Book Review: The Campbell Plan

The Campbell Plan: The Simple Way to Lose Wight and Reverse Illness, using The China Study’s Whole-Food, Plant-Based Diet
By Thomas Campbell, MD
Rodale (2015)
Reviewed by Holly R. Layer, RD

Claims:

The Campbell Plan uses the findings of The China Study, of which both Campbell and his father (T. Colin Campbell, PhD) were part, to assert that a plant-based diet can not only allow readers to be the healthiest they can be, but also to fend off diseases, including cancer. The findings are based on the results of the 20-year China Project, which studied the diets of 65,000 adults in 65 counties in China and rates of disease. They concluded that the counties eating higher animal protein had more incidences of ‘Western’ diseases and cancers than those populations eating a plant-based diet. Campbell’s own studies on tumor growth and protein intake (casein, found in milk) in lab rats led him to conclude that consumption of animal protein promotes tumor growth.

Campbell says, “…humans eating lesser amounts of animal protein and more plant-based foods might have not only more energy, but also lower odds of developing obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, kidney disease, liver disease, brain disease and prostate, breast and colon cancers.” Additionally, he claims that a plant-based diet promotes healthier bacterial communities in the gut. The book includes chapters addressing ‘hot topics’ such as soy and gluten.

Synopsis of Diet Plan:

Campbell believes a high-carb, low-fat diet high in fiber, along with exercise, is the healthiest way to eat. He says, “…if you make the right food choices, you will do more to improve your health than anything else you might do.” But what are his ‘right food choices?’

The biggies to avoid are all animal products (meat, eggs and dairy). Additionally, he includes lists of foods to eliminate, including, pure fats (liquid oils, butter, margarine, substitutes), refined grain products, processed foods, cereals with added sugars, artificial sweeteners, and jarred sauces/dressings with added oils. Recommended foods include fruit, 100% whole-wheat pastas, breads, beans, vegetables, and nutritional yeast.

Campbell’s diet plan, as he presents it in the book, is really a lifestyle change. Campbell does not encourage counting calories or other macronutrients, nor is this a weight-loss plan. He fully intends that readers embrace a ‘no animal products’ eating style for good.

Nutritional Pros and Cons:

All of the foods Campbell recommends are full of health benefits; fruits and vegetables are low in calories and high in vitamins and minerals and whole grains are packed with fiber. But by eliminating both meat and dairy, protein may be lacking in the diet. Campbell states that 12.5 grams of protein per 500 calories is sufficient for most adults, which equates to approximately 50 grams of protein in a 2,000-calorie diet, which does align with the FDA’s protein recommendations as well. However, diet quality determines the amount of protein—and other nutrients—taken in, and not all participants will eat the amount or variety needed to meet their protein needs without meat and dairy. Campbell does make a case for allowing ‘small amounts’ of lean meat and eggs, but only for someone who has followed his ‘optimal diet’ since birth, which is highly unlikely.

Campbell also includes hints for grocery-shopping, label-reading, substitution suggestions and advice on how to discuss your dietary change with others. He addresses added sugars, salt and fat, and discourages the use of ‘vegan’ meat/cheese/mayo, etc… substitutes. A two-week sample meal plan is included that features recipes from the book.

Bottom Line:

Despite its very restrictive nature, there is a lot to like about the book and its presentation. Campbell, above all else, recommends eating real food—whole grains, vegetables, fruit and legumes—and ditching anything even remotely processed. He also addresses many dietary ‘ills’, like added sugars and trans fats, information beneficial to anyone, not just those ready to swear off animal products.

The book is well referenced, although further research reveals that there are holes in the data, or places in which pertinent data may have been omitted. For example, one of Campbell’s biggest and earliest points is that casein, a protein found in cow’s milk, promotes tumor growth. Not mentioned in the book is that whey, the other protein found in cow’s milk, has a protective effect and delays tumor growth, and that both of these proteins are most often ingested together. Additionally, studies have found that indigenous populations whose diets are high in animal products, such as the Greenland Eskimo, also have very low rates of disease and cancer, despite their animal protein intake. Overall, Campbell makes some broad generalizations, such as the casein example and that high cholesterol is a marker for all manner of disease, that aren’t fully supported by existing research. Follow his advice for eating real, whole foods, making most of your diet plant-based and his guidance for avoiding added sugars, etc… but staying away from all animal products on the basis they are the cause of disease is unfounded.

This book includes 55 recipes and a two-week sample menu.

Book Review: The Paleo Diet

The Paleo Diet: Revised Edition
By Loren Cordain
John Wiley & Sons (2011)
Reviewed by Holly R. Layer, RD

Claims:

The idea of ‘paleolithic eating’ emerged in the 1970s after research by a gastroenterologist and was first popularized by Loren Cordain, in his initial 2002 book. This revised edition includes updated research and slightly different recommendations for types of oils to consume, saturated fat and the increased benefit of the Paleo diet for those with autoimmune diseases.

Cordain writes that our “genes determine our nutritional needs,” and that our “genes were shaped by selective pressures of our paleolithic environment.” Thus, we are healthier when we eat the way our ancient hunter-gatherer ancestors did. In fact, Cordain claims that indigenous peoples were almost disease and ailment-free, citing that while hypertension is the greatest risk to Americans, the Greenland Eskimoes, studied in the 1960s and 1970s, were found to be free from heart disease despite their diet high (60%) in animal foods. Cordain calls becoming lean and fit like our ancestors “our birthright.”

