Another article for you this morning… This one, from today’s The New York Times blog, includes an interview with T. Colin Campbell, one of the co-authors of the book “The China Study.”
In his brief interview, Campbell explains, among other things, why studying trends about food and health in specific cultures across our world may be more helpful than scientifically analyzing each nutrient attempting to decide which are the ones to avoid or, alternatively, consume in mass quantity (as in “Are you getting enough antioxidants?”). His premise is that instead of figuring out which nutrients need to be inserted or removed from our American diet (read: mainly processed foods), it is better to look at which food cultures have resulted in the healthiest populations through history. He is a scientist telling us that cultural studies hold answers, not just science.
I found the “The China Study” a fascinating read, but if you don’t presently have the time for the book, the article delivers a concise explanation, and provides Campbell’s conclusions about traditional whole foods/plant-based diets as well. Take a look: http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/01/07/nutrition-advice-from-the-china-study/