The Advantages of a Plant=Based Diet on Obesity The Advantages of a Plant-Based Diet on Obesity
A 20 year study by Cornell University, Oxford University, Chinese Academy of Preventive Medicine

‘His legacy, the China Study, is the most comprehensive large study of health and nutrition ever undertaken of the relationship between diet and the risk of developing disease”, according to the New York Times. It was authored by Dr. T. Colin Campbell, Jacob Gould Schurman Professor Emeritus of Nutritional Biochemistry and Thomas Campbell, Cornell University.

We know that being overweight can have a dramatic negative bearing on our health. No one likes to be overweight, but according to the China Study one-third of our adult population is overweight. It affects physical mobility, mental outlook, self-esteem, work and social life. This is about enjoying more of life in a positive way.

A plant-based diet is highly recommended by the study not only for weight loss, but to help control the many diseases that affect our longevity like diabetes, heart disease, autoimmune diseases, osteoporosis, some forms of cancer, kidney disease as well as other health related diseases.

In the China Study, it was discovered, the rural Chinese who ate more plant-based foods, actually ate more calories per pound of body weight than Americans, They were still slimmer while consuming more calories as well as eating a higher volume of plant-based food.

It is well to remember that fat has nine calories per gram while carbohydrates and protein have four calories per gram. Plant-based food, including grains, has high fiber content, which in turn make you feel full. According to the study, a plant-based diet operates on calorie balance to keep body weight under control

The China Study is highly recommending a vegetarian/vegan diet with no more than 5% of your dietary intake coming from casein (cow’s milk protein) if you are not a total vegan. Plant-based proteins do not have the same negative affects on our health as those derived from animal products.

Research has documented that vegetarians/vegans can consume more calories than their meat eating counterparts and still remains slimmer. It could be easier for one to lose weight if a plant-based diet were to be followed along with regular exercise. As in any weight-loss program it is important to balance the right diet with exercise in order to keep you weight in check.

Keeping your body weight off is a lifestyle choice. When we remember that one-third of the adult population is obese, that disease is on the rise and our longevity is in jeopardy—the choice is ours. We can control the cause. It is right at the end of our fork.