Dr. Michael Greger on Vegan Nutrition

As a new vegan, I often feel like a giant sponge that is constantly soaking up huge amounts of information on how to eat a healthy and balanced plant based diet. There’s a massive amount of information on the web, and everywhere I turn, someone new is giving me advice on what’s good and bad – it’s easy to feel overwhelmed and confused!

I recently attended an amazing lecture on nutrition given by Dr. Michael Greger, a physician, author, and internationally recognized professional speaker on public health issues, who currently serves as the Director of Public Health and Animal Agriculture at the Humane Society of the United States. Dr. Greger’s talk was presented in a lively, interactive, and entertaining game show format where the audience answered questions on nutrition and competed for prizes.

Thank goodness I decided to go vegan! According to Dr. Greger, foods like processed meats and canned tuna have been shown to alter our DNA and increase the aging process, and that the vast majority of mass-marketed beef, chicken and fish (the most common cause of food poisoning) are infected with all sorts of nasty things like parasites and fecal matter. Moreover, cooked meat contains high levels of carcinogenic elements. As a gym nut, I used to rely heavily on eggs as a protein source, and I learned that certain levels of egg consumption are associated with cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

I frequent a lot of natural food market salad bars these days (Lifethyme Natural Market in Greenwich Village has awesome vegan sandwiches and desserts), and it was helpful to get confirmation that some of the things I already love are uber-healthy, including garlic, spinach, raddichio, and beets. Also, since raw mushrooms have certain toxins in them, it’s better to eat cooked ones, and if you love potatoes, sweet ones are better than the white kind. When asked if buying organic (which is often more expensive) is critical, Dr. Greger replied that it depends on what you’re buying since certain things like broccoli is typically low in pesticides, while grapes, strawberries, and bell peppers are often high in pesticides.

Many people wondered about wheat gluten and tofu, which sometimes get a bad rap. Wheat gluten is actually a very high quality protein, unless of course, you fall into that small segment of the population that has celiac disease, and can’t tolerate gluten. In addition, Dr. Greger indicated that eating tofu does not, contrary to some sources, lower sperm count in men, and actually has been linked to higher cognition! Cool.

Feeling nutty? Nuts are one of the best sources of good fats, and walnuts have been shown to aid in keeping arteries healthy. Got a sweet tooth? Add cocoa (a good cancer fighter) to your smoothies, and throw in some ground flax seed. To sweeten the deal, Dr. Greger suggests tossing in some black molasses or date sugar.

In closing, Dr. Greger reported that a vegan diet is a great way to avoid heart disease, and that 90-95 percent of a person’s risk for certain types of cancer is related to diet and environmental factors. Studies also show that a vegan diet, combined with regular exercise, boosts telomeres (a section of our DNA strands) which are crucial for cell longevity and anti-aging.

Want to learn more? Dr. Greger has a series of clinical nutrition DVDs, and all proceeds are donated to charity.