Synopsis of Diet Plan:

Cordain lays out the six ‘ground rules’ for the Paleo Diet, which are based on a ‘Stone Age’ diet: ‘Eat lots of lean meats, fresh fruits and vegetables.’ Cereals/grains, legumes, dairy and processed foods are out. Seven ‘keys’ of the diet elaborate on the foundation of the diet, addressing protein and carbohydrate intakes, fiber, fat, potassium and sodium, pH and vitamins and minerals.

Understanding that many readers may balk at the thought of omitting so many staples of their current diet, Cordain provides three ‘levels’ for those attempting to go Paleo: an ‘entry’ level in which three meals a week are non-paleo, a ‘maintenance’ level in which two meals per week are non-paleo, and the ‘maximal weight loss’ level in which only one meal per week is non-paleo.

While the book and eating plan themselves are not primarily focused on weight-loss, Cordain all but guarantees that adopting a paleo eating plan will promote weight loss, and dedicates a chapter to weight-loss success stories.

Nutritional Pros and Cons:

Cordain compares both a Paleo diet and the typical American diet side-by-side to see how they stack up on the Recommended Daily Allowances (RDAs). Unsurprisingly, the paleo meals—including Atlantic salmon, spinach salad, pork chops and steamed broccoli—outranked provided more than 100% in every category, while the American provided more than 80% in only seven of the 22 categories.

The book includes exercise recommendations and a ‘user’s manual,’ that includes information about eating and shopping for wild game meat and fish, the difference between and beneficial ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fats in nuts and seeds, as well as helpful hints for dining out or traveling.

The book does address the acid-base loads of foods, and encourages readers to eat more alkaline foods as our typical diets contain more acidic foods that tax our kidneys. This may be too confusing a concept for most readers and remains to be proven as beneficial to our health.

Bottom Line:

While the book’s 25-page bibliography of references is extensive, there are no footnotes or easy way to cross-reference the particular study that corresponds to a particular claim. The Paleo Diet is as faddish a diet as they come, omitting not one but two entire food groups. However, a paleo eating style does promote the consumption of lean meats, healthy fats and plenty of fruits and vegetables, at the very expense of junk and processed foods. Admittedly, both food groups on the chopping block—grains and dairy—are not vital in our diets (as we can get all the vitamins, minerals, fiber and even calcium from fruits and vegetables), and often make up most of the less-nutritious foods we eat, such as crackers or cakes or sweetened yogurts. Readers should be encouraged to adopt some of the healthy principles in the book, either by trying one of the outlined diet ‘levels’ or by simply allowing ‘real’ food to crowd out sweetened grains and dairy (and other processed foods) on their plates.

This book contains approximately 75 recipes and three sample two-week meal plans.

Book Review: Wheat Belly

Wheat Belly
By William Davis, MD
Rodale (2011)
Reviewed by Holly R. Layer, RD

Claims:

Dr. William Davis, a cardiologist who says he has put more than 2,000 of his patients on wheat-free diets, calls wheat ‘nutritionally bankrupt’ and claims it is the cause (or at least connected to) of weight gain, fat build-up, diabetes, as well as rheumatoid arthritis and dementia. Additionally, Davis says the wheat we eat today is the ‘transformed product of genetic research’ and that the weight we’ve gained as a society due to our wheat intake ‘isn’t our fault.’

Synopsis of Diet Plan:

Davis’ only ‘diet plan’ is that one should remove all wheat from their diet, but does not offer many suggestions on how to replace the absence of traditional wheat products in the diet. Only one chapter discusses ‘life after wheat,’ yet most of that is still focused on the consequences of having wheat in the diet and wheat ‘withdrawl;’ there are only 15 pages dedicated to what dieters CAN eat and a weeklong sample meal plan.

Instead, he spends much of the book vilifying wheat, and the genetic gymnastics that have changed the wheat from Bible times to the wheat we have today. He begins the book discussing einkorn and emmer wheat thousands of years before Christ, to its journey to the New World with Christopher Columbus and eventually its hybridization in the last 50 years. It is this hybridization, or genetic modification, in order to increase crop yields that Davis blames for our society’s health issues. All nine chapters in Part 2 of the book tie wheat to ailments such as insulin resistance, aging issues, heart disease and even skin problems.

Nutritional Pros and Cons:

Eliminating wheat from one’s diet will, inherently, create a calorie deficit if replaced with healthy options, like fruits and vegetables. In fact, Davis does mention the decrease in calories and offers eating larger portions of salads or vegetables as ways to make up for the lost calories. Those needing to lose weight may benefit from this decrease in calories. Additionally, much of what’s labeled as ‘junk food’ is made of or with wheat, and therefore eliminating those items can only have a beneficial effect on overall heat.

Davis does address, albeit briefly, that wheat is a source of fiber and B vitamins in the diet, and quickly points out that fruits, vegetables and nuts provide as much or more of those nutrients. While true, it’s questionable whether dieters who used to rely heavily on ‘fortified’ wheat products would include enough variety of those healthier options in their diets.

Bottom Line:

Yes, the wheat we eat today is different that the wheat people ate thousands of years ago. Yes, our society is dealing with myriad health issues, many of which can be improved with diet. However, is it really fair, or accurate, to place all the blame on wheat? Perhaps more blame should rest on the proliferation of processed junk food made with wheat instead. Eliminating wheat entirely is too restrictive for most dieters; in fact, the only true followers may be Davis himself and those with a wheat allergy.

The book contains 25 pages of recipes in Appendix B.