Science of health: WFPB diet, and strength training

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Hello, all!

I've been on a health kick lately (call it my new obsession), and I wanted to share what I've learned so far and how it has helped me.

As a result of my research for how to live a healthy lifestyle and reduce the symptoms of some of my comorbidities, I found out about the WFPB diet from a documentary called "Forks over Knives." It, in turn, led me to do some more research on plant base diets, and I ended up finding a website called nutritionfacts.org. The creator of this site wrote the bestseller book "How Not To Die," and he makes a lot of free videos about eating healthy on his website.

Now, being someone who tries to view the world through the lens of science, I found that the best part about these videos was that he references numerous studies and research articles to back up his assertions.

In a nutshell, what he basically proposes is that eating plant based (no animal products whatsoever) and whole foods (foods as close to the natural state as possible) reduces whole body inflammation, significantly cutting the risk of cancer, diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, and all other diseases of civilization.

In addition, such foods feed the good bacteria in our guts. If you don't know already, we live in symbiosis with a multitude of bacteria, much of which resides in our intestines. There have been studies showing that bacteria helps produce a large amount of the serotonin we need to keep our mental health in balance. However, the standard American diet, in addition to the overuse and abuse of antibiotics, has contributed to a decline in beneficial gut flora. This has been linked to depression, obesity, and of course, intestinal/digestive issues. Our microbiome is so important and influential, that there have been studies that have shown that we (people with autism) tend to have vastly different microbiomes than those considered NT. (Whether this is a potential contributor to or effect of autism is still not well known at this time).

Obviously, there is no cure for autism, and there's nothing wrong with us anyways. However, if you suffer from comorbid conditions like depression or anxiety (like I do), there is significant evidence to suggestion you can improve your symptoms with a healthy diet.

I've been eating a WFPB diet for about a month now, and although I still have my rough days, I feel like I have much more energy, and I have noticed an improvement in my overall mood.

On top of this, I bought a set of adjustable dumbbells, and I've been weight training to get fit. It's a slow process, and sometimes I feel unmotivated to start on certain days, but I find that once I am finished with a routine I feel so incredibly good. And, as a woman, I know I've often heard other women say that we shouldn't lift heavy, because we'll bulk up, but this just isn't true. It's actually much, much more difficult for a woman to bulk than a man. I've found that in doing exercises like deadlifts (building up the weight slowly, and using proper form) I've been able to strengthen my lower back and almost eliminate the pain I normally got from sitting long hours at a desk.

Anyways, I highly recommend both a WFPB diet and strength training, as there is so much evidence to show that they are incredibly good for you, both physically and mentally.

Also, if you are wondering where I get my protein from, I get them from plant foods. Believe it or not, there is more protein for the amount of calories consumed of many plant foods than there is in meat. And humans actually don't need a lot of protein. The Paleo Diet is totally wrong: humans evolved from eating cooked tubers, not copious amounts of meat. All of this is also covered in various, scientifically supported videos on the nutritionfacts website.

(and just to clarify, I realize this may sound like and ad for the site, but I have no affiliation with them whatsoever. I just really believe they have found the best possible route to wellbeing I have ever personally come across.)

I am highly averse to any diet that makes use of acronyms...

That being said, the WFPB diet does indeed have some obvious advantages...

This is because...
- a lot (but not all) processed foods tend to have high calorie contents with a low additional content of nutrients (minerals, vitamins etc.)... meaning that you can be simultaneously at risk of two different types of malnourishment
- red meat contains saturated fats which are a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease...

So, the WFPB diet does correct some of the major deficiencies in common dietary choices... However, you can achieve many of the same benefits without sticking to *this* particular diet (by substituting red meat with chicken or lean fish, for instance)...

Furthermore, a vegan (no animal products whatsoever) diet can - unless you pay a lot of attention to its composition - result in nutrient deficiency, especially wrt. vitamin B12, Omega-3 fatty acids and calcium. This is of even greater concern if you intend to exercise a lot...

As such, I strongly recommend that you take dietary supplements, or - as I have done - stick to ovo-lacto vegetarianism rather than going all-out vegan... It is significantly more difficult to find suitable alternatives to the many additional nutrients in eggs and dairy products than to simply find a non-meat source of protein...

Many of the plant proteins are often low in methionine, tryptophan, lycine and isoleucine.

You could cause a DHA, Iron and Zinc deficiency from a diet that is strictly plant based without the correct supplementation.

