Frequently Asked Questions
You may have a few questions before taking this great step for your health. Here is a list
of the most common we’ve heard to date.
Can I get enough protein eating a plant-based diet?
Are plant proteins complete proteins?
Do carbohydrates really make us fat?
Can I get enough calcium eating a plant-based diet?
Can I get enough fat eating a plant-based diet?
Can I be a competitive athlete on the Engine 2 Diet?
Will I miss key nutrients by eating only plant-based foods?
Will my energy be low if I only eat plant-based foods?
Is a plant-based diet bad for children and pregnant mothers?
Do I need to take fish oil supplements to ensure I’m getting
essential omega-3 fatty acids?
Can real men eat just plants?
Is eating plant-based foods joyless and boring?
Q - Can I get enough protein eating a plant-based diet?
A - Not only will you get all the protein you need, for the first time in your life you won’t
suffer from an excess of it.
Ample amounts of protein are thriving in whole, natural plant-based foods. For
example, spinach is 51 percent protein; mushrooms, 35 percent; beans, 26 percent;
oatmeal, 16 percent; whole wheat pasta, 15 percent; corn, 12 percent; and potatoes, 11
percent.
What’s more, our body needs less protein than you may think. According to the
World Health Organization (WHO), the average 150-pound male requires only 22.5
grams of protein daily based on a 2,000 calorie a day diet, which means about 4.5
percent of calories should come from protein. (WHO recommends pregnant women get
6 percent of calories from protein.) Other nutritional organizations recommend as little
as 2.5 percent of daily calories come from protein while the U.S. Food and Nutrition
Board’s recommended daily allowance is 6 percent after a built-in safety margin; most
Americans, however, are taking in 20 percent or more.
Doctors from my father to Dean Ornish to Joel Fuhrman, author of the best
selling Eat to Live: The Revolutionary Formula for Fast and Sustained Weight Loss (Little,
Brown), all suggest that getting an adequate amount of protein should be the least of
your calories.
Look around you and tell me the last time you saw someone who was
hospitalized for a protein deficiency. Or look around in nature, where you will notice
that the largest and strongest animals, such as elephants, gorillas, hippos, and bison, are
all plant eaters.
Also, the type of protein you consume is as important as the amount. If you are
taking in most of your protein from animal-based foods, you’re getting not only too
much protein, but also an acid-producing form that wreaks havoc on your system.
Why is protein so potentially harmful? Because your body can store
carbohydrates and fats, but not protein. So if the protein content of your diet exceeds
the amount you need, not only will your liver and kidneys become overburdened, but
you will start leaching calcium from your bones to neutralize the excess animal protein
that becomes acidic in the human body.
That’s why, in the case of protein, the adage “less is more” definitely applies. The
average American consumes well over 100 grams daily—a dangerous amount. But if you
eat a plant-strong diet, you’ll be getting neither too much nor too little protein, but an
amount that’s just right.
Q- Are plant proteins complete proteins?
A- Plant proteins are as complete as complete can be.
The myth that they’re not, or are of a lesser quality than animal proteins, dates
back to experiments performed on rats in the early 1900s. Forget the fact that rats
aren’t humans, have different nutritional requirements, and need more protein than
humans to support their furry little bodies. The meat, dairy, and egg industries have
marketed the hell out of this ancient research, and even in the year 2009 most every
Dick, Tom, and Jane thinks the only way to get complete protein is through meat, eggs,
or dairy.
In reality, proteins are composed of chains of roughly twenty different amino
acids. Of those, eight are found outside our body and must be absorbed from our food.
These eight are the “essential” amino acids. The remaining acids are “nonessential”
because they can be synthesized by our bodies themselves.
Plants supply all the essential and nonessential amino acids. All of them. While
some plants may be low in (not missing) one amino acid and other plants may be higher
in another, your brilliant body sorts it all out and, at the end of the day, complements
your amino-acid profile so it is perfectly balanced. In so doing, it creates a high-quality
protein that is healthier, safer, and better than animal protein.
Thus, there is absolutely no need to combine certain plant proteins at each meal
in an attempt to achieve an optimal amino acid balance.
Unfortunately, the protein-combination myth continues to be perpetuated by
any number of respected organizations. But the American Dietetic Association gets it
right. Its position statement reads: “Plant sources of protein alone can provide adequate
amounts of the essential and non-essential amino acids, assuming that dietary protein
sources from plants are reasonably varied and that caloric intake is sufficient to meet
energy needs. Whole grains, legumes, vegetables, seeds, and nuts all contain essential
and non-essential amino acids.”
Scream it from the mountaintops: Plant proteins are 100 percent complete!
Q- Do carbohydrates really make us fat?
A- Some carbs do, but good carbs don’t.
Most trendy diets claim that all carbohydrates are bad guys, yet of the three
macronutrients that provide calories in our diet (carbs, protein, and fat), carbohydrates
are the body’s primary fuel source. They’re responsible for managing your heart rate,
digestion, breathing, exercising, walking, and thinking.
Roughly 70 percent of your daily calories should come from good
(complex) carbohydrates. The ones to avoid are called simple carbs.
