After my class on nutrition which I based on the overwhelming statistics proving that a plant-based diet is by far the healthiest diet, I got the same comment as I usually do. This time by an man in his 50’s, who wore all the signs of an acidic body. In spite of my statistics from the most prestigious authorities in the field he bursted out sceptically, “But surely meat eaten in moderation can’t be that bad?”  

?

That bad compared to what? I’m just asking, what is that? Suffering from indigestion, being overweight, having no energy, having anxiety, or getting hypertension or cancer?  When does acceptance become denial, where is the breaking point in the pain-curve found? How sick do you need to get? The “moderation” word is probably the most toxic, patronising and manipulative word used by the medical experts and it’s only there to tell you a lie to support their own habits, as most of them eat meat, just as most of the physicians smoked in the 60’s and used to say it’s OK in moderation too.

Another guest at Olive Retreat, a Paleo diet fan with terrible digestive disorders that prevented him from working and living a normal life, asks me to comment on this article from his favourite “expert”; the PaleoMom, a PhD. Gosh! She loves her meat so much that she twists the message to unbearable complexity to conform with her taste, probably unaware of how ridiculous it is. Read for yourselves; what else can it be? She gives out cook books and says she enjoys cooking so it can’t be that she can’t cook. Even if she says that meat has several links to cancer, she claims it’s OK as long as we eat it with vegetables (?!) and if it’s 100% free range animal, that is. I guess she means wild animals then, as there is no 100% free range in any supermarket I know off! Do you?

It’s like saying, “Keep on smoking as long as you eat vegetables.”  Where is the logic in that advice from a so-called expert? She is not alone. There are far too much confusing “In-Moderation” advice justifying the experts habits. Please, just give us the statistics, hard facts and then let people make up their own minds and don’t twist the message to make your own habits “right.” There is no right or wrong, there is only healthy or sickly.

Luckily there are experts in this field who won’t twist the statistics until they believe them themselves. Even if they miss their barbecue, they admit a healthy plant-based diet is the absolute best diet for both genders, all ages. One of them is Gr. Michael Greger. The last 10 years he has given us a resume of the latest years’ nutritional science in his free videos and articles on his site NutritionFacts.org. This year he launched his book “How Not To Die,” which since its launch has topped the bestselling lists. I guess people want to hear the truth, not the “in moderation” lies.

I owe him and others like him so much. They have saved me uncountable hours, where I before had to do the time consuming job of reading and scrutinising studies. I can’t thank them enough, and in particular Dr. Greger, a happy crusader for the health of all of us. Here is his latest video, a must see for anyone interested in nutrition. It’s slightly different this year, comparing food with cigarettes. Stunning!