GGPViper: Yeah, deficiencies were a concern of mine as well, but I supplement with fortified nutritional yeast for the B vitamins I need (which also has a nice savory flavor to add to dishes), and chia seeds for Omega 3's. I do, however, take a calcium supplement with Vitamin D. I find that eating a variety of foods provides the right amounts of nutrients I need, and I can keep track of that by logging what I typically eat on cronometer.com.

Synth.osx: the idea that plants cannot provide adequate proteins is a myth, and one that has probably been propagated by the meat industry. I know that in the US at least everything is a business, and much of what we have come to believe about health (among other things) has been driven by trends in consumerism. The truth is, we actually don't need as much protein as the health and fitness world has lead us to believe. Here's some scientifically backed info about that: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fhyfa48bK28 and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7NW32vLq340

Finally, humans have eaten a mostly plant based diet since the beginning of our species (and of course, so did our ancestors), with meat supplemented infrequently, as it was scarcer, riskier, and sometimes more costly in energy to procure. However, in our day and age, with all the technology we have, it's not only possible to avoid meat altogether but measurably healthier to do so. I'm not even saying this for ethical reasons. I like animals, but I don't see anything wrong with people eating them. I just don't think it's necessary.

I try to do a lot of whole plant foods. In fact i am doing a research paper right now on Rip Esselstyn for a college class i am taking. He made an appearance in forks over knives

I've seen Forks Over Knives as well.

Along with many other films.
Earthlings

I want to see Cowspiracy

Just saw Where to Invade Next, the other night
Was good like quite a few films he's made

I am doing the same. Nothing processed in my diet. I even have oil VERY seldom. I strength-train for my job (it often requires lifting kids who can be quite heavy). Strength training also gives me so much energy and I love it. I just want to share that I started following this lady a year ago who really got me into the whole WFPB lifestyle - her name is Kimberly Snyder and her blog can be found here: http://kimberlysnyder.com/

I take what she says with a grain of salt because there are some things she promotes that don't have very good evidence to back it up, but I feel really good vibes coming off her and she just comes across as a really genuine person I feel "in tune" with. I have read her first three books so far and I admit everything related to her lifestyle has become a bit of a special interest of mine. I can't quite get into yoga yet but would like to try it out in the near future.

Just wanted to throw that out there

Legumes, beans and certain types of fruit are not recommended for many people that suffer from bowel problems and without the addition of legumes to a plant based diet, it is very difficult to find a source of protein.

i have heard people like dr. Wallach say that the main nutrition that the body uses to make testosterone, is saturated fat/cholesterol. if one avoids those, how does that affect testosterone production?

https://www.anabolicmen.com/foods-that- ... naturally/

There are many foods that raise testosterone and provide good levels of saturated fat and omega 3 fatty acids, the WFPB focuses on nuts and seeds as a main source for saturated fat.

Last edited by Synth.osx on 13 Oct 2016, 4:52 am, edited 1 time in total.

how much of those can one eat before one runs into the limits on phytic acid?

That is a good point and that is why I do not recommend the WFPB diet, I think nuts, seeds and legumes should be part of a varied diet and not as a main source of saturated fat.

what do you think of dr. joel Fuhrman's "eat to live" nutritarian diet? it is expressed in his GBOMBS acronym:
Greens
Beans
Onions
Mushrooms
Berries
Seeds

the majority meal of the day is gonna be a big salad containing the GBOMBS ingredients. no refined carbs. strictly limited fats. no red meat. small amounts of fish and lean fowl [the breasts and no dark meat]. your intake of potatoes and corn to a combined total of 1 cup or less per day. avocado, which contains a good amount of fat, is limited to 2 ounces or less per day. you can have an ounce or less of nuts each day and no more than 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseed on a daily basis.

Beans, onions and mushrooms are classed as high FODMAP foods, they can cause bowel irritation for people that suffer with recurrent stomach cramps or pain.

it seems awfully hard to eat healthy without having to resort to rabbit food and one gets thoroughly sick and tired of eating after a while. I ate the nutritarian diet for a while, 2 years, until I could tolerate it no more. my testosterone levels plummeted.

Have you considered the Paleo diet? You can supplement it with Testojack 250 and D-Aspartic Acid for testosterone production.

Unfortunately, nuts and an avacado are not enough to raise testosterone levels and that's what many diets fail to take into account.

You can read more on it here:
http://paleoleap.com/paleo-101/

There is also an interesting article regarding the effects of a diet rich in legumes:
http://paleoleap.com/beans-and-legumes/