Eat More Plants & Fewer Animals (Lessons From Finland)

[Warren911]

Nice article, use it or don't

In the early 1970s, young men in Finland were dying from heart attacks at the highest rates in the industrialized world. In theNorth Karelia region of the country, home to 180,000 people, every family knew the pain of watching a young and fit man die young. While the Finns had very little obesity and very few sedentary jobs (factors that should have protected them from heart disease), they had high blood cholesterol and elevated blood pressure, and smoking was rampant.

In 1972, the Finnish government launched the North Karelia Project with the goal of lowering the quantity and type of fats eaten and to improve smoking rates. They coordinated an education program in schools, medical facilities, media, work sites, supermarkets, through the food industry and emphasized the health risks of smoking and tips to quit.

Furthermore, residents were asked to switch from butter to vegetable oil-based margarine and replace whole milk with low-fat milk. By 1977, the drop in heart deaths was sufficiently impressive to roll the project out to the entire country and over 30 years of data are available.

Did the residents respond? They sure did. The rate of using butter on bread fell from 90% to less than 5% and one third of the population began to drink skim or 1% milk, up from zero at the outset. Overall dietary fat intake dropped and saturated fats fell to 16% of calories.

Beginning in 1979, the government introduced an additional goal of eating vegetables six to seven times a week. By 2004 about a quarter of the men and one third of the women of Finland were reaching that goal. Smoking in men fell from 52% to 31% and remained under 20% in women, the lowest in Europe.

What were the results?

The results for dying at a young age were stunning. In North Karelia, men between the ages of 35 and 64 years enjoyed a drop in overall death by 62%, heart attack deaths fell 85%, all cancers deaths by 65%, and lung cancers by 80%. For the entire Finnish nation dying from a heart attack during working years was reduced by a whopping 80%! When the cause of the dramatic improvements in health were analyzed, the drop in animal saturated fat was the most powerful factor.

The lessons of Finland are powerful and point to ability of simple, coordinated, and consistent messages to the public and our families to not smoke, reduce animal fat intake, and increase vegetables and fruits in our diets to avoid unnecessary family tragedies from early deaths. The message that butter and animal fat is healthy is often heard and may confuse you but the health boom in Finland teaches a powerful lesson that cannot be ignored.

My advice as a cardiologist with decades of experience?

If anyone recommends you eat a diet high in animal fats, ask them if they have any long-term data on preventing heart disease, the number-one killer in the world.

Heart attacks are preventable and putting your fork in a plant (instead of an animal) remains your best health decision. Imagine a world where six out of seven heart attack obituaries disappear, six out of seven funeral home tables are empty, six out of seven hospital CCU beds for heart attacks are empty. Imagine all the people whose lives we could save ..

link to WHO....

http://www.who.int/chp/about/integrated_cd/index2.html

[JanJan]

Heading should include " ...and stop smoking a carton a day"

[RocknRolla]

I use plants to make fire, to eat more animals.

 

it's a symbiotic relationship

[fanievb]

the LCHF okes are gonna stone you

[Warren911]

lol I know, just want everyone to keep an open mind!!!!

Who knows what research will show in 30 years time!!!

 

 

the LCHF okes are gonna stone you

[dman2]

Supreme Lord of Nutrition, Prof Tim Noakes said plants are carbs, cut out that ****!!!!

[fanievb]

lol I know, just want everyone to keep an open mind!!!!

Who knows what research will show in 30 years time!!!

 

i know what you are saying.

 

me, I eat 'cause I like food and eat what my mum taught me to eat

[Godzilla]

just given up Banting after 1 month. I put on 1,2 kg's and lived it to the T as per Noakes book the ''Real Meal Revolution''.

I cut carbs down to about 50 grams a day. My wife had better results and has lost about 4 kg in a month. She's loving it. Now goes to the toilet everyday (which most women seldom do), her skin and hair quality has improved.

I Went for the Full Discovery medical y'day and my cholesterol is 7,1. it was 3,8 a year ago.

i Felt ok on LCHF for the 1st ten days. Then From about week 2 i didnt want to touch my MTB or do any form of exercise...which is highly unusual for me as my body craves exercise at least 5 times a week.

As Noakes says ''its not for everybody'' and i think im not Carb resistant or IR anyway.

Back to my normal balanced diet with everything in moderation.

Its back to normal carbs and normal fruit for me.

[Captain Fastbastard Mayhem]

The other thing it doesn't say is that the improvements on medical tech would have meant that there were less deaths as a matter of course. Do they also list the occurrence of cancer / stroke / heart attack etc instead of just focussing on death? And how can you say that the fat was the biggest problem, when they all cut down dramatically on smoking as well?

 

There are also no other additional factors that they have brought in to the equation - exercise, drug use, illnesses and so on. Seems okay on the outside but when you dig down you realise they have concentrated on one section alone in order to prove a pre-conceived idea. IE: Animal fats are bad.

[eitan]

Good study - I'll make sure all the animals I eat are fed only plants.

[Kranky]

Now goes to the toilet everyday (which most women seldom do)

 

I'm confused by this statement.

[Mojoman]

The best thing anyone can do for the world and your own health is to cut out/cut down on meat.

[ahmedbadat]

I'm confused by this statement.

since the Oscar thing my wife tries to go as few times as possible

[r0adrunner]

Thanks for that, very cool read.

 

I agree it is a big problem(at least where i'm from) that most(I wont get all statistical ) of our meals are based on the meat it will contain. And that maybe if you're feeling healthy you add some veggies but the "meal" is the meat. I have for long been of the opinion that we need to eat less meat, one can't eat meat every day 3 times a day and think it's healthy. If only our focus was more on the veggies, with some meat added it would already be a great improvement.

[MTBeer]

Thanks for that, very cool read.

 

I agree it is a big problem(at least where i'm from) that most(I wont get all statistical ) of our meals are based on the meat it will contain. And that maybe if you're feeling healthy you add some veggies but the "meal" is the meat. I have for long been of the opinion that we need to eat less meat, one can't eat meat every day 3 times a day and think it's healthy. If only our focus was more on the veggies, with some meat added it would already be a great improvement.

why?

[Mojoman]

why?

Approx 150 billion animals a year are slaughtered, that should be enough to make you think about how you can adapt and change your diet....for the better, for you and for your children's future....As someone pointed out they eat what their mom taught them to eat...

 

http://www.adaptt.org/killcounter.html

 

And if you think you are tough enough have a watch of the Earthlings video...

http://earthlings.com/

 

Although I think very few on this forum, regardless of how 'tough' they think they are, could watch it!

 

What is interesting for me (and extremely depressing at the same time) is my dad is in the stages of alzeheimers, his diet over the years has included lots of meat and a lot of processed meat (was on the road a lot so take aways etc were commonplace) After doing some reading it looks like the processed stuff is particularly bad (viennas, russians, polony, bacon etc etc) and not only causes cancers but can also have a link to alzeimhers....something I hope to avoid.