I have been greatly influenced by the works of two great doctors. Dr. T. Colin Campbell and Dr. Michael Greger. Both of them are ardent whole food plant-based diet advocates and have done much research to understand the efficacy of this system in saving the health of human beings and the planet. They have both advised me much in my pursuit of founding and running Sampoorna Ahara.
Recently they have mentioned the importance of a whole food plant-based diet in the wake of pandemics as well. I read an article about this in one published by Plantbased News website.
Doctor T. Colin Campbell, a leading expert on plant-based health, says that switching to a whole food plant-based diet could offer a quicker, safer, and more comprehensive solution to co-existing with viruses like COVID-19. The author of the China Study - made the comments in a recent article entitled, "Could Changing Our Diets Defeat COVID-19?"
A number of nutritional risk factors were measured by him in an earlier project, “The China Study,” including antibodies, antigens, and mortality rates related to many diseases. The results indicated that vegetable consumption, dietary fiber, and plant protein intake were highly correlated with HBV antibody prevalence, which was the main study then by him. More plant food consumption was associated with more antibodies against the virus hepatitis B (HBV) disease.
According to him, while each virus has its own symptoms, they also have something in common. Dr. Campbell says, "They invade hosts like us, and our immune system mounts a defense, most commonly by tailoring antibodies for each virus strain."
He asks, since COVID-19 is also a viral disease, could the same nutrition help us strengthen our immune response.
He found that generally, people consuming more animal protein have fewer antibodies, even those consuming very little animal protein.
Eating a whole food plant-based diet should, he says, might lessen the severity of symptoms while simultaneously increasing COVID-19 antibodies.
I have clearly seen that the diet has been proven to effectively reduce at least the comorbidities associated with severe cases of COVID-19. A covid patient called us for food delivery from the hospital. When we enquired the reason for her to opt for our food, she said that her sugar levels were high and that she was not being allowed to leave the hospital because of that. She had heard that our foods reduce high sugar levels. Within two days of eating our food, her sugar levels came down and she was safely discharged from the hospital!
We need a cure for every new epidemic, but I wonder why we cannot put in money into exploring how we can heal ourselves faster by opting for the right kind of diet.
Dr. Michael Greger, also concurs with this.
The author of Bird Flu: A Virus Of Our Own Hatching, Dr. Greger explores infectious diseases, the human role, and how we can protect ourselves in the book.
In his book, “How To Survive A Pandemic,” he examines the pathogens that cause pandemics - and the impact of chicken farming with potential pandemics.
He says that plant-based diets dramatically lower the issues of hypertension, high blood pressure, obesity, heart diseases, and type 2 diabetes making people less susceptible to the death-like impact of pandemic diseases.
I am on the run trying to change people. I often have to put up with silly tantrums regarding how sometimes our food tastes bland because of its low salt content. Further, I am tired of facing diehards who feel food has to be had the way their parents or grandparents cooked only or the way other food joints do. I have mastered the art of facing such things and have developed the art of trying to convince even such diehards. It is great fun to use the danda of the doctor with such persons! Nothing short of reproach will work sometimes!
Imagine my plight though, of knowing how much their bodies are getting worse day by day while they lean towards listening to the vagaries of a habituated 2 inch appendage inside their mouths and a brain that has become its slave!
Food is an addiction and changing people’s food habits should be treated the way therapists treat other kinds of addictions. In fact food addiction should become a priority as it has resulted in such horrors as the pandemic!
In my experience it just requires 2 weeks of disciplined eating of good food. For by then the tongue, the brain and the body gets so used to the differing salt levels, higher water and nutrient content of food in whole food plant-based diets that it rejects any other kind of foods.
How is your experience of handling pandemic? Have you tried plant-based diet? Did it help you? Add a comment below. I am eager to hear from you.
Be Blessed!Dr. Achyuthan Eswar.