The China Study

The China Study by Dr. T. Colin Campbell will change the way you eat. Backed up by dozens upon dozens of lab tests, Dr. Campbell shows that people who eat a typical Western diet of meat and dairy and over processed foods are more likely to develop diseases from cancer to obesity.

I am not a follower of fad diets, but this book is not a diet - it is a lifestyle change. The basic premise is eat real food, mostly plants. Campbell is saying that the creations made in chemical factories to stimulate our taste buds are not the real food our bodies need to thrive. Humans need real food not lab experiments.

When one of his studies compares two meals one meat and dairy and one vegetables, the nutrients in the vegetable meal far out weigh the meat meal (including beta-carotene, fiber, vitamin C, folate, iron, vitamin E, magnesium, and calcium). And the fear people have about not getting enough protein with vegetables was proved baseless - the veggie meal had only 1 gram less protein. The only categories the meat/dairy meal won were cholesterol and fat.

The book if filled with studies that prove over and over that the healthiest diet is made up of plants - vegetables, fruits, nuts, and grains. Most of what he says is common sense that has been suppressed by corporations trying to sell us something. Campbell presents the evidence in easy to understand terms - if you eat more healthfully you will have a lower risk of getting ill from any of the main killers in our society - from cancer to heart disease to stroke. Read this book if you have any desire to live to a ripe old age!

Campbell, T. Colin. (2004). The China Study. Dallas, TX: Benbella Books.