A Healthy Plant Based Diet

Did You Know... that there is ever growing evidence
that a plant based diet offers many advantages to
maintaining and even improving your health?

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Studies indicate that a plant based diet is an effective way to treat many conditions such as arthritis, diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure and osteoporosis to name but a few.

As an example, the role of diet in minimizing the development and subsequent symptoms of arthritis is much better recognized today. Just a few years ago much of the evidence was anecdotal...someone with arthritis saw an improvement when they stopped eating dairy products while someone elses symptoms seemed to grow worse when they ate too much of another food.

A 1989 survey of over one thousand arthritis patients revealed that the foods most commonly believed to worsen the condition were red meat, sugar, fats, salt, caffeine, and nightshade plants (e.g., tomatoes, eggplant).1

A diet drawn from fruits, vegetables, grains, and beans therefore appears to be helpful in preventing and, in some cases, ameliorating arthritis.

The Four-Week Anti-Arthritis Diet (adapted from Foods That Fight Pain, by Neal Barnard, M.D.) instructs arthritis sufferers on a method for testing this evidence.

"For four weeks, include generous amounts of foods from the pain-safe list in your routine.

At the same time, scrupulously avoid the major triggers.

It is important to avoid these foods completely, as even a small amount can cause symptoms.

Foods that are not on either list can be consumed, so long as you are emphasizing the arthritis- safe foods and scrupulously avoiding the major triggers.

You may well experience benefits earlier than four weeks, but for some people it can take this long for chronically inflamed joints to cool down."


The list of "pain-safe foods" as well as the foods to avoid are itemized below.

Pain-Safe Foods

Pain-safe foods virtually never contribute to arthritis or other painful conditions. These include:

* Brown rice
* Cooked or dried fruits: cherries, cranberries, pears, prunes (but not citrus fruits, bananas, peaches or tomatoes)
* Cooked green, yellow, and orange vegetables: artichokes, asparagus, broccoli, chard, collards, lettuce, spinach, string beans, summer or winter squash, sweet potatoes, tapioca, and taro (poi)
* Water: plain water or carbonated forms, such as Perrier, are fine. Other beverages – even herbal teas – can be triggers.
* Condiments: modest amounts of salt, maple syrup, and vanilla extract are usually well- tolerated.

Major Arthritis Triggers

1. Dairy products*
2. Corn
3. Meats**
4. Wheat, oats, rye
5. Eggs
6. Citrus fruits
7. Potatoes
8. Tomatoes
9. Nuts
10. Coffee

*All dairy products should be avoided: skim or whole cow’s milk, goat’s milk, cheese, yogurt, etc.

**All meats should be avoided: beef, pork, chicken, turkey, fish, etc.

One final word on your health and a plant-based diet. Diabetes runs in our family, like so many others, and we would be remiss if we didn't take a moment to mention it. It can be a debilitating and insidious disease and most certainly responsible for premature death in many people. If premature death doesn't occur it only means a life of constantly checking blood sugar levels, taking insulin injecttions or some other form of medication and always watching what you eat and when you eat it.

A body of work done by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine and particularly by Dr. Neal Barnard has a lot to say about diet and diabetes. In fact, the PCRM has indicated that in some cases diabetes may even be reversed with a strict vegan diet. Dr Barnard was kind enough to send us an excellent brochure on diet and diabetes. You can click the link below to open the brochure. It is an Adobe pdf document. It is well worth the read! As always, we wish you good health and happiness!

To get the brochure click "Diet and Diabetes: Recipes for Success"

1. Sobel D. Arthritis: What Works. New York, St. Martin's Press, 1989.


Note: You might also find it beneficial to visit the PCRM site and read more about the various health aspects of a plant based diet. Click PCRM

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