diet-is-nutritionally-deficient/
https://sustainablefoodtrust.org/articles/eat-lancet-reports-recommendations-are-at-odds-with-sustainable-food-production/
I’m deeply disappointed in you Dr Douillard 😕
LifeSpa Staff says
Hi Izabella,
Let me be clear. I only cited the Lancet Commission because of its urgent call for the world to eat less meat and the call for the world to become more plant based. Does it go far enough? No, but it does and did urge people to wake up and stop consuming so much meat for the planet, healthy and sustainability.
My audience is not only vegan or vegetarian, I have readers from all walks of life and diets. I try with my articles to be balanced as I cite the science on both sides of every argument the best I can and then present some ancient wisdom. In all my articles I cite the science and discuss the ancient wisdom and carry the torch for eating less meat, but I would be misleading folks if I did not cite studies that differ.
That said, I always come back to the overwhelming evidence that we should all be working towards a primarily plant based diet.
Be Well,
Dr. John
Sandy G says
Well, this kind of makes all of your seasonal eating lists obsolete or incorrect!? You have included meat in every season. I also have the book by Deepak Chopra on Ayurveda and it also includes meat for every constitution?
If you have changed your mind and want to jump on the bandwagon with The Vegan or at least Vegetarian philosophy, then that is fine but you should perhaps delete all of your blogs and videos which say otherwise as well as remove all the meat from your grocery lists.
LifeSpa Staff says
Hi Sandy,
Meat is consumed in the Ayurvedic texts (Vagbhati) but mostly as a medicine, also depending on geographical location and constitution but in very small amounts. This is an area of controversy in Ayurveda.
That said, in this article I am citing a study that praises the benefits of a vegetarian diet. But the reality is that humans eat way too much meat and most people who are not already vegetarians or already plant based really need to reduce their consumption of meat. That was the intended point of this article.
The kind of meats as prescribed by the Ayurvedic colleges in India do shift from heavier meats in the winter to lighter meats in the spring and summer. Ayurvedic principles can work for those who eat meat or not.
For the masses, I have consistently recommended eating less meat and at the same time I have seen many vegetarian patients who got in to trouble health-wise and needed meat as medicine.
Be Well,
Dr. John
Maryam says
I am a little confused bc I thought you recommended eating meat for protein bc a lot of vegetarians are protein deficient and fatigued? You wrote an article on how to get protein levels up.
LifeSpa Staff says
Hi Maryam,
Yes there are many vegetarians who have gotten into trouble and need more protein. Then there is the main stream who should be dramatically reducing meat consumption.
For everyone the aim should be to get to around 10% animal protein in the diet.
Be Well,
Dr. John