Both types of carbs are sugars. Both are digested and converted into glucose,
which is used by the body for energy: in the blood as glucose, or stored in either the
muscles or the liver as glycogen. When consumed in excess, carbohydrates can be
converted to fat.
Simple carbohydrates include table sugar, molasses, honey, white bread, white
pasta, white rice, fried chips, sugary cereals, fruit juices, candy, and milk. Most simple
carbs are nutritionally empty because they have been tinkered with by humans,
stripped of their fiber, minerals, and vitamins. They are digested quickly by the body and
cause a sharp spike in your blood sugar levels.
In response to this spike, your pancreas pumps out insulin to transport and
deliver the energy-bearing glucose to cells throughout your body. This process causes
your blood sugar and insulin levels to swing like a pendulum, leaving you feeling
fatigued, hungry, and craving still more simple carbohydrates.
And because simple carbohydrates are digested so quickly, any excess sugar is
converted to fat. For these reasons, most simple carbohydrates are a poor food choice.
In contrast, complex carbohydrates are nutritious, and include vegetables, whole
grain breads and pastas, beans, peas, brown rice, sweet potatoes, oats, fruits, and
whole grain cereals. They are loaded with fiber, vitamins, minerals, and micronutrients.
Unlike simple carbohydrates, complex carbohydrates cause a balanced and controlled
release of sugar into your system. This slow release gives the body more time to use the
carbohydrates as fuel; as a result, fewer turn to fat and insulin remains stable.
So if you consume, whole, good, natural carbs, you will enjoy more consistent
energy throughout the day without gaining extra pounds.
As you can see, the two types of carbs differ immensely from a nutritional
standpoint. Simple carbohydrates are calorie laden, providing little nutrition and causing
weight gain. Complex carbohydrates are lower in calories and, because they are loaded
with fiber, provide bulk that fills you up sooner, alleviates hunger pangs, and keeps you
feeling satisfied longer.
So go eat your carbs—as long as they’re complex.
Q- Can I get enough calcium eating a plant-based diet?
A- A diverse, plant-based diet is one of the best available sources of calcium—and lets
you avoid the deleterious effects associated with dairy products.
Great sources of calcium include green leafy vegetables, nuts, oranges, kidney
beans, lima beans, whole grains, Swiss chard, lentils, raisins, broccoli, kale, celery, tofu,
and romaine lettuce.
One reason why Americans have such a high incidence of osteoporosis (or
weakening of the bones) isn’t a lack of dietary calcium but an excess of animal protein,
which leaches calcium from the bones.
In fact, did you know that the countries with the highest rate of dairy
consumption, including the United States, New Zealand, Britain, and Sweden, also have
the highest rates of osteoporosis? Although their citizens consume massive amounts of
dietary calcium, the excessive protein in that milk, cheese, steak, fish, and eggs always
trumps this important mineral, leaving them with a net deficit.
Meanwhile, people in rural China, who consume one-third the amount of dairy
we do, have almost zero cases of osteoporosis. Dr. John McDougall, author of The
McDougall Program for a Healthy Heart, has scoured the medical literature on the topic
and has yet to find one case of dietary calcium deficiency in humans—so long as they
consumed an adequate number of calories. So no milk mustache for you!
Q- Can I get enough fat eating a plant-based diet?
A- Trace amounts of fat are present in all fruits, vegetables, and other plant foods.
Strawberries are 5 percent fat; bell peppers, 6 percent; broccoli, 8 percent;
spinach, 11 percent; and soybeans, 41 percent. Several high-fat plant foods contain in
excess of 80 percent fat, including certain nuts and seeds, as well as avocados, olives,
and coconuts.
By eating a delicious, plant-happy diet, you will consume roughly 9 to 15 percent
of your total calories from fat, which is ideal.
Getting your fat from plant-based foods means you will be consuming
healthy monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats as opposed to dangerous saturated
fats. You will be able to eat more food than you ever dreamed of without gaining
weight, and feel wonderful.
Q- Can I be a competitive athlete on the Engine 2 Diet?
A- Just ask Tony Gonzalez, the 247-pound tight end for the
Kansas City Chiefs football team. For health reasons, Tony changed his
diet after signing a five-year contract extension, making him the league’s highest paid
tight end, and went on to break the NFL record for receptions by a tight end in 2008. His
teammates have nicknamed him China Study after T. Colin Campbell’s book of the same
name, which Gonzalez studied before changing his diet—and which you will soon be
reading about.
Or tell that to Ruth Heidrich, who in 1982 was diagnosed with metastatic breast
cancer and cured herself by eating a low-fat, plant-strong diet. She has since won more
than one thousand triathlons. Or tell Salim Stoudamire, the plant-eating point guard for
the NBA Atlanta Hawks, who says that by the fourth quarter, when most players are
starting to fade, he’s picking it up a notch. Or tell Martina Navratilova, the world’s
winningest tennis player, who serves up plant-based foods exclusively. Or tell plant-
devourer Dave Scott, my hero and six-time winner of the famed Hawaii Ironman
triathlon.
Or better yet, try going plant-based yourself and see how much your own
athletic performance improves.
Q- Will I miss key nutrients by eating only plant-based foods?
A- You’ll be stockpiling away the nutrients like never before, improving your health, and
reversing disease. If you were to hold a triathlon based on the quantity of nutrients in
each food, plants would cross the finish line and get a massage before meat, dairy, and
eggs even had a chance to get off the bicycle.
Calorie for calorie, the most nutrient-dense foods are plants, not animals. After
all, plants are the mother source of all calories and all nutrients for all creatures,
whereas animal-based foods are essentially plant foods recycled into an unhealthy
package.
The only nutrient that plant-based foods lack is vitamin B12. But you can get a
daily supply of B12 by downing two tablespoons of nutritional yeast, a glass of fortified
soy milk, a bowl of fortified cereal, or, if you wish, a daily 500-microgram pill that should
be chewed or dissolved in the mouth to increase absorption.
Q- Will my energy be low if I only eat plant-based foods?
A- Your energy levels will be more constant and consistent than at any other point in
your life.
Think of high-fiber and nutrient-heavy plant foods as the big logs in the fireplace
that burn for hours. Think of low-fiber and nutrient-light foods such as simple
carbohydrates as wads of newspaper that go up in a flash. When you’re eating plantstrong, you won’t have the energy peaks and valleys of the past, and if you so choose,
you won’t even need coffee to get your butt and mind in gear in the mornings. You’ll
awake feeling refreshed, even-keeled, and excited about charging forward into your
day.
Q- Is a plant-based diet bad for children and pregnant mothers?
A- By the age of two (once off mother’s milk), every child is ready for a plant-strong diet.
Even renowned expert Dr. Benjamin Spock recommends the practice in the latest
edition of his classic bestselling book, Baby and Child Care. If you start them young, your
kids will develop a palate that appreciates the subtleties of plant foods and will gain the
healthy rewards that accompany this diet as they grow.
Pregnant women, meanwhile, can get all the vitamins, nutrients, and minerals
that both they and their babies need to be healthy and well. My wife, Jill, ate an allplant-based diet throughout her pregnancy with no morning sickness and no
complications. She later gave birth to our very healthy eight-pound, seven-ounce baby,
Kole, the little love of our lives.
Q- Do I need to take fish oil supplements to ensure I’m getting
essential omega-3 fatty acids?
A- There are numerous ways to get essential omega-3 fatty acids without subjecting
yourself to the potential risks of fish oils—which, according to the Physicians Committee
for Responsible Medicine, are highly unstable molecules that can break down and
release dangerous, disease causing free radicals.
People are under the false assumption that taking a fish oil supplement will
negate the effects of all the cheese, meat, and processed foods they throw down their
throats. But fish oil is no panacea. It can actually raise total and LDL cholesterol levels,
increases your chance of a hemorrhagic stroke, and suppresses the immune system.
Instead of taking fish oil, rely on ground flaxseed meal, walnuts, soybeans, and
green leafy vegetables, all of which contain plenty of essential omega-3 fatty acids.
If you are unwilling to transition to a totally plant-strong diet, then go to a health
food store and buy some plant-based omega-3 supplements that come straight from the
mother source: plankton from the oceans, seas, and lakes—which, by the way, is where
fish get their omega-3s.
Q- Can real men eat just plants?
A- The fat and cholesterol in animal products clogs up the arteries traveling not only to
the heart and head but also to the extremities, including the penis, where they can
cause PAD (peripheral arterial disease) and impotence, which research shows may be an
early sign of heart disease.
So, men: There is a better way, and it doesn’t involve taking Viagra, Cialis, or
Levitra. It involves eating fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and beans.
In my father’s research study, several of the men who had been impotent for
years regained their performance after changing to a plant-based diet, making their
wives quite happy. Many of the Engine 2 Study participants also reported improved
potency, including one who said that his erections “are now like blue steel.”
Q- Is eating plant-based foods joyless and boring?
A- Plant-based foods are delicious and satisfying.
The longer you’re on the E2 Diet, the more your palate will change. Think about
milk, for instance. Since it’s well known that whole milk is not good for you, you’ve
probably cut back to 2 percent or skim. At first, I bet that skim milk tasted like water.
Then you became accustomed to it so when you tried whole milk again, it tasted like
liquid paint. Your palate had changed.
It’s the same with adding oil to your foods. Anthony Salerno, one of the E2 Pilot
Study participants, is a fourth-generation Italian-American who thought he couldn’t live
without his olive oil. But after six weeks on the E2 Diet, he found he enjoyed meals more
without it—the oil, he realized, disguised their true flavors. When he returned to using
olive oil, he found it tasted as though he’d poured synthetic goo on his food.
Foods taste better without being dunked in butter, drenched in margarine, or
saturated with sour cream. Plant-based foods are absolutely glorious in their
sublimeness. Without all the extra fat and processed flavors drowning them out, you’ll
finally get to taste nuances you might never have noticed: the tang of a ripe red bell
pepper, the zest of a Cara Cara orange, or the zing of a plate of lacinato kale with
roasted garlic—foods bursting with flavors all